Connect with us

Features

Stereo Six: Seiran Count Down Some of Their Most Cherished Records

Australian and Japanese metalcore group, Seiran join us for a Stereo Six session counting down some of their most cherished records.

Published

on

Seiran in 2021

Slowly but steadily, Seiran are establishing themselves as a band very much worth your attention. Last summer, they released the emotionally-charged single “Before It Ends,” their most successful track yet. Featuring dark, pounding riffs, the song offers heavy lyrics from lead singer Shin, who takes this opportunity to deal with guilt and frustration head-on. It is actually the first song he ever wrote for the band, coming up with the melody of the chorus before shaping the lyrics.

Very much an international act, Seiran is composed of members from Melbourne, Australia, and Tokyo, Japan. Initially, it was only meant to be guitarist Zico’s solo project, but then it turned into a duo when Shin got involved in 2019. Musically, it’s an interesting and unique combination of Australian and Japanese metalcore varieties, creating a one-of-a-kind musical style. It’s said style which is helping to win fans over with each new release, leading hopefully towards the release of a full set of songs.

Joining us today for a Stereo Six session is Seiran themselves to run down six (actually, they slightly bent the rules, so seven) records that have been highly influential to them as growing, developing artists.

1. Linkin Park – Meteora (2003, Warner Records)

Shin: “Not really vocally, but my music taste completely changed after I listened to ‘Numb’ by Linkin Park. Before that, I didn’t even listen to music a lot. Maybe just J Pop and whatever music was on the radio or TV. But my first year in high school (15 years old), my best friend had this song as his ringtone. We were staying at one of our other friend’s houses, and I woke up to that song going off. The song hit me so hard. I immediately asked my best friend, ‘Who is this?’ I discovered so many other bands through him and still listen to them now.

“If I hadn’t heard that song, I wouldn’t listen to music as much as I do now. I didn’t even have any interest in living overseas or studying English. That song completely changed me.”

2. Fear, And Loathing In Las Vegas – Dance & Scream (2010, VAP)

Shin: “My best friend recommended this band to me, and at the time, it was too intense for me to listen to screaming in a song. But I kept listening to them and eventually got used to it. This is the band that got me into heavier music. I remember I started to practice screaming at that time. I was super obsessed with the band and how the singer screams. I wanted to imitate him so bad.”

Artwork for the albums Seiran lists in this Stereo Six

Artwork for the albums Seiran lists in this Stereo Six

3. Northlane – Node (2015, UNFD)

Shin: “I only knew a few songs by them before I started this band. But Zico loves Northlane, and I started listening to them. First time I heard this album, I thought, ‘it’s heavy, but too slow.’ I preferred faster metalcore songs back then. But after I listened several times, I got really into the chill Aussie metalcore vibe (laughs).

“To me, I feel like the Australian metalcore genre developed in a different way than Japanese or even U.S. metalcore. I think people in Japan prefer fast-beat metalcore even nowadays. When I wrote ‘Before It Ends,’ I was listening to this album a lot and felt like it had an effect on me vocally. I also practiced with Northlane songs and did a few covers too.”

4. X Japan – Art Of Life (1993, Atlantic Records)

Zico: “This was an album I discovered on LimeWire. I don’t even know how I found the band, but I somehow downloaded the song ‘Dahlia’ (by X Japan), and I was just captivated. So I decided to download another song which turned out to be ‘Art Of Life,’ which is one song, but still technically an album because the song goes for over half an hour.”

5. The Gazette – Dim (2009, JPU Records)

Zico: “That led me into my J Rock phase, where I was just obsessed with the hooks, melodies, and chord progressions. I ended up buying Dim by The Gazette, and that album just blew me away with its darkness and beauty. This album definitely shaped me a lot.”

6. Avenged Sevenfold – City Of Evil (2005, Warner Bros. Records)

Zico: “Looking back, I still have a fondness for this album. It was the first album that I had heard with harmonized guitar solos, double pedals, and breakdowns.”

7. Saosin – Saosin (2006, Capitol Records)

“What can I say? Sick riffs, haunting harmonics, epic chord progressions, Cove Reber. Enough said.”

Artwork for the album ‘Before it Ends’ by Seiran

Artwork for the album ‘Before it Ends’ by Seiran

Born in 2003, V13 was a socio-political website that, in 2005, morphed into PureGrainAudio and spent 15 years developing into one of Canada's (and the world’s) leading music sites. On the eve of the site’s 15th anniversary, a full re-launch and rebrand takes us back to our roots and opens the door to a full suite of Music, Film, TV, and Cultural content.

Trending