This time JRockOne had the opportunity to interview the members of the metalcore band Sailing Before The Wind.
Join us to discover the stories, inspirations, and aspirations that fuel the fire of Sailing Before The Wind.
°Could you please introduce yourself for anyone who is not familiar with Sailing Before The Wind? Who are the members of the band?
Bitoku: Me, the bassist Bitoku, is the only original member of the band. Guitarist Kosuke has been together with the band since 2015 and he became an official member in 2023. Liku also joined at that time 2023. Hiroki (C-GATE) has been helping the band since 2016 as a touring drummer. We are looking for a new vocalist right now.
°I have often seen people criticize the band name online, but I think there is a reason behind the name. Would you please explain the meaning of it to us?
Bitoku: I took this from a Japanese four-character idiom. It’s like 順風満帆 or 一路順風. I wanted the name to be something positive. The meaning is something like “there is always a tailwind blowing for us”.
°You’ve recently released a new EP in May this year. Can you tell us something about “Revised Elements”?
Bitoku: The new EP has 4 songs in total. They are two singles that have already been released (‘Inferno’ and ‘Breath of Air’) and two new songs. The singles have a new mix for the EP.
Check out the EP ->here<-
°How does “Revised Elements” differ from previous releases? And what impact do you hope the EP will have on listeners?
Bitoku: I think we’ve come the closest to melodic hard rock ever. You can call it “Bon Jovi-core” or something like that. People tend to think of us as just another breakdown band, but the real listeners know we’ve always been about melody and song structure.
°You released two live albums last year, how did the decision come to be, to release them? Are there any plans to release a studio album in the future too?
Bitoku: We originally shot the video and recorded the sound to put the live show on YouTube. After publishing it to YouTube, I received a request from a fan who said “Please stream it on Spotify as well!’ and I was like “OK!”. We will continue to release live albums because the fans are happy with them. It has a different quality than the studio version. It contains the true band sound we are all proud of. Of course we are working on a studio album as well.
°Which song of Sailing Before The Wind was the most challenging to write or record?
Bitoku: I’d say ‘End of the Road’ from the new EP. I always try to include some challenging elements with new songs.
°Kosuke and Liku, you both participate in recording the guitars, how does the recording process look like?
Kosuke: Since the release of “Inferno”, we record the guitars at home, in our own home studio. I record the backing tracks and guitar solos, Liku the lead guitar.
First, we receive content from Bitoku which contains a guitar score, DAW data and some reference tracks to understand the feeling of a song. Sometimes he shares with us short guitar clips, to make sure we get the details right and because there are details, that are hard to explain on a guitar score. It’s important to have the song sound closer to the composer’s intent.Liku: I try not to start recording the day I receive the demo of a new song. I get a better feel for the vibe and meaning of the song after a day has passed.
°Are you both content being the guitar player or did you ever wanted to steal the microphone and become the singer of the band instead?
Kosuke: When I was a teenager, I tried to be a singer once, but gave up because of my voice breaking puberty. At that time my curiosity was only for singers and guitarists, so eventually I chose the 2nd option. Nowadays I’m fully satisfied with my role, and have no regrets.
Liku: I never wanted to be a singer, but I have tried to be a bassist! Actually, I played bass in a band I was in, in the past. But now I am very proud to be a guitarist.
°How did you both start playing instruments and get into music? And what made you both join SBTW?
Kosuke: The original idea came from watching a TV performance of the Japanese rock group “B’z”. I watched only a few minutes but it was enough to motivate me to play music. Then I started playing guitar for exactly that reason. Later I dug a bunch of heavier music to improve my own skills and through this journey I reached Metalcore. Metal with symphonic, progressive stuff is still my favorite.
Regarding joining SBTW, it was suggested by Takaya, former guitarist of SBTW. Of course I already knew about SBTW and thought they were awesome, but I had confidence that my participation would make the band more aggressive.Liku: I think I started playing guitar when I was 16 years old, because I saw someone playing one of my favorite songs on the guitar on YouTube. The next month I asked my parents to buy me a guitar, and that became my first guitar.
°What gear do you use and why?
Kosuke: As for guitars, Liku and I use the same Ibanez RGA model.
I also have some other guitars, but tone, playability, body shape, wood material… anything is playable to me. Also I have to mention the Quad Cortex of Neural DSP. Now all of our guitar sounds and effects are by a small, lunch-box sized amp modeler. I still can’t believe that we get hi-quality tones for our live show by such a small enclosure unit.
°Do you have any tips for new guitarists?
Kosuke: Keep in mind to enjoy it! Make your hands relax as much as possible. You’ll make an incredibly punchy sound regardless of your power if you will be experienced someday.
Liku: Don’t think about it as practice! Don’t play the guitar thinking it’s practice, just keep doing what you enjoy. You will improve naturally.
°Nevrness and Winfell are the side projects of Bitoku and Liku. Kosuke, do you have any side projects outside SBTW? Did you ever want to form one?
Kosuke: As for this question, I’d say “soon”. There is one thing I really wanted to try, and it took me much more time than I expected. But if we abandon our commitment in our personal activities, we’ll lose all meaning.
°In April this year you went on your first Europe tour. Congratulations on that. What were your impressions, touring in Europe? Are there any memorable stories you would like to share?
Kosuke: It was our first overseas tour and we had to travel long distances every day, but with the help of many people we were able to keep up a good performance. The audience response was great, and it was worth it. Hard to pick a single great moment but if I was to say it, I got good feedback from people who had never seen a show of ours till that day, every night. It’s not easy to get such an unbiased voice from the audience assuming we stay in our hometown because the band is already known in the local scene in Japan.
Liku: I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of unknown experiences for me. The reaction of the audience was very impressive for me, some if them were even dancing to our music, I enjoyed playing a lot!
°Was there anything you missed from Japan, during your tour?
Kosuke: I missed the taste of Japanese food. I felt that way already on the second day, so perhaps it was more like homesickness.
Liku: I missed Japanese food so much, by the end of the tour everyone was asking for Udon!
°Bitoku, you toured in Europe previously already as a support member of Crystal Lake. Was it a lot different touring with your own band this time?
Bitoku: At the time of the tour , it seemed that the audience already knew Crystal Lake’s songs and many of them came for them. Like the audience was singing along to all the lyrics.
This time there were a lot of people in the audience who seemed to be new to SBTW. It was a pleasure to play in front of all these new people. And of course thanks to everyone who drove all the way out here to see SBTW.
°Do you have any future touring plans?
Bitoku: We can’t divulge details yet, but we will be touring Japan as headliners in October. And then we will be touring Japan in November as a support act of Breakdown of Sanity.
°What is the most memorable concert or event you ever played?
Bitoku: The European tour was absolutely phenomenal. We always try to make our latest gigs the most memorable ones. If the past is the best, what is the current gig?
°Is there anyone in the future that you want to collaborate or tour with?
Bitoku: We would love to collaborate with Matti (Escape the Fate). You know his guitar shredding is mind blowing. It was great to meet him and Craig in person on the last Escape the Fate Japan tour. We’ve talked about doing a show together next time.
°In what ways do you want to challenge yourself as a musician moving forward?
Bitoku: Write better songs. That’s everything to me.
°What is one thing you want your fans to know about you and the band?
Bitoku: We’re not just another revival metalcore act. I’ve been doing this band since 2011. Maybe a little late to the first party but I don’t mean to be nostalgic. I’m trying to do something new with respect to the metalcore of the past.
°Have you ever thought about making an alter-ego band for fun, where everyone swaps positions?
Bitoku: I’ve never thought about it.
°Do any of the band members have any unique talents that would surprise fans?
Kosuke: Every time we’re amazed about how great Bitoku’s memory is. No matter how many years have passed, he probably remembers you if you once had a conversation with him at the venue.
°The band has a very strong social media presence, please tell us something about it and who is in charge of it?
Bitoku: I’m running the whole thing. Although there are a lot of negative comments, it is good to see an active comment section. We are all free to voice our opinions. Well, sometimes I get hurt, but I do it because I want new people to get to know the band.
°What are everybody’s thoughts on the current international and domestic metalcore scene?
Bitoku: I think more and more bands have low tuning and stronger hardcore influences. I mean I like those bands, but I think it would be nice to see more bands that value melody and riffs.
Kosuke: The trend seems to be more lower tunings, simpler riffs, and a bit of a nü-metal vibe in my view. I also feel that some metalcore bands are trying to evolve their sounds beyond that of metalcore music, based on their own backgrounds and curiosity.
Liku: I hope the metalcore scene will expand more, although of course it will not be easy.
°Please leave a message for your fans and anyone reading the interview
Bitoku: Thanks for reading. Come to the show and feel the sound of the bass live which will make you happy.
Kosuke: I hope you’ve discovered something impressive through this interview. I look forward to see you at the venue!
Liku: I’m sure our international fans are reading this and I can’t wait to meet you all.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for answering our questions. We are looking forward to what the future will bring for Sailing Before The Wind.
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Check out the EP here
I am also glad about the interview