Schwarz Stein DEMIGOD Osaka

Yesterday was the big day. I got to get leave my house XD

I’m so hungry for a gig these days it’s depressing. When I studied in Tokyo I went to different clubs basically every week and now I’m glad if I get 4 gigs in a year xD 

Yesterday was not just any live, it was the first live for Schwarz Stein’s new release Demigod. They announced it at their last solo gig in July and I think we all got hyped. The one thing that made me feel :/ was that half of the songs are previous releases. Kaya said at the announcement that the last singles will be included but I was very surprised to see two songs from Immortal Verses as well. A fellow SS fan sent me the songs so I could listen before the gig today and they are the same versions as previously released so honestly I don’t understand why they chose to include them. One more thing I noticed was that they have changed Blanc dehors, it does not sound the same as last year when they first played it live (correct me if I’m wrong). 

Last week on Thursday Schwarz Stein had a coupling live with Moi Dix Mois and Közi, I had a bad feeling about that (meaning I was scared stuff would sell out) so I asked a friend yet again to buy me a copy of the CD and Hora’s DIABLO. And they actually did sell out 😳 which resulted in them setting a limit to one copy per person in Osaka (which was later during the night lifted though). The sad part was that some people seemed to have bought several copies just to put them up on mercari for double the price...

Anyway, I went early to make sure I’d be able to get the merch that I wanted. The badges sold out quickly, the rest was available throughout the night.

They played all the songs from the album plus Perfect garden, Current, Succubus, Sleeping madness and New Vogue Children. During the live Kaya hinted that they might play a song during the after event but they never did. We didn’t get to ask any questions either, it was just the two of them talking about the new album. So here are some things I remember:

Kaya said he really likes fixer, but that he actually likes the remix a bit better.

Hora said he also likes the remixes a lot. Apparently he usually likes the remixes better. He said he doesn’t like when there are remixes that are so different from the original that you can’t hear what song it is so he makes the remix side by side with the original (as I understood it).

Kaya mentioned that they haven’t really played Addictive Epicurean in the past at lives (meaning back in the early 2000). He said he, at the time, didn’t like to do songs that had long intros because he never knew what to do during that time on stage. 

They also talked about live streams. Many fans have requested them, especially from overseas, so they’re thinking about doing that again. But Kaya mentioned that he’d like everyone to listen to Demigod on cd while looking in the booklet (if I remember correctly he meant it as he think hearing the CD first is ideal and not on livestream).

About fixer, according to Hora, it’s been one of those songs he’s had for s long time (he said about 5 years). 

Last week Hora also released a new single/mini album; Diablo. It includes 3 songs: DIABLO, INVINCIBLE and STARFALL.

DIABLO is an original, I could not hear any sampling or what you might call it (fans of Hora are probably familiar with him incorporating melodies from his previous songs in new ones). STARFALL is a remake of Astral Nebula from DESOLATION BEAUTY and INVINCIBLE includes part of Pray to God -heir- from COCYTUS.

I'm really happy that Hora has started releasing some stuff recently. No song has matched Synthetic God yet though (OMG it's so good :O)

So, what did I think of DEMIGOD?

First, I'm so happy they remade Addictive Epicurean because I LOVE that song and I've been dying to hear it live. I love the remake, both the remix and the regular. My other new Schwarz Stein favourite is fixer... They played it last year once in Tokyo and once in Osaka and I loved it then too but now it's literally on repeat. (I went to Kyoto today and it was basically fixer with a bit of Lover remix and Addictive Epicurean for 4 hours).

Lover, first time when I heard it I felt like it was familiar. At first I thought it sounded a bit like Current (the chorus) but then I realised it sounds a bit like Haven from their greatest hits Licht. I always enjoy Hora's remixes but I rarely say I prefer the remixes, but in the case of Lover I actually. It has a darker sound XD if that makes sense...it probably doesn't because both are pretty upbeat. OK, it's heavier. I always turn the volume up really high when I listen to music and the remix makes me feel like I have a small rave inside my head XD

I acctually enjoyed the remix of Anima more than the original. It got this kind of 80s sound that I like. Anima is interesting, the moment I heard it I felt like this will become a Schwarz Stein song XD (I even wrote it on my instagram when I shared a picture of the cd). I think you can hear when Hora is planning to add vocals or not. Sometimes at least.

What surprised me was that there was no doom! They played a song called doom on Hora's birthday live 2023, which was a remake of his solo song Ignition. I was sure that would turn up on this release but nope. 

Looking forward to hearing the songs live again next month in Tokyo! 

Schwarz Stein 22nd Anniversary Live 2024-07-31

 I haven’t updated here in such a long time it almost feels like i should’ve kept it abandoned. 

I stopped updating because there were so many things going on, mostly bad, that i just didn’t feel motivated nor did i feel like i had the time. When covid hit a lot of bands started the live streaming too so it didn’t feel necessary for me to write live reports when everyone could see it themselves. 

However, that has changed and part of me also feels like i need to get back into my bangya era instead of just digging myself deeper down this hole I’ve been in. 

So for my comeback I will present to you the Schwarz Stein 22nd Anniversary live!

Recently Schwarz Stein has scheduled some lives on weekdays which makes it impossible for me to go. For those who don’t know me I live in Osaka, currently I also work 6 days a week so unless the live is on a Sunday or a holiday I can’t go. 

Unfortunately this happened with the anniversary too, it happened on a Tuesday but that Tuesday seemed like a very slow day at work so I asked if I could take the day off and I got an ok so of I went to Tokyo on Tuesday morning!

I’ve stopped taking the highway buses, I guess I’m too old but it hurts too much xD so going to Tokyo for a live only will result in at least a 30,000 yen train fee x_x I also hate stressing so to be able to participate in the after party, as they decided to call it this time, I actually stayed the night making it even more expensive x_x

I used to always wear the same outfit for Schwarz Stein, the original Hora t-shirt, but I feel really nostalgic for it so i don’t want to overuse it xD therefore I’ve left it in Sweden and have been dressing up a bit more for their lives. BUT Hora announced a new t-shirt for his birthday live in May which a friend kindly bought for me, so I decided to restart the Hora t-shirt dress fashion once again. Also Japanese summer is like walking around in a sauna so didn’t really feel like getting dressed up just to sweat through layers of clothing.

This time the live was at the 二万電圧, a club I’ve never been to before. It was very small, even though there can’t have been more than 80 guests it was full. 

My ticketnumber was pretty bad, 30, despite reserving my ticket within 5 minutes of the release (I now have the theory you get the number based on when you pay because I waited until around 9p.m that day to pay, if anyone knows how it works please leave a comment).

There were some new merch, a Hora keychain, compact mirror set and a signed photo included in the new Hora release Anima. I had already ordered Anima from his online store but i wanted to photo so I bought one more. I actually also got the keychain but I resisted the mirrors despite Hora’s cat being very cute. I just don’t have space to buy endless of merch anymore and i don’t use compact mirrors. This time they sold extra cheki tickets for the after party (since a couple of years back one cheki with the band is included in the afterevent/party price and they stopped selling tickets for it but it made a comeback this time). So i got an extra photo >_> because I feel like the risk of me closing my eyes or doing something else stupid is too high….

Being an anniversary I hoped they’d play a lot of the old classics. The setlist started with 黒揚羽 so I was pleased. I was even happier that they continued with Fester Love, Queen of Decadence and Apocalypse.  For Hora’s birthday live they played a new version of Addictive Epicurean, this made me so happy because it’s one of my favorite songs and I’ve mentioned that it would be nice to hear  a couple of times <3 and fortunately they played it this time too! It felt a bit slower than the original but i liked it.

Kaya mentioned in one of the short MCs that they’d keep it short and talk more during the after party. They had already announced there would be news so that came during the last MC. As I had thought, the news were that they will release a full album containing 11 songs in October. The new songs they have performed live will be included and then he said there will be new songs, at least that he grant sung before so i guess that’s a hint that there will be more remakes from Hora solo songs. The album will be followed by one live in Osaka and one in Tokyo. Then in December there will be a live with Közi as guest. Kaya had made a new flyer for this and had accidentally written that it would be Közi’s project E//+Z xD

They did keep the Mcs shorter but what surprised me was that the afterparty literally was them asking if people would be interested in a fan trip again and then discussing where to go, and they also played Perfect Garden. That was it. No question corner so it felt very short. I never ask questions but this time I actually wanted to. 

When it’s time to take a picture with them I never know what to say so it’s usually one thanks and bye xD Kaya complimented me on my shirt when I came in :p

I immediately checked my schedule and
realized I can attend all the planned lives so I’m really looking forward to both the album and the gigs ^^