We caught up with Ryoto Arai, axeman and songwriter for Japanese metal act HELL FREEZES OVER. Read on to hear about the “Young Metal Attack”…

TheNWOTHM: Can you introduce yourselves for our readers, and tell us why you do what you do please?

Ryoto: Hi, I’m Ryoto, the leader, main composer, and lead guitarist of a heavy metal band called “HELL FREEZES OVER” in Japan.

The band is very influenced by 70’s and 80’s music and culture. H.F.O.’s genre is often described as speed metal or thrash metal, but I’m not sure about that. lol

TheNWOTHM: For those discovering you for the first time, can you tell us how did HELL FREEZES OVER come about, and is there a story behind the name?

Ryoto: When I was in my late teens, I started looking for members to form a true metal band in Japan that could play internationally. It took me a couple of years of constant auditioning and studio sessions with about 50-60 potential members. Many of them didn’t feel the same way or were just all talk.

Finally, in 2013, when I was about 20 years old, H.F.O. was formed. I named the band “hell freezes over” with the hope and attitude that we will make the impossible possible.

TheNWOTHM: “Hellraiser” was proudly recorded in a very old school way. Can you tell us more about this and what challenges you faced along the way?

Ryoto: Yeah, most of our favorite music was recorded on tape. So it was sort of inevitable that we did analog recording. All instruments on this album were recorded live off the floor, except for the vocals. No editing by computer.

At that time, no one could afford to make any major mistakes. But it allowed us to record our great musical feeling rather than perfection. But the most difficult part was the mixing. The basics of mixing were done by me and Hirotomo, but it was a lot of work to master the NEVE analog console and get it down to tape. lol

TheNWOTHM: Your guitar tone on “Hellraiser” is very cool. What gear do you use?

Ryoto: Thanks! The guitar tone that can be heard from the left side of the speaker is Hirotomo’s sound, and right side is mine.
My guitar tone is a vintage Marshall JMP modified amp with a treble booster.

Not many metal guitarists use treble boosters, but I love them. I had a friend of mine made me a special handmade pedal with germanium transistors. It sounds great.

TheNWOTHM: There’s a huge amount of quality old school metal bands, from all around the world currently active. Can you tell us what it takes to stand out from the crowd?

Ryoto: Yeah, it’s a great thing, isn’t it? But I don’t know the answer to that question. Because we probably haven’t stood out from the crowd yet. If I were to speculate and talk about it, I would say “don’t stick to the oldschool”.

Many bands only think about producing a traditional sound, for example, this riff sounds like Judas Priest, or this way of singing sounds like Steve Grimmet… The important thing is always to have “originality” and “to be new”.
 
TheNWOTHM: What’s the metal scene like in Japan? Does it vary between provinces?

Ryoto: The Japanese metal scene is losing younger players and audiences. I recognize that this is a big problem. That’s why I have been organizing an event called “YOUNG METAL ASSAULT” recently, where I gather young metal bands and offer special discounts for young audiences.

Teenagers get a free ticket!! I felt that I should take action in my own way in this Japanese scene. And I feel that most of the Japanese metal scene is concentrated in Tokyo. There are great bands in each provinces, though.

TheNWOTHM: If you were to recommend one album to anyone to has never heard of heavy metal before, which would you pick and why?

Ryoto: Very difficult question! But if I had to choose only one album, it would be “METALLICA – Master of Puppets”. That album has a classical approach to music, but it is also new music. It encompasses all the savagery, subtlety, seriousness, and potential of metal music.I can recommend it to all with great pride.

TheNWOTHM: What’s next for HFO? Any plans for a new release or tours?

Ryoto: We are planning to do a short tour in Japan in the summer. In September, we will do a show in Thailand with TESTAMENT and MARDUK, and in December, we are talking about touring in China if we get permission from the government.

There are also plans to release a single and a music video around September or October. Everything is tight, so if we get one thing wrong, we won’t make it in time lol

TheNWOTHM: Heavy metal is all about passion and community. Recommend some fellow bands for us to check out that we might not of heard of!

Ryoto: You are absolutely right! Then let me introduce you to some Japanese bands I know. 

“SHiTT” – Trio progressive instrumental metal band.

“UNARMED CROWD” – They are still in their mid-twenties and play melodic death metal like it’s the middle of the 90’s!

“MELT 4” – A metal band with Japanese lyrics, a rarity nowadays.

“STRAENGE” – Thrash metal band with a unique world view and a lot of odd time signatures.

“Deidora” – Thrash metal band with very violent speed riffs.

That’s all.

Thanks to Jamie for doing this interview with me and to everyone who reads this. I hope you will buy our vinyl and come see our show one day

HELL FREEZES OVER – Online links

https://linkco.re/57G7AD2G?lang=ja

https://www.facebook.com/hellfreezesover.hfo?ref=profile

https://www.instagram.com/hellfreezesover_official/

https://hfo.official.ec/

http://hell-freezes-over.com/

https://twitter.com/HFO_official

@HFO_official

http://www.youtube.com/user/HellFreezesOver311

hellfreezesover.official@gmail.com