| Akuma no Uta | ||
|---|---|---|
 Cover for The Original Japanese LP and Southern Lord Editions. | ||
| Studio album by Boris | ||
| Released | June 6 2003 | |
| Recorded | January - March 2003 at Peace Music in Tokyo, Japan | |
| Genre | Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Shoegaze, Progressive Rock, Experimental Rock | |
| Length | 31:59 (Japanese CD) 39:00 (LP/US Version) | |
| Producer | Boris | |
| Boris chronology | ||
| Heavy Rocks (2002) |
Akuma no Uta (2003) |
Boris at Last: Feedbacker (2003) |
Akuma no Uta (悪魔の歌 The Devil's Song) is the fifth album by Japanese experimental music band Boris. Originally released on 6 July 2003 on Diwphalanx Records with minimalist artwork, it was re-issued in 2005 on Southern Lord Records with a different cover and an extended introduction.
In addition to running an additional 7 minutes, the opening track of the Southern Lord version is a totally different take; both use the same riff from "Akuma no Uta," but the original, shorter track repeats it far less and opens with over a minute of ambient, resonant amp noise absent from the longer version.
It's notable as a heavy rock album in Boris' discography and one of the more notable releases among US fans as it built their audience. It's been praised for it's wide variety of influences and the Bryter Later tribute cover.
Background[]
Album cover for the original Japanese CD version.
Album cover for the "Venom" picture disc edition.
Boris had begun work on their fifth album in early 2003 and according to Atsuo, recording the entirety of the record in one take:
| “ | “We wanted to capture the feeling of the moment. We wanted to include all the noises in the studio that most recordings discard. Usually those noises are not important, but we wanted to include those meaningless things. Information on the meaningless notes are contained and are given some worth. At the time of recording Akuma No Uta, we are looking for reality. We are going for music with reality. But consequently, sometimes it may be a lie.
[In regards to the drum sound] Yeah, that's right. Also the sound that exists in my head is reproduced with the recording and the mix. And it is said that it becomes that violent sound if it wants to. As a general rule, hi-fi is not required.” |
” |
— Atsuo, Rad Company [1]
|
Music videos were made for the songs "Ibitsu" and "Furi" and can be found on the 2003 DVD Live at Shimokitazawa Shelter. A different mix of "Ibitsu" appears on the split with The Dudley Corporation, released via Irish label Scientific Laboratories on 8 April 2003. Notably it's mixed and mastered by Eiji Hashizume and recorded at Sound Square, Mastered at Inner Pleasure 2 in late 2002 or early 2003. The split 7" sold out sixteen days after it's release.
While the original minimalist album cover has been part of Boris' website for an extensive period of time, its US cover version is a direct tribute to the cover of Nick Drake's album Bryter Layter. The notable difference in the design is Takeshi holding his double-neck Ibanez instead of the acoustic guitar that Drake holds in his cover. The album's original length was extended on the reissue to 39 minutes, exactly the same length as Bryter Layter.
Southern Lord Records released a vinyl pressing that had a third cover, in tribute to the black metal band Venom's Welcome To Hell (With each member's name modified as a member of Venom as a joke). This was released as a picture disc with 700 copies featuring the "Nick Drake" cover, and 300 in the "Venom" style cover. Akuma no Uta (With the Bryter Later cover and North American mix) would see a reissue in 2019 on CD and Vinyl via Third Man Records. Boris would also release the album on their own Bandcamp.
On 4 June 2021 as part of Bandcamp Fridays, Boris would release a demo version of the album entitled Documentary of "Akuma no Uta", featuring demos and alternate takes of all six songs, along with previously unpublished photos.
Boris - Akuma No Uta (Full Album)
Tracklist[]
- 1. Introduction (2:35) (9:44 on LP/US CD)
- 2. Ibitsu (3:22)
- 3. Furi (3:20)
- 4. Naki Kyoku (12:14)
- 5. Ano Onna no Onryou (6:29)
- 6. Akuma no Uta (4:01)
Personnel[]
- Boris - Songwriting, Producer
- Takeshi aka Takeshicronos - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
- Atsuo aka Atsuoabaddon - Drums, Vocals
- Wata aka Watamantas - Guitar
- Fangs Anal Satan - Design
- Stephen O'Malley - Design (Venom Picture Disc)
- Shouki Minami - Artwork (Japanese CD)
- Higasayama "Hatchaku" Kunihito - Recording
- Souichirou Nakamura - Recording, Mixing, Mastering
- Eri Shibata - Photography
- Toshihiko Hironaka - A&R
External Links[]
- Akuma no Uta on Discogs
- Akuma no Uta on Bandcamp
- Documentary of Akuma no Uta on Bandcamp
- 15th Anniversary Tribute Piece via Doodlehound
References[]
- ↑ Rad Company via Wayback Machine Atsuo - BORIS/boris, accessed 24 March 2018