A bit before the release of Corporeal Torment, Anatomia’s fourth album, I had the opportunity to ask Takashi Tanaka (drums/vocals) and Jun Tonosaki (bass/vocals) some questions.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time. Would you please introduce yourself and the band Anatomia please?
Takashi Tanaka (drums/vocals): Hi, I’m Takashi and I’m from Tokyo Japan. I play in Anatomia, Transgressor, Necrophile, Wormridden, all these bands are currently active. Generally speaking all these bands play Death Metal, but each slightly different in style. Anatomia was formed in 2002, plays slow doomy Death Metal, the most abysmal dismal music among all those I belong.
Anatomia was born in 2002, what does the band’s name represent for you?
Takashi: I put the name, and the idea was to take the part of the name of my all-time fave demo Anatomia Corpolis Humani by Grave. We also liked the way it sounded, and the word’s meaning was somewhat similar to « autopsy » to represent our music direction in the beginning.
Corporeal Torment, Anatomia’s fourth studio album, is about to be released, how do you feel about this album?
Takashi: We are very happy about it, especially having it released by our good friends labels Me Saco Un Ojo and Dark Descent. Very excited about being on these labels first time.
How does the composition process happen? Was it different from the previous record?
Takashi: Well, actually it was easier. This one was recorded after we returned back to two-piece, and we both can record songs by our own as we have our own recording studios/rooms now. So we can write/record songs any time we want, and exchange ideas. Writing process was simpler and easier than before.
On this album, I feel some decreasing brutality. I mean, on the first song, there’s an impressive blast beat part, then it gradually slows down. Do you feel the same? Is it something you wanted to create?
Takashi: That’s right, but that’s what we wanted. Fast songs are not always brutal. We do enjoy listening to Brutal Death Metal that play faster and well, but we’d rather enjoy playing slow. We needed more atmospheric parts, and no technical stuff at all.
Since 2002, and despite some line-up changes, Anatomia never forgets its roots, forged into the most putrid and crushing Death/Doom. Do you feel any changes into the band?
Takashi: Not much. I think whatever music we play, we are always different from others, and our main root didn’t change or won’t change. Of course we are adding more atmospheric/ambient stuffs now but we are doing it in a good way I think. Something very dark and abysmal.
The band is now a duo, was it easy to compose as a two-piece band? Can you tell us who played guitar on this album? Do you plan to hire a guitar player for live shows?
Takashi: Yes, it’s easier now. Jun played all strings for the recordings, and I played drums and did vocals. We already have a fill-in guitarist for our shows. Makoto from a Funeral Doom band, Funeral Moth plays with us now. He’s been a good friend of ours since many years ago, and he joined us in 2019.
Where do you find inspiration to write music and/or lyrics? Does it only come from music you listen to or something else, like books, movies, art in general, or anything else?
Takashi: When writing lyrics I get ideas from horror films, mostly classic ones but also some newer gore films including Japanese films. Not to mention specific titles here though. And I also get inspiration from murder/bizarre cases that actually happen here in Japan. For music, we mainly get ideas from what we listen to. I listen to mostly Death Metal, while Jun listens not only Death Metal but also Ambient/Noise, Progressive Rock, etc.
I know that the Covid crisis cancelled a lot of things around the world, but how does it affect the band? How does Japan react to the worldwide crisis?
Takashi: It affected us greatly. We got to cancel all the shows booked, and tours cancelled as well. We had a plan to play in Indonesia which was postponed, and also planned a Transgressor tour in Australia, Japan tour with Fetid… Everything was cancelled. Although we lost those shows, we could focus on creating new materials, so we are doing it. Japanese government is different in reacting the crisis compared to the others. We don’t do any lock-down, so restaurants are open, shopping/travelling allowed and nothing to impose fine here. But being in that way, we struggle and slow in controlling it. And far from it, there has been a big damage to the economy, and no vaccine received.
Even if unfortunately the future is uncertain for now, do you already have plans for the album release, or even for the band’s next steps?
Takashi: We do have plan/talks for the next full-album. We are currently working on some split releases but as soon as we finish them, we will move on to writing next album. We are very productive now, keep writing new songs. We actually have few new split releases in the near future; 12″ split with Ruin, 12″ split with Undergang, and 7″ split with Druid Lord, all these will come out this year.
What led you to like and play Death/Doom Metal? Do you like another music style?
Takashi: I think Death‘s Scream Bloody Gore album, Autopsy‘s Severed Survival were the biggest Death Metal releases to me. I was shocked when they came out and listened first time. I grew up with all different kinds of music. I liked classic Rock, 80’s/90’s Pops, Jazz, Fusion, Classic music.
Jun Tonosaki (bass/vocals): I remember I borrowed from a schoolmate when I was in high school, a compilation album Speed Kills III that contained songs by Death and Possessed. I was totally blown away from that album. I was listening to 80’s pops when I was even smaller, and I still do enjoy listening to pops, thanks to YouTube.
Do you remember the very first time you played an instrument? When and how was it?
Takashi: My family was all musical, so I began taking piano lessons when I was around at age 6, so that’s my first instrument. When my three-year older brother entered high school, he started playing electric guitars, and then I often jammed with him Metal music, so that’s when I played drums and guitars. We covered Ratt, Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, and then later played Thrash Metal like Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Slayer…
Jun: I was 20 years old when I played live for the first time, and that was with the band called Sudondeath. Before I joined in the band, I was the vocalist for a local band in Aomori Pref. that played only cover songs, but then I saw in a music magazine an ads of a Tokyo-based band was looking for the bassist/vocalist, immediately I contacted and joined in, and so I moved in Tokyo. That was the time when I started playing instruments.
I actually like Japanese culture and Japanese Metal a lot, but what can you tell us about the Metal scene in Japan?
Takashi: Metal scene is quite big and unique I think. There are many Metal bands here, but it’s not like in Europe. Country is smaller so the scene in terms of the size is very small. Only one or two Metal-only festivals, and tickets are very expensive. Death Metal/Grindcore are way more underground compared to those popular tour bands, and so there’s a big gap.
Jun: There are many good bands who play well and relatively high in quality, but I think few bands play with their own style, or something very original.
What are your favorite Japanese bands? Do you personally consider some Visual Kei as Metal or not at all?
Takashi: Well, there are many good bands here. To name it here, Invictus, Mortal Incarnation, Butcher ABC, Coffins, Zombie Ritual, Parasitario, Mortify, Taste… I like Miasma Death, a doomy Death band here plays dark and obscure Death. Visual Kei isn’t metal to me. I don’t know well about it though. I consider it as just Rock or Hard Rock music.
What do you love about your music that you cannot find in other band’s music?
Takashi: Probably by including both fast and slow parts in our songs, we are able to create something unique, you know, going beyond Death Metal, that is mixed with some Doom/Stoner, Ambient/Noise elements, and with guttural vocals.
Jun: I agree with Takashi regarding the music itself, but I would also express that I’m all happy about being able to be creative without feeling any stress, being able to keep releasing materials, recording by ourself anytime we want, and also adding keyboard arrangements, which is always my ideas, and always being accepted very well. And I’m fully satisfied about being able to play outside Japan, go on tour/play at festivals, etc. without any stress. You know, not many Japanese bands maintain activities outside Japan, but we do it well. I like these parts, and I think these are something that we can hardly find in others.
Do you have hobbies aside from music? Do you also have a job, or does your music income allow you to live?
Takashi: Aquarium. I have many water tanks with different types of tropical fish from South America, and I enjoy breeding them. Also, I like riding a motorcycle and enjoy touring with it. I used to own a big bike over 1000 cc, such as Suzuki GSX-R1100, Kawasaki ZZ-R1100… After having two kids, I have no good enough time to do that.
When did you discover Metal music? With which band?
Takashi: As I mentioned a bit earlier, when I was around 11 years old, I guess, when my three-years older brother started going to high school, and he brought home some Metal music on cassette tapes, and I was listening to them together with him. L.A. Metal bands such as Ratt, Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, WASP, Keel…
What is your best and your worst experience as a musician ever?
Takashi: The last time we played outside Japan, which was the show in Mexico in March 2020, right before this world pandemic began. It was probably impossible if the festival was a week after. We could go to Mexico, met many friends, played really good show, and safely returned home without any problems. That was the best, and we had so much fun. I can’t find any worst experience.
Jun: The best part, we can go to many different countries and play shows, meet fans, friends old and new, enjoy good foods… Like Takashi said, I cannot find anything bad at all. At least if there are, it would be just like a funny story.
Maybe you already heard about the french Metal scene? Which french bands do you know?
Takashi: Yes, I grew up listening to old Death Thrash acts from France such as Mutilated, Massacra, Agressor… but recent ones are Necrowretch, Bloody Sign, Cadaveric Fumes, Repugnizer, Chaos Echoes, Atavisma… I know more bands but just cannot recall them now.
What if I ask you to compare Anatomia’ music with a dish? Which one and why?
Takashi: A dish, haha. OK maybe beef bone marrow soup. I ate that in Singapore, looks really gross in dark red like blood, and you eat and sip the marrow inside bones. Something like that, haha.
Last question: which bands would you love to tour with? I let you create a tour with Anatomia and three other bands!
Takashi: Hmmm… I can’t pick only three because there are many of them… Probably old bands; Autopsy, Derketa, and Demilich… If I pick newer bands I would say Spectral Voice + Blood Incantation, Undergang, and Fetid.
That was the last question for me, thanks a lot for your time and your music! Forgive my poor japanese level: Domo arigato gozaimasu! Last words are yours!
Takashi: Thank you for this interview. Dou itashi mashite! Our new album is coming out very soon, so please check it out and make sure to buy a copy! And we are working on even newer stuff right now, so keep an eye of them too. Thanks again for reading and your support! Stay dismal slow Death Metal!