Give us some biographical information about the band and the members.

MIKITO: BAAL consists of U-tarou, Chihiro and me (Mikito). I play guitar and am
responsible for the programming and synths, as well as composing all of the band's
songs. U-Tarou is BAAL's vocalist and makes the melodies and lyrics. Chihiro plays
drums for the band.

We mainly play in Tokyo. The band was originally called CHRONOTRIGGER, but we
changed the name to BAAL in June, 2005. The best reason I can give for the name
change is that it represents our own mental/creative evolution. BAAL is neither a hobby
nor just a part of life for me. BAAL is like a god to me, guiding my creative work, my
expression and every aspect of my life.

Do you know some Artists from germany? Do you know who Rammstein, Kraftwerk
or Einsturzende Neubauten are? What do you think about them?

MIKITO: You neglected to mention ATR. Of course I know these bands (I think most
bands do). Einsturzende Neubauten and Kraftwerk have created an artistic form of
music from a new and different angle. They have a very experimental, avant-garde
style, and I think they are truly great artists. In fact, they created the original techno
music. Rammstein is also a favorite of mine and I especially like to listen to them. I
can really relate to the way they have interpreted industrial, heavy and metal music.
I think their music is very high quality. The mixing and tone quality of their work are
extremely good too, in my personal opinion. There is a distinctive atmosphere with
their staging, which I find both sophisticated and interesting.

Is there a special place on earth you would love to make a concert?

MIKITO: Germany,France,U.K,Sweden,Denmark,N.Y.......

You seem to be close to the industrial scene. Can you name us some influences or
bands that were important for you?

MIKITO: I think industrial bands have had a very strong influence on BAAL's music. NIN,
Ministry, White Zombie, ATR, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM,Static-X, Skrew, KLUTE,Godflesh,
Tool, Orgy, MM, - the list is endless! However, I have also been influenced by lots of music
outside the industrial scene. For example Guns&roses, Jane's Addition, Japanese 80s/90s
rock, and so on. While bands from outside the industrial scene do not influence my music,
they definitely form part of my roots.

There are some bands from Japan that we know in Germany. Musicians like Aural
Vampire, Kitaro, Dir en Grey, Malice Mizer, Mana or Calmando Qual. What do you
think about these musicians, do you know some of them or do they influence you?

MIKITO: Aural Vampire's members are my friends and we have played with them a few
times.

As to the other bands, many people probably know Dir en Grey, Malice Mizer and Mana
in Japan. I have also heard Qualmando Qual name here and there. I have listened to
these bands a little, but honestly, their music holds little appeal for me. While we wear
make-up like them, I can say with certainty that they have no influence on our music. I really
cannot comment about their sounds. They may be well known in Germany and Europe as
well, but I am aiming for different goals overseas.

The sense of values between us and them are quite different, as too are the influences,
creative works, and presentation. I think even our environments are different.

For me the most important goal is to make music that can compete on the world stage,
and I feel it is a great opportunity to appear in your magazine. It makes us proud to see
other Japanese artists being introduced and reviewed overseas. However, I do not think
that the music itself is being evaluated, and I feel that it is sad that Europe seems mainly
focused in a large part on Japanese bands from the Visual Kei scene. Is Europe only
interested in culture that is unique to Asia? I feel a strong sense of crisis for when this
Visual Kei boom passes. I think that only a small part of Japanese culture may remain
known after the boom passes, leading to a new misunderstanding of Japanese music
and culture as a result. In the past, all anyone thought of were things samurai, ninja,
geisha, Mt. Fuji or perhaps Blade Runner and Akira.

Anyway, I do not think that I would visit the record store to buy their CDs.

What do you think is typical for Japanese people? What is typical Japanese on you?

MIKITO: Why do you ask this question? Well, what is typical German for you? I think
people have different lifestyles, dreams, and ways of thinking. There really is no such
thing as "typical."

There are all kinds of people throughout the world, but some people cannot see this and
want to bundle people into groups. I hate the word "typical," because it lacks meaning.

I don't want readers, especially the younger generation and those interested in foreign
cultures to think like that. Everyone has to learn from their own life experiences.

People should not categorize things before they are experienced, as there is no meaning
without the experience.

It is very important that people feel free to experience what interests them.

Baal is the name of an ancient god. Are you interested in European Religionand
Myths?

MIKITO: Not specially. However, BAAL as a warrior god and a sun god carries significant
meaning. Also, BAAL is described as the absolute leader of the army of hell in
"Dictionnaire Infernal" by Collin De Plancy. I am not terribly interested in religious beliefs
but, regardless of which meaning we take, it is clear that BAAL is a very powerful being
and I see that aspect as linked to what our intended future in the scene is. Also, BAAL is
said to have three heads which matches our band, as we have three members.

Please name some books or films that you like very much.

MIKITO: I really like all of Kitano Takeshi's works. Although there are violent scenes in
his movies, there is also beauty and sadness portrayed together in the imagery and the
story. I really like Kitano's movies. Gonin by Ishi Takeshi is another of my favorites. Other
films I like are Natural Born Killers, Seven, etc. Movies like Saw and Underworld also
have great visuals, though the stories are not so good. When watching a movie, I prefer
it to be memorable with a solid story, because two hours is a very valuable amount of
time for me. I also like the works of Shojin Fukui and Shinya Tsukamoto.

I almost never read manga comic books, but if I had to choose I would say Katsuhiro
Otomo's (author of Akira) "Domu, A Child's Dream."

As for novels, I like "Fascism of Love and Illusion" and "Hyuga Virus" by Ryu Murakami,
and "Mouse" by Osamu Makino. Mouse might not be popular in Japan, but I think that
people overseas would find it very interesting.

In germany we have heard a lot about the different Japanese Music Scenes. There are a
lot of experimental musicians, or instrumental working artist. But there is also the goth
and the Visual Kei Scene. In Europe we do not see huge differences between VK and
Goth. Bands like Calmando Qual, Mana ? MDM or Blood are called gothic here. But there
is a huge VK Scene in Japan which seems to be far away from any gothic influences. After
all it is just music, but what does divide a band like Baal from bands like Dir en Grey. Or is
the VK Scene split in different scenes that we might not know here. Please explain.

MIKITO: Japan's Visual Kei scene certainly did not emerge from any Western Gothic
influences.

The term Visual Kei in Japan does not refer to the music itself or the character of music.
It refers more to the look - effeminate gaudy clothes and make-up. The band members
give themselves heroes' names from fairy tales, which has nothing to do with their own
names.

Is this aspect unknown in Germany? Anyway, that's what I think (laugh).

Regarding the nature of the music, most songs from groups categorized as Visual Kei are
half-hearted pop, which generally lacks originality in Japan. If that kind of music is highly
regarded overseas, then Japanese music would have expanded globally much earlier!

However, in reality, this is not the case. I think that if it was not for the over-dressed
appearance, Visual Kei music would probably not be so highly regarded.

I want to create a globally competitive rock music that is heavy, powerful, intelligent and
with strong artistic style. Frankly speaking, I do not need to be evaluated on anything
except my music. I do use make-up now for the shows now, but this is simply one of the
ways to express myself on stage.

As a consequence I'm not happy about the current situation where the look is more
important than the music, and I have particularly negative feelings towards those in the
Visual Kei scene who are satisfied with their looks only.

Do they lack sufficient pride as musicians?

However, it is good that there is no border between Visual Kei and Gothic in Europe.
If you really like the music, regardless whether it is Visual Kei or Gothic, then that is really
good. Readers should not be worried about whether this music is Gothic or that music is
Visual Kei. You should just listen to whatever music you feel is good.

Female asian persons who act very strong are a bit unwait for European people. We all
think that the asian culture is dominated by man. Much more than the European culture
is. Are we wrong? Are female musicians that act strong and emancipated normal in the
asian music scene?

MIKITO: "We all think that the asian culture is dominated by men..." This is another
example of the misunderstanding of Asian culture I mentioned earlier. It was certainly
true in old times, but in Japan today at least it is different. The idea was splashed around
after World War II through to the time of Japan's rapid economic growth. However, it is
different now. Women in Japan do not think they are ruled by men, and are quite
independent. In the music scene however, female musicians who develop their own
style, like U-tarou, are still rare.

Thank you for the interview...

MIKITO :Thanx for inviting us to your magazine!
We're honored.
And,thank you for everything BAAL's fan's help.