Starving Dog Eats Master: An Interview with Blood Sucker Records
Formed in 1989, Blood Sucker Records burst on the scene with "The Nightmare Continue..." compilation cassette tape. At the time, Japan had a crowded field of choice labels which included Selfish Records, AA Records, and MCR Company (to name a few), but Blood Sucker were still able to distinguish themselves with consistently high quality releases and great taste.
During the 1990s, many fans would argue Blood Sucker was the premier Japanese hardcore label. Future classics such as the "Starving Dog Eats Master" comp LP (1991), Bastard's "Wind of Pain" 12" (1992), and Deathside's "The Will Never Die" EP (1994) made Blood Sucker a household name within the hardcore scene. Other releases releases from Gudon, Warhead, Disclose, Liberate, Nightmare, Crude, Rocky and The Sweden, AI, D.S.B., Mustang and Me♀ss also solidified their stature.
While the label has slowed in recent years, the forward thinking nature and dedication to what is currently happening has kept Blood Sucker influential and relevant when so many others have fallen off. New releases still continue to come out, most recently a new album from Nightmare, as well as albums from Hazard, Think Again and Warhead—all within the level of quality people have come to expect from the name Blood Sucker Records.
This interview was conducted with label head Shinji (a.k.a. Guy). Huge thanks to him for his participation.
Additional contributors to this interview include Tom of General Speech and Andrew Underwood of Maximum RockNRoll. All photos from the collection of General Speech.
BSR-001: "The Nightmare Continue..." cassette compilation (1989)
NI: What year and how did you discover punk, and what made you want to start a label? Did 加害妄想 (Kagai Mousou) Records stopping in 1989 influence you to start Blood Sucker?
Guy: I first heard the name "Sex Pistols" back in 1977, but it wasn’t actually until 1979 when I bought an album by the Japanese band Anarchy that I really got into punk. Kagai Mousou label head, Jigyaku has been a friend since 1978 - we got into punk and hardcore together. He moved to Tokyo and there was no longer a local label here in Hiroshima, so I started Blood Sucker Records.
NI: What do you look for in a band to release? Are you friends with most of the bands you work with? Do you ever release records based off a demo you've received?
Guy: Initially, I was just planning to focus on releasing new Gudon records, but after getting to know more and more punks it lead to me releasing a bunch of different bands from outside Hiroshima during the "Gudon-era."
NI: Gudon is a group that is synonymous with the Blood Sucker label. I know that you were in this band, can you please speak about how important Gudon was to Blood Sucker in establishing the label? Also why was Gudon's first flexi "残忍聖者" ("Zannin Sieja") not on the 1992 and 2004 discography discs and only included on the 2010 "Early Years" disc?
Guy: As I mentioned earlier, Blood Sucker was set up for the purpose of releasing Gudon's music. Kagai Mousou was completely managed and operated by Zigyaku. He didn't really complain much to the band members, but I think that there were a lot of hardships for him. I wanted to try to run a label with the insights I gained from his experience.
The first vocalist, "One" and "Happy," the vocalist from the second phase of the band, had completely different styles and sounds. "Fushu," our first cassette release, which came out before "Zannin Seijya," featured tracks played with a completely different bass player, so it was also excluded from the earlier comps.
NI: In 1992, you released the Bastard "Wind Of Pain" 12" which went on to become a classic and highly revered release. Did you realize how great it was at the time, and can you speak about how you came to know the members of Bastard and release it?
Guy: Zigyaku had been a friend since I was 12 years old and I was very interested in what he was doing with his label, Kagai Mousou. Back when they hadn't released anything or hardly played any shows, I got the chance to listen to one of their practice tapes, and from that point on I was convinced that they would go on to become a paragon of Japanese hardcore. I knew that the other members of Bastard had been in Systematic Death and Cruck, so I was very interested in the band. As I was so impressed with Bastard in Hiroshima, I immediately requested that Zigyaku let me release their first album.
NI: In the Bloodsucker label catalog, there are some catalog numbers that were never released. Can you speak about what any of these were supposed to be as well as why they never came out?
Are there any records or bands that you wanted to or asked to do a release of that never panned out?
Guy: I was planning to release a single by Cruck which featured Nori, Judgement's first vocalist, but the band broke up before the record materialized. I held them at the same level as Bastard, so of course I was very disappointed that it didn't come out. Cruck never reformed or put out a compilation which that particular recording featured on, so I'd be really happy if somebody could put it out at some stage.
BSR-007: "Starving Dog Eats Master" comp LP (1991)
"Starving Dog Eats Master" LP insert and back cover
NI: Like many labels of the late '80s and earlier, there is a lot of interest in the earliest Blood Sucker Records releases with some of your first releases such as the "Starving Dog Eats Master" LP comp and Death Side "The Will Never Die" 7" going for a lot of money. With the Bastard "Wind Of Pain" 12" recently repressed, is there any chance that other titles could be brought back in print as well?
Guy: I didn't know that Death Side’s "The Will Never Die" now went for a lot of money. This was a collaboratively released 7" Blood Sucker put out with Devour, a label based in Boston. I'd like to see if we could get all three parties to discuss the possibility of a reissue. I'd also like to hear which other titles you'd like to see reissued.
Advertisement circa 1994
NI: In the 1990s before the internet was widely used, you did releases by bands such as Warhead (Kyoto), Nightmare (Osaska), Liberate (Tokyo), Mustang and Crude (Hakodate), AI and Bandit (Kitakyushu), and Disclose (Kochi) which all came from geographically dispersed areas in Japan. How were you able to keep abreast on all these scenes and choose bands to work with?
Blood Sucker is also known for working closely with many bands that have been around a long time or feature older scene heads such as Warhead, Forward, Nightmare, etc., but you also release new bands as well. Is it important to you to have new bands featuring younger people?
Guy: I saw Warhead when they came and played a gig in Hiroshima when they were all seventeen years old. Their sound and presence really stood out. They blew me away! They were as daft and crazy as Blood Sucker Records, and were interested in what I was doing with the label, so the release went very smoothly.
Nightmare had been good friends from back in the Gudon days. Once Selfish Records folded, they were looking for a label for their releases. I remember that we shared pretty much the same mutual goals and expectations when it came to working together.
With Liberate, I had been friends with vocalist "Kuro" since his days with the band Acid. I think he approached me about working together on Liberate releases, as far as I recall.
The guys from Crude sent me their demos before they'd done any official releases. The last one they sent me was amazing, so I put them out on a split release with Violencemoment*. I believe that Mustang were introduced to me by Crude.
I met the guys from Bandit/AI when Gudon played with them in Northern Kyushu. Those guys were fans of Gudon. I was really impressed with them live, so I did a release with them. After Bandit broke up, I was sent a demo of AI, Koide from Bandit's new band at the time, and it was freaking incredible! I was actually able to see them play live on several occasions, which led to Blood Sucker releasing their first single.
BSR-003CD: "Blood Sucking Freaks II" split with Crucified Junk and Bandit (1992)
I was introduced to Disclose by Souichi who is formerly of Gudon and currently playing guitar in Forward. At the time, the "Discore" movement was in full-swing around the world and they were the best of the lot! I mentioned to Kawakami that I'd like to release something by Disclose if I had the chance. This resulted in the release of the Disclose/Hellkrusher split single.
They (Warhead, Forward, Nightmare) who also once was a new band. I have always looking for new band, and I want to inform new band to many people.
NI: Here in the US, it is difficult to get a lot of Japanese releases including releases on Blood Sucker Records without ordering directly from Japan. Yet there is a great amount of interest in Japanese hardcore in the US. What do you think is the reason for this, and is greater distribution within the US and other places internationally something that you'd like for Blood Sucker?
Guy: It is my great pleasure. I think it is wonderful the hardcore bands all over the world more be connected and joint the music each other.
NI: Hiroshima seems to have always had a relationship with bands from Kyushu cities. For instance in the early '80s Gas's label 自殺レーベル (Jisatsu label) released Confuse tracks on their omnibus 8", and the guitarist of 自我 (Jiga) filled in for the Confuse guitarist when they played in Hiroshima. Gas gigged in Fukuoka in 1983-84, and in the '90s Bloodsucker released records and CDs for bands like Bandit, Soul Craft, Me♀ss, 惡AI意. Can you please discuss how this relationship came about, and is there still a connection between Hiroshima bands and Kyushu HC bands?
Guy: I don't know so much about '83. I don't have formed the Gudon yet. But I know there was a exchange between Hiroshima and Kyushu. After the Gudon formed, I played with Kuro, Aggressive Dogs, Bandit and more. I formed a freindship deeply with them. The freindship with them still continues now. It also continues between the other new bands. We are freindly very much.
NI: What role has your shop, Diskshop Misery, played in both the punk scene in Hiroshima and helping to promote the Blood Sucker Records name?
Advertisement circa 1995
Guy: I have been releasing the hardcore sounds mainly from the Blood Sucker Records and selling them at the Misery. And playing the hardcore music in my band. I have continued sending the hardcore music to my hometown by that way. I hope I will be able to continue sending the music as long as possible ever.
NI: How has digital media and the use of mp3s and downloads impacted Blood Sucker? Do you find that sales are lower with more people downloading their music for free, and what are your opinions on digital downloads?
Guy: Raising the digital media had changed my surroundings hardly. The sales on the shop and the label had downed pretty. My style is the old school, so I love the packaged music souces just like as LP and CD. But the method of the digital media have been shared between everyone. That is not good for us selling the packaged music sources at all. But maybe that is the most convenient way of getting the music sources. And I think there is something good parts for sending our sounds and let be known our sounds among the many people. It is necessary the Blood Sucker learn the method of the digital media. I think as I do it I will be able to find the answer against the digital media by myself.
NI: I understand that you are involved in humanitarian and relief efforts including "Save the Hiroshima" and others. Can you please explain what this project is and why it is important to you?
Guy: For 10 years, I've been involved in promoting anti-war and anti-nuclear activism in Hiroshima. Within the anti-nuclear activism I also include anti-nuclear energy proliferation so, logically, I opposed nuclear power plants. On March 11th, 2012 the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred and a major tsunami struck. The earthquake was the worst ever to hit the area and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
Reconstruction of the damaged area has been very slow. I've been working with many punks to get together to provide assistance, and charitable donations of money and everyday items to the victims of the disaster. Then on August 20th of last year, a landslide disaster hit Hiroshima. I went immediately to the areas affected by the disaster to provide assistance. For me, claiming to be anti-war involves helping those who are stuck in a terrible situation. That is the essence of activism.
NI: Looking back over the last 26 years, what releases are you most proud of or are your favorite? Do you have any regrets or things you wish you could have done differently?
Guy: I'd have to say that I am most pleased with Bastard's "Wind of Pain". I feel particularly proud to have released an album which is of historical significance in world hardcore. I'd also like to express that Zigyaku deserves a lot of respect.
NI: What keeps you interested in running the label today? Can you please speak about any upcoming releases or projects?
Guy: What inspires me to continue putting out records is the motivation and inspiration I get from existing bands, so I want to show them to the rest of the world. This year, I'm planning to release the Kathabuta discography CD; Dr. Breaker from Izumo, Shimane Prefecture; and Never Again from Hiroshima. Please look forward to these releases and many more from Blood Sucker Records!
