Funeral Moth mastermind and Weird Truth Productions founder Makoto Fujishima was kind enough to do an interview with Doommantia. Regardless of your familiarity with the band and label
MV -Thank you for doing this interview with us. Would you mind tell us little about yourself?
Makoto - You are welcome! Thanks for giving us the chance to introduce ourselves to Doommantia! My name is Makoto and I'm playing guitar and doing vocals in Funeral Moth. Besides that, I'm also running a label called Weird Truth since 1999 which has released many extreme doom stuffs.
MV - How did you get your start playing doom metal? When did you officially start/join your first band, and who are your biggest influences?
Makoto - Around 2000, I played in a doom band called Mourning Shadow. But MS released only 1 song on In Search of Weird Truth compilation tape released by my own label. Perhaps, it was the first time for me to play in a doom band. As for my first band, it's Nyarlathotep I started in 1993. To begin with, I started it with 3 other guys and played something like old school doomed death metal with some bizarre elements. I started to listen to metal music when I was 14 or so. First metal album I bought was Operation:Mindcrime of Queensryche. Then, I started to devote myself into metal music and 3 or 4 years later I found the underground death metal scene. All the bands I listened to through my metal journey influenced me in every way. I can't choose only one who influenced me. Well..., I think Mournful Congregation, Worship, diSEMBOWELMENT are the biggest influences for me to play in a doom band.
MV - The last Funeral Moth recording (a self titled EP) came out in 2008, why did it take so long to release 'Dense Fog'?
Makoto - Yes, it took very very long time. We had already had all the songs on "dense fog" album in the beginning of 2010. At that time, we were 3 piece band and those songs were meant to be for single guitar. Then we toured with Mournful Congregation in July/2010. For that tour, Matsubara-san from ex-Mortalized/Gridlink joined us as a guest guitar player. It turned out really great and we recognized that we would need the 2nd guitar player as a permanent member. Unfortunately he lives very far from our home town, so it was impossible to ask him to join us as a permanent member. So we postponed the recording and started to seek another guitar player. In 2011, Mayo joined us and we started to re-arrange the songs for 2 guitars. It took about a year or so then we started recording in spring 2013. But Mayo left the band while we are recording the album. Fortunately, we could find Tomohiro and continued the recording. But it took much longer than we expected.
MV - This work is more varied than you other material. Dense Fog reminded me a little of Worship. It's heavier and the playing is more advanced than the EP. What made you decide to go this route and when can we expect your next release?
Makoto - Yes! Our 2008 EP included only 2 songs and they were much simpler and heavier doom stuff compared to "dense fog" album. When we were making "dense fog" album, we tried to make more atmospheric music and it was natural improvement for us. As for 2008 EP, it was recorded a few months after Azegami-san joined. So there weren't so much input from him at that time. This time, he arranged his drumming by himself, and Tomohiro is a really well-experienced guitar player, who helped us to go into next step. Yes, we must admit that Worship is one of the biggest influences but I think our music has our own uniqueness. Their music is extremely depressive, but our music isn't so extreme and yet it's much more emotional. Now, we have already had 2 new songs and we are going to start the recording sometime in 2015. I think those 2 songs are also different from the songs on "dense fog" album. They are much more progressive and emotional I think.
MV - What was the primary source of inspiration for Funeral Moth in the first place? What does it represent to you?
Makoto - First 2 songs of Funeral Moth were written by Sento-san, our bass player. He's deeply into Worship and tried to make the band like them when we started FM. So I think we are influenced by Worship a lot in our early days. But he's also into some hardcore stuff, so I think there are some hardcore feelings in those 2 songs.
MV - What other bands are you and the members of the band involved with?
Makoto - I'm only plying in Funeral Moth now. Sento-san is playing in the band called Midian whose music is something like dark and gloomy punk. Azegami-san is playing in 2 grind bands, Brob and Realized. Tomohiro is also playing bass for Realized, and he's also playing in some other bands, Realm(drumless/vocalless doom) and Discrete Corporality(Catasexual Urge Motivation worshipping gore death/grind).
MV - Most of what comes from your country seems to be either grind or power metal, is there a doom scene in Japan?
Makoto - I think it's not correct. There are great death metal bands like Anatomia, Coffins, Deadly Spawn, Intestine Baalism and so on. As for thrash and black metal, there are also great bands like Sabbat, Abigail, Fastkill and so on. Anyway, It is certainly so that doom isn't so strong here, especially extreme doom like we are playing. There are some good "doom rock" bands and it seems there are something like scene for them here. But as far as extreme doom is concerned, there are only a few bands. Perhaps you know, Corrupted is the most popular and famous band who are playing this kind of doom. I think they are the one and only band who are recognized a lot outside of Japan in this genre. And there are also one good extreme doom band called Begräbnis, who are playing extremely dark and ritualistic doom with some industrial feelings. But it's still small world unfortunately...
MV - What are you interests outside of music?
Makoto - I enjoy climbing mountains. As for the cover photo of "dense fog" album, it was taken by me when I climbed the mountain in Oita prefacture, which is in the west part of Japan. It leaves a great impression feeling the vibe of nature while I'm walking alone in the mountains!
MV - If you could see any concert in the world what would your ideal line up be?
Makoto - Mournful Congregation, Worship, Ataraxie, Profetus, Dea Marica, Begräbnis and Estrangement all Weird Truth doom bands who are active now! Plus my doom, doom/death idols like Inverloch, Skepticism, Unholy, Evoken, and Candlemass!!!!!
MV - Thank you for letting me interview you. Do you have any parting words?
Makoto - Thanks for the interview! Keep on doomin'!
Interview By MV
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