BRIDEAR: “Compared to the initial days of our band, we could not imagine where we are now!”

BRIDEAR vocalist KIMI describes the band’s newest chapter as an “eye-opener”. Having been a part of the Japanese power metallers since their inception all the way back in 2011, the singer has seen it all. And now, their recently-released fifth album Born Again is the culmination of the different forms, not to mention blood, sweat and tears, that BRIDEAR have endured for the last decade-plus.

The band originated from Fukuoka, but they’ve an impending world tour that means these days, they’re thinking bigger. In fact, KIMI shares that their writing process for Born Again took into consideration attracting fans “for not only Japan”, but overseas.

Naturally, that’s also led to a different sound than BRIDEAR’s previous four records. “When we were trying to create the music, [each member was] different, but when we were able to gather all the differences, we made the best thing that we could,” KIMI explains. “And it’s in a good way that it’s completely different! I wanted to make sure that there’s a Japanese flavour in there, even though it’s for the world.”

Physically going to write in another country also helped propel these fresh ideas along – particularly when pairing that with Swedish producer Fredrik Nordström. Having famously worked with the likes of At The Gates, In Flames and Bring Me The Horizon, the renowned metal legend was certain what BRIDEAR could accomplish by teaming up with him.

“When I played the guitar, I would think, ‘Okay, this is the best thing that I have – this is all I’ve got,’” remembers six-stringer AYUMI, who joined the band in 2019. “[But Fredrik would say,] ‘It’s not just how you play music.’ He wanted to have the passion in the sound. It wasn’t about playing the guitar – I did great, I didn’t make any mistakes, but he wasn’t really aiming for that. He wanted me to pour all of my emotions, my passions into the guitar. To him, that was the best take.”

Now, BRIDEAR are focussed on taking what they’ve made out of the studio and onto the road. “We’re able to look at the world,” enthuses KIMI, “and be more powerful.” Commanding the stage with riffs for days, they’re more than confident they’ll put on a killer show and give fans “a lot of songs” from Born Again. And their esteemed twin guitar solos are just the cherry on top. “There’s not a whole lot of bands out there with the amount of solo time that we have on each song!” AYUMI smiles.

Having been wanting to share their work with the masses for so long, now BRIDEAR are really reaping the rewards. “We have all of the support that we wanted before,” says KIMI. “We’re quite overwhelmed with the process that we’ve been through. Compared to the initial days of our band, we could not imagine where we are now. We’re so happy that people worldwide are waiting for our music. That’s something that really touches us.”

Born Again is out now via Psychomanteum. BRIDEAR will tour the UK in April 2025.

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