I first learned about FIGHT TO WIN just recently from their singer, who I met at a gig in Japan. I knew him via his other band (ANOTHER STEP), and I was curious about FTW and how they sound, so I decided to check them out and I hope you will too.
What I also like about this EP a lot, is that the production is more on the raw side, and it goes perfectly with the straight-up, classic NYHC inspired tunes... maybe less MADBALL and a little more REJUVENATE.
I wanted to find out more about the band and introduce them, so I contacted Bob, who serves in FTW on guitar and he agreed to answer my questions, so here it is.
Hi Bob, could you give us some basic info about the band - who are the members? When and how did you get together as a band? Are the members involved in any other bands/projects?
Bob: The members are Irino Takayuki - vocals, Yuta on bass, TKO on drums and Bob - guitar. It all started when I (guitarist Bob) left my previous band Persevernace (https://perseverancehxc.bandcamp.com/album/sentaku-e-p) and formed a new band to make better heavy music.
When we first formed, we had different drummer and bassist, but brothers who I knew well joined the band and here we are today.
And yes, we’re all in other bands:
Bob (Gu):
- Lardass (Vocals)
- H81 (Bass)
Yuta (Ba):
- H81(Guitar)
- Undone (Bass)
TKO (Dr):
- Lardass (Drums)
- H81(Drums)
Irino (Vo):
- Another Step (Vocals)
Where are you from, what part of Japan and how would you describe the scene there? Do you play a lot of shows in your area, countrywise or did you play abroad?
Bob: Tokyo…. Machida or western Tokyo to be more specific. It may not be very active as a scene, but hopefully it will be better someday. We usually play a few shows a year, mainly in the Tokyo area but we'll play anywhere if our friends invite us. There were plans to do a show in New York, but these were put off due to the COVID pandemic. I'd be happy to have another opportunity in the future tho.
How many releases have you put out so far? Are there any physical releases too?
Bob: Just one digital EP so far. Physical? C’mon it's 2024, I don’t even own a CD player since 2008 and Rock n roll records ain't selling for more than 2 decades!
Fair enough!
What are your main inspirations to write and play that kind of heavy, beatdown hardcore? What are your main influences amongst this genre and beyond that? Was any artist or band a particular inspiration for you / the band?
Bob: The style of New York hardcore and New York death metal that I've been familiar with for a long time come naturally to my songwriting. I also like sludge and doom bands like CROWBAR, EYEHATEGOD, SUNN O))) and so on, which is the inspiration for the low & slow parts of our tunes.
How would you, in your own words, describe the band? What are your music and lyrics about? Is there any message behind it or is it more just for fun?
Bob: “Loud and proud music by a group of booze lovin middle aged men” sounds about right to me.
BTW, “Strike First Strike Hard” on the ep was written by myself. The lyrics are about strong hatred toward GOREVENT's guitarist, Sachio aka Gokucho. I've been having beef with this puta for years.
What are the future plans for the band?
Bob: We have some new songs and some existing songs that are not on the EP, so we are planning to record them, put them together and release new material next year.
That’s great to know, I’ll be definitely following the band and waiting patiently for the new release!
I asked Bob at the end if he has any anecdotes about the band to add, funny, scary or challenging stories, just anything he could think of. Here’s what he came back with..
Bob: I think Irino has the most interesting story among the members... Surprisingly, FIGHT TO WIN was the first band for him to write and sing lyrics that made sense, rather than going full engrish-gibberish. Also, he is a diehard fan of EARTH CRISIS, and one time, he made his first trip to the US to see EARTH CRISIS despite he cannot speak a word of English and was stopped by security at immigration, and kept calling out “ASS KURAISISU!! ASS KURAISISU!! I like my AAASSS KURAISISU!!” to the officers in the interrogation room.
Dunno whatever happened to his butthole at the time, but he appears to be living a happy life now.
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