special
specialkami no inu: in translation
Apocalypse
Rock'n'Roll Fire
Ceremony
Miracle
Suicide Squad (Number One)
Realm of the Dead
Necromancy
Brainwashing
To Die Young Is The Fate Of A Star
Witch Hunt
Elegy of Humiliation
Suicide Squad (Number Two)
Utopia
Special News Bulletin
Requiem
Bonus Track
the low down
“ Inugami Circus-dan's album "Kami no Inu" (God's Dog) is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is a thematic album which centers around religion, and it passes clever judgement on Japanese attitudes and apocalyptic fatalism whilst telling the story of a religious cult intent on saving the world.
The cult in question is called "Kami no Inu", which is a token pun on the band's name "Inugami" (Dog God). The band are thus the mediators of the cult, and their focus is on reincarnating deceased rock musicians in order to save the world from darkness. Reading through the lyrics, it appears that they intend to do this by taking fragments of the musicians' bones, and using cell-growth technology to bring them back to life. When "the gates of darkness" open, these rock musicians will then reform the world and create a rock'n'roll utopia, though how exactly they propose to do this remains a mystery. Throughout the album, we are told that there are "three more days" until revolution, and I wonder whether this isn't a reference to Christ rising from the dead on the third day. We are told that "shining light" and "the melody of beatitude" will pour down from heaven, but the album never realises this point. The main story ends with a news bulletin proclaiming the end of the world through nuclear weapons, and ultimately we are left with the song "Requiem", which tells us that the boiling sea and the scorched earth are covered with dead bodies. As a little teaser though, Inugami Circus-dan leave us a bonus track, which is a spoken piece set in a classroom. We hear "students" (well, band members) read out a section of a history book that states that they are descendants of recreated rock stars. Perhaps Kami no Inu did succeed, after all?
The reference to the "gates of darkness" seems to be heavily connected with Shinto mythology - the song "Yomi no Kuni" (Realm of the Dead) retells the age old story of Izanagi travelling to the darkness of the underworld to bring back his deceased wife, Izanami. It seems that Kami no Inu will likewise bring back rock musicians from the "dark" other side, only one would hope that they are a little more successful.
Other religions also feature heavily throughout the album. Japonified Buddhist Sanskrit chants are featured on the beginning of the track "Gishiki" (Ceremony), and the song itself stands as a clear hymn to Buddha. (Incidentally, some people might recognise the "Om kirikiri..." chanting as Subaru's Onmyou magic from CLAMP's series, X.) "Kuchiyose" (Necromancy) is an amusing look at necromancy or "spirit channeling", and much fun is poked at Kami no Inu by getting vocalist Inugami Kyouko to channel Jimi Hendrix. "Sen'nou" (Brainwashing) carries on with the same ironic comedy; it is a nod to Japanese modern day cults who are notorious for roping unknowing initiates into commercial sales schemes. "Hayajini Suru no wa Star no Sadame" (To Die Young Is The Fate Of A Star) touches on Christian disillusionment in regards to feeling used by God, and it also makes mention of "Danse Macabre", which was a mainly artistic movement in the Middle Ages regarding the nature of religion and the reality of death. People came to realise that even the elite could die, and this relates back into our modern-day rock stars - money and fame, as it turns out, can't save you. "Majo-gari" (Witch Hunt) draws clearly on the witch trials of the 1600s, and finally "Rinji News" (Special News Bulletin) makes a sneaky reference to Nostradamus, before telling us that the world is going to end.
Listening to this album is like watching a soap opera - it's addictive and fun, but it leaves you on a cliff-hanger. Will Kami no Inu manage to reincarnate dead rock stars and build a utopian empire, or is all life on earth going to be exterminated to be followed by nothing but the scorched silence of death? To find out, you're going to have to get this album! Inugami Circus-dan : Kami no Inu. The ultimate in apocalyptic fun.
All translations are done by Bronny, who also takes full responsibility for any translation opinions contained within. All ideas are the intellectual property of Inugami Circus-dan, so don't rip them off. Mail regarding this subsection can be directed to bronny@nejimaki.net.”