Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)

EARTHISTS- HYPER FUTURE TOUR FINAL-
ONE MAN LIVE
Shimo-kitazawa SHELTER, Tokyo, Japan
December 19th 2024

It was a freezing winters night but that did not stop a sold-out crowd cramming their way into Shimo-kitazawa SHELTER for a mid-week one man show. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a one man show in Japan refers to a show where it is only a single band playing. The idea is that the band holding the one man can show their draw- they can prove they can pack a venue with their name alone. Well, the band of the hour was Japanese ‘HYPERMETAL’ band Earthists- and pack out the venue they sure did.

Just like how it does not feel humanely possible to cram as many people onto a train the way the do here, live houses (music venues) seem to follow a similar approach. A sold out show in Tokyo truly is sold out. As the punters poured into the venue, the Wednesday winter air quickly turned hot and stuffy, as every single ounce of floor space was taken up.

Now, I’ve had the privilege of seeing this band play twice before. Once at Thailand’s Rock Alarm festival and another in China at the East Sea Metal Festival. Both times, they blew me away so needless to say, I anticipated that seeing them on their home turf would be on another level.

And boy, was I right.

As the lights dimmed and the music over the speakers raised in volume, the band entered the stage to a heroes welcome. Blasting straight into ‘Metahope’ the crowd quickly surged forward to greet them. Giving the band high energy from the start, Earthists returned the love tenfold. Frontman Yui with his boyish charm and savage vocals whipped the audience into a frenzy. The punchiness of Kurokawa’s 6 string bass could be felt through the body, only in the best way.

Flowing effortlessly into ‘Ultrablue’ and ‘Cure’, the dynamics of the band were on full display. The melodic guitar riffage and clean vocals from Yuto add a vibrant atmosphere and the switch between thundering drums and rhythmic fills from Yuya give such an expertly crafted flow. As it is all tied together with the perfectly curated samples- every second of music is deliberately brilliant.

It was when they jumped into ‘Hyperhell’ that the barely contained room became unglued. Crowdsurfing turned into stage diving. Somehow space to open the pit happened- a true indication of where there is a will, there is a way. Eventually parting the seas into a wall of death: it was mayhem.

The band played a range of songs from their almost 10 year career. Tracks like the recent ‘ACIDGLINT’, the not too old ‘Sunblood’ and the 2018 release ‘memento mori‘. Barely stopping for a breath in the set, the band soldiered through, making time fly by effortlessly. They did stop to announce their upcoming 10 year anniversary tour of Japan, as well as talk about their travels through the year. But they did not let the talking keep them to long.

Even their “softer” songs like ‘Home’ and ‘In Remnant’ had the audience grooving along. Not a second of the just over an hour set was wasted. They finished with ‘SHAPEBREAKER’, which again had bodies flying across the room. Once the song ended, the musicians had barely departed the stage before almost every single soul in attendance started begging for more. It was one of those moments that as a band you want to be prepared for and when it happens, it must feel so good.

They did not leave us hanging long- returning to perform two more tracks, the first being ‘Purge Me‘. The sold out room showed their appreciation, with arms in the air, a moving moshpit and not standing still. If the room had become unglued earlier, the second the band ripped into their final tune- ‘Overvision’, any sort of decorum was forgotten.

Singing back and going nuts, nowhere was safe. It was Yui’s time to shine, as he climbed on top of the bodies, surfing the audience while screaming his heart out. His passionate, from the gut vocals enticing everybody to also let loose. It felt like a real celebration of the year in the room, a year that saw this band push further than they have before and took them to new heights.

Finishing on a high, with happy faces across the board, it was everything I expected and so much more. After the closeness and hot energy in the room, walking back out into the biting Tokyo air was a bit of.a shock to system. Regardless, it was a show that seemed to go by in a blink of an eye, but one that would last forever on the mind.

Before walking out, I turned to my friend and said “one year from now, we will be seeing this band start to take on the world…”

and I truly mean it.

Earthists. Remember the name.