BESIDE ME IN HELL: A dual narrative of sound, light, and emotional opposition in Paris
- Studio K
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
The Paris leg of the European tour “BESIDE ME IN HELL” which unites THE DEVIL INSIDE and tzkwym can be considered a unique project in the context of modern Japanese alternative rock and visual kei solo artists. Ever since its announcement, the very idea of the tour has been quite clear: to present the audience with a clash between two independent solo acts that share a common history of development. Being a representative of the media press, one starts perceiving the concert even before actually watching the performers on stage, due to the very premise that sets up the show as a double story.
"THE DEVIL INSIDE", which is the solo project by Aryu (former vocalist of the band MORRIGAN), continues an artistic heritage that was formed by extensive touring and an equally rigorous performance experience, such as more than a hundred concerts a year when Aryu was active in Japan and a European tour by him personally in 2017. The solo project itself, started by Aryu in 2023, revolves around the combination of aggression and melody as the defining characteristics of the music performed. On the contrary, the project "tzkwym", created by Tsuzuku (former vocalist of the band MEJIBRAY and current vocalist of DRUGS), takes place on another emotional plane based on the concept of storytelling. It consists of the idea of an "open bookshelf", which tells stories of life, death, and everything that happens between these concepts.
In Paris, this duality is not only evident ; it is actually the very basis of the whole event. The concert is not seeking to create a single identity through the blending of these two worlds. What it actually does is keeping these two realms separate yet making them engage in dialogue with each other. This creates an impression that we have here a carefully crafted editorial structure, where all sets serve as chapters of a single concept.
The structure of the event itself also serves to emphasize this particular idea of progressive development. Through VIP entrance, meet and greet, regular entrance time, show time, and post-show events, the evening is organized according to its own distinct timeline. This is not only the structure of a concert but also that of an entire ritual.
The inclusion of merch in advance of the concert is another aspect that brings yet more complexity to the concept of a tour, which exists in both performance and material form. The inclusion of special limited Japanese merchandise brings another level of anxiety to the audience before the concert even starts, since the performance itself is now an extension of itself into material existence.
With the appearance of THE DEVIL INSIDE on stage, however, the atmosphere changes suddenly and deliberately. There is darkness at the beginning of the concert. The use of lighting is focused on negative space. This quickly transitions into a dynamic and evolving visual spectrum of colors (blue, red, green, cyan, white). Every color corresponds to the intensifying musical performance.
The musical aspect of the show revolves around a well-regulated alternation of density and melody. The songs in the set list don't appear in isolation, but rather as a series of variations within the same musical language. While the denser parts create a more intense experience, the melodies add variation without sacrificing the integrity of the performance.
Some points in the show (those marked by red and dark-blue lighting) take the music into an even heavier realm, while the use of cyan and white lighting momentarily relieves the density. This creates an architecture where breathing room is provided amidst the density. The MC, marked by the use of violet lighting, is not just a momentary relief but also one of proximity realignment.
By the end of the first set, THE DEVIL INSIDE has not ended its story. Rather, it hangs unresolvedly in the air.
The move to tzkwym does not reset the energy; it transforms it. It is not a sudden change but a tonal one, as if switching from one emotional language to another but still using the same words of sound and light. Where THE DEVIL INSIDE externalized intensity, tzkwym instantaneously internalizes it.
The lights are more subtle, becoming rich with emotion, dark reds, whites, and deep shadows. The performance itself proceeds in a fractured emotional architecture in which each track seems to be an individual document of emotion in the existential archive. The “bookshelf” analogy is not simply abstract; it is concrete in the way that each piece serves as an independent emotional artifact.
The set does not escalate to a single emotional high point but oscillates through a series of varying emotional states, sometimes feeling constrained to the point of fragility and other times breaking out into greater emotional density. But even at its most emotional height, the performance refuses closure. There is no conclusion; everything continues.
In terms of criticism, what is notable here is the denial of any sort of stability. The music that tzkwym produces is meant not to provide closure but, rather, to create tension between the states. Moreover, even the use of lighting supports this; red is dominant where emotions run high, whereas blue and white are used for temporary suspension.
Thus, the performance is not about development or moving forward but about adding more elements together. Rather than building a traditional narrative, emotions are accumulated and added up. The audience is always kept in a constant state of interpretation.
Lighting is used as a second language through both sets. It accompanies the music not in the sense of decoration but as translation into a different form. Colors become the means of translating emotions: red as an element of high emotional pitch or breakage, blue as detachment or meditation, white as exposure or clarity of emotions.
However, the point that finally determines what "BESIDE ME IN HELL" means for Paris, lies not in the opposition of the two performers but rather in the creation of an opposition itself. Fusion is absolutely impossible here – the concert makes sure that these two worlds will never merge together.
From a critical standpoint, this is when the conceptual idea behind the entire tour can be easily perceived. Neither THE DEVIL INSIDE nor tzkwym are opposed sides of one coin but are, on the contrary, parallel concepts of emotional expression (external and internal ones), which exist next to each other due to their opposition.
The reaction of the spectators proves this approach. No common mood can be observed here as there is not even any mood in particular. However, attention remains flexible and adaptive depending on the type of sound being created.
Following the performance, the Instagram post by Tsuzuku extends this affective framework from within the venue. His statement to the Paris crowd (thank you for your support, the feeling of “fighting not with words but with music”, promise of returning) can be perceived as an afterimage of the live performance. It doesn’t describe the concert, instead, prolonging it in time through a mediation in which the meaning of the performance is still unfolding.
The live performance doesn't end with “BESIDE ME IN HELL”. The feeling and impression left by the concert aren’t tied to one specific emotion, rather a duality, or an equilibrium between two sides of it. There isn't any resolution in the concert, because it wasn’t meant to have one.
The power of this performance lies precisely in that – THE DEVIL INSIDE and tzkwym don't conflict in their narratives; on the contrary, they create an equilibrium. In a way, they occupy different places in the space of performance and construct their narratives independently, yet together.
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