LOL So after what seems like HOURS more effort than was necessary.......... (it's very difficult when you can't just copy mysterious kanji into the translator...and especially so when some of the kanji are very complex and also tiny and you have to play guessing games with the translation software until you hit upon the right one!!!! DX) It's finally done!! This is my translation of the track list for BEAST from the magazine scan. It's not perfect by any means but I think it captures the important stuff...No matter what it seems something or other always seems to get lost in translation, and I find it difficult to truly convey what's being said, but I try and use a little artistic license to capture the intention of the words being spoken...if not their direct literal meaning. I might go back and edit this post if I find some little mistakes I missed that need tweaking later...

1) Plug In (Music:Hyde)-Just like BITE, this is a unique prologue work meant to open the door to the world. "We explained the image we had had to Jin and collected a lot of musical talent. With that we formed a partnership. That feeling is kind of the spark that got the engine of DEVIL SIDE going. This album is meant to be a beast like Frankenstein, or possibly a monster. There's an image of that beast coming alive. For that purpose we also use the sound of a heartbeat in this track." (HYDE)

2) DEVIL SIDE(Music & Lyrics:HYDE)-"When I listened to this recently I thought, "Hm, this has a kind of heavy feel to it," but because somehow HYDE's image was so specific we were able to get directly to where we wanted to be." (KAZ) "We made this one of our singles in order to continue building VAMPS' image. This is a direction I really want to go into. The lyrics are in English because I felt that it would be cool if there was no Japanese in it." (HYDE)

3)ANGEL TRIP (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-"I wanted to make a song where everyone could make some noise together, but also felt like it was connected to the countryside. Especially after seeing how much the fans were looking forward to seeing us in our last tour, I knew this kind of song was necessary. Also, I really had a desire to challenge myself to go in a direction I normally don't specialize in. I think if I hadn't had that attitude that the song would have come out with a darker feel." (KAZ) "Recently, I was going to title this song "IT'S ALRIGHT" but because I wanted to tie it in more closely with DEVIL I changed my mind." (HYDE)

4)MEMORIES (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-"I get this image of a really amazing, huge open scenery. Kind of like the unique freedom feeling that you get with a U2 song, but I think this is a song that tries to connect people. When I think about it, we really weren't aiming for a specific feel. It's a memory that was fairly easy to make."(KAZ) "These lyrics are somewhat embarassing...but lately I haven't had too many things happen that are embarassing so it's ok (haha). A little embarrassment can feel good." (HYDE)

5)EUPHORIA (Music & Lyrics:HYDE)-"Don't be afraid, come here" is the theme of this poisonous and strongly alluring song. "We made this in the same vein as DEVIL SIDE, so I feel like these songs are brothers. It's the first time we did the whole "Underground Club" image the same way. When DEVIL SIDE released we thought about releasing this as a one-sided single. But this is the result, and I feel like this song has a very dangerous feel to it." (HYDE)

6) VAMP ADDICTION (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-Serious tension born of a thrilling development, this is a suspenseful tune characteristic of KAZ. "With regard to the flow of the melody and the sound, I thought that the resonance of English lyrics would be good for this song and there were times where I could really see that. So I said to HYDE, "Try this song in English," and the resonance of the words really went beyond my expectations." (KAZ)

7)REVOLUTION (Music & Lyrics:HYDE)-"The Dark Horse of our last tour was TROUBLE. With the coupling song, even though it was someone else's song, we were able to generate a lot more excitement about it than we thought, especially since when we made the song at the time we weren't even thinking if this was a song we felt represented the image of VAMPS. The song is crazy, danceable, and a little comical too. I think it also has a sexy feel to it. I made this song with that purpose in mind. But that's not how it turned out in the end (haha)" (HYDE)

8)THE PAST (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-"This time I like this of all the songs I've made. I don't think I've really made one quite like this yet. Josh also seems to really like it, it's being the most recent mix he's completed. It has a kind of feeling of the past. The intro is heavy with bass and synth bass, I put a little bit of England in there, as well as the feel of an 80's club. This is the first time I've created the hook section with an arpeggio feel."(KAZ)

9)PIANO DUET (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-"This is the first time I've made a song with a piano. I wanted to make a song with very simple phrases. I think these simple phrases will feel very familiar, which is also kind of nice don't you think? It's kind of like a child and a grandfather...well, not necessarily a grandfather, but I have this image of a child and an adult playing piano together. I wanted to create phrases where an adult and a child are sitting next to each other playing piano." (KAZ)

10) RUMBLE (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-"This song really seems to come out distinctly. We had all kinds of ideas on where we wanted this song to go but we finally decided to make this song into a kind of rockabilly tune. It has kind of a delinquent feel to it. I think that during the live performances it would be great if the rhythm section could really give it that delinquent feel." (KAZ)

11) GET UP (Music & Lyrics:HYDE)-"This was the image I had in mind for a second single. When I finally got this finished I thought to myself, 'Ahh, this is good.' As concerns the lyrics, I thought initially that I would like to put Japanese lyrics in but because a lot of them resembled what I had for ANGEL TRIP I changed the entire thing to English in order to distinguish the two. I really thought it would be great if this was a song people overseas could sing." (HYDE)

12)SAMSARA (Lyrics:HYDE|Music:KAZ)-An interlude number with the mark of an ethnic group feel."The meaning of the title is, 'Change your direction to something that is easy to flow to' is what I seem to get from it. I thought this song came together amazingly. What KAZ had been arranging had been put into this kind of indistinct melody and after that we added these words in too. Miu Sakamoto sang them for us."(HYDE)

13)MY FIRST LAST (Music & Lyrics:HYDE)-"This is a song about deeply exploring only one's own feelings. While I was writing this I had this kind of feeling of "I wonder if this is the end..." At that moment a lot of snow was falling and I was all alone in the house with no one else there. It's this deep silence where the guitar resonates all over the house. And all the time the snow keeps falling outside the window. It was such a nice feeling. I wrote this song with that feeling in mind." (HYDE)

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(06-13-2010, 03:00 PM)VAMPkito Wrote: Actually I take back that previous statement as the album releases on iTunes (in Japan at least) on the first of July. (see VAMPS Official Website) - I think it has something to do with technical issues. The way J talked in the most recent MySpace blog post, it sounded like the album was already done.

I think it's just a technical issue in the CD production and distribution process. I'm sure it has nothing directly to do with HYDE, K.A.Z or any other musician involved in the making.

Well, in that case, I guess I'll be buying a Japanese iTunes card! Thanks for the info!!