Lynch. THE LAST NIGHT at Zepp Tokyo

A dream come true was how lynch. described their tour final at legendary Zepp Tokyo on March 3rd. The announcement had been made the previous year and the show was long anticipated by both the band and fans. For many bands, Zepp Tokyo is a dream that never materializes, but with lynch.’s auspicious career Zepp Tokyo came as a natural next step. The year had started in a high with a series of shows across Japan followed by a coupling tour with MERRY. Zepp Tokyo was indeed the cherry on top of the cake.

Usually, a fast and heavy intro familiar to the fans with would get the crowd on their feet, clapping in unison as they would wait for the band to appear. Contrary to what was expected, that didn't happen; instead all lights went down and a classic, slow intro engulfed the hall. Not sure of what was going on, the crowd went silent, only to rise in a wild yell as a blast of sound and light brought in the heavy artillery, and lynch. made their entrance to an electrifying heavy beat.

Wasting no time, the band dove into UNTIL I DIE. Red lights washed over the venue while the crowd pumped fists to shouts of “Oi!” The fans’ voices combined with Hazuki’s growls in a piece that efficiently warmed up the crowd for the thunderous classic, I’m sick, b’cuz luv u.. Bending forward, Hazuki let out powerful roars that resounded through the room. With guitarist Yusuke helping with the second voice, the vocalist engaged in a sensuous dance to the hot beat before all hell broke loose and he joined the crowd in wild headbanging.

With Asanao bashing the drums with full force, lynch. moved on to THE TRUTH IS INSIDE. Reo took the front and the guitar speeded away as the crowd pulsed to the beat. Rolling fists created an interesting scenery materializing the fast-paced song. ALIEN TUNE testified Hazuki’s unflagging energy as he moved around the stage like a mad man, pacing back and forth, lost in the beat. Half way through the number, bloody red lights engulfed the hall and the audience was transported to the depths of Hades as Hazuki’s grunts, heavily distorted by the sound effects, commanded the army in front of him in a visually stunning piece.

“Welcome. We are lynch.” the vocalist said in a surprisingly friendly tone that contrasted dramatically with both the music and the performance so far. With an indecipherable growl Hazuki summoned the headbanging for another favorite: THE BLASTED BONE. With the crowd pumping fists to the thunderous drums, a hot bass solo brought Akinori to the forefront. A wicked laughter echoed throughout the hall welcoming MARROW. The transition from heavy to slow was skillfully accomplished, with the energy of the guitarists adding an impact to the heavier bits as hair flew wildly.

DOZE started with a blast and got the crowd moving back and forth to the strong drums and potent growls. Suddenly, all went still and the venue was engulfed by a blue night of fire, the light work adding intensity to the performance. Like a pounding heart the drums echoed hauntingly throughout the venue, Hazuki whispering softly to the faithful guitars before the song reached its climax, and to blasting instrumentals and angry shouts all of it ended.

“Are you ready for more?” The crowd went wild for the classic EVILLY, and the stage was on fire with red and orange lights accompanying the pumping fists. “I can’t hear you!” the vocalist yelled, demanding more. Distorted guitars and plenty of effects gave the song a novelty that lynch. have been exploring as they reinvent old classics. Yusuke took the lead for LIE with a well-accomplished riff and stood out during the whole piece digging into the guitar lines in some wicked solos.

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT followed in a slower fashion. The drum work was imposing as, like a pounding heart, the drums made their way through Hazuki’s cries, his voice going from a lament to a growl with mastery. With the vocals echoing throughout the hall the song came to an end, and before you knew it, indeed they proceeded to THIS COMA. Not one of the band’s most remarkable works, but the song allowed the guitars and bass to speak, some nice riffs standing out in the lukewarm ballad.

The new song FROZEN was warmly welcomed, blue lights appropriately taking the hall. Echoing whispers opened the piece in a promising way, the drum and bass work positively standing out, but the song continued neither heavy nor soft, to catchy lyrics that did the trick in getting the crowd moving. If you are looking for an explosive song this might not be the one for you, but those who are not fans of the band’s heavy and thunderous numbers might actually enjoy it. the whirl followed, the title a promise of things to come. In a spiral the song proceeded, from heavy to slow in a well-accomplished transition. Like a snake, Hazuki moved, contorting his body as he danced to the smooth beat before diving in some heavy growling, crouched for the headbanging.

With its dueling guitars, -273.15ºC gave way to a warmly welcomed announcement: “Now are only heavy songs! Can you keep up?” With a loud cheer the audience dove into a frenzy as MIRRORS, JUDGEMENT and BELIEVE IN ME engulfed the hall. Fast drums, dueling guitars and heavy growls saw lynch. in their best. The band moved around zealously, thrashing heads to the beat, while the crowd’s shouts of “Oi!” accompanied the songs like a mantra.

Digging into the guitar Reo kicked off 59, another hot number that got the crowd jumping and rolling fists in time with the impossibly fast drums. The jumping continued through ALL THIS I’LL GIVE YOU, Hazuki’s voice echoing in a dark prayer for the slower moments while Asanao hit the drums hard and fast in an impressive performance. The classics continued, reinvented through heavy distortion and sound effects. vernie was electrifying, especially with the image of Akinori holding his bass vertically as he hit the strings powerfully. With a strident yell the front man introduced enemy, the distortion giving his voice a robot-like tone that added power to the performance.

DAZZLE lightened the fuse with its fast guitars and thunderous drums. The crowd and band went wild, and Hazuki threw the mic hard on the floor before literally diving into the crowd for some wicked crowd-surfing. With no mic the vocalist gave the staff a hard time as he grabbed the mic standing by the bass and dragged it all the way to the front under the bassist’s amused grins. pulse_ continued in the same spirit, and it was now Yusuke’s turn to crowd-surf, the fans more than happy with the band’s spontaneous moves.

TIAMAT and the all-time favorite, ADORE, closed the set with an explosion of sound, lights and pumping fists. With the hall on fire the fans and band gave it their all, joining voices for the grand finale as they sang ADORE’s chorus in unison. A short encore then gave the crowd a few minutes to breathe. With all energy restored, the fans welcomed lynch. with open arms.

“I will talk for a bit now!” the vocalist stated with a grin. “We have always told our fans that we would play here one day. Thank you all” he added as he bowed. “We played many old songs today,” he went on, obviously nostalgic. With both the band and crowd glancing teasingly at the over-honest and melancholic emcee he defended himself. “I’m the vocalist, I have to talk!” The warmly anticipated new album was announced for June with a promise of many heavy songs. “Yes, there will be a tour following the release and it will be heavy! I’m worried because the songs are really heavy. I hope this becomes your favorite album! We will play at about thirty live houses for the tour, mainly small venues!” As Hazuki teased the crowd, commenting on how small the live houses on the list he was holding are, the others showed signs of amused impatience. Reo took the opportunity to take the mic and finish the emcee explaining, “We want to play at the venues we used to play at when we started and want to have closer contact with our fans. Please come see us!” “Damn, you’re good!” the front man exclaimed as he looked at the leader with admiration. A laugh embraced the hall and the mic was passed to the other members. “Thank you. Today was fun. Come see us and enjoy!” was Asanao’s short yet precise comment. Yusuke mentioned the tour with MERRY and how much he learned from it, adding a few words on the heavy upcoming album. A bit nervous at being in the spotlight, Akinori ended saying exactly the same as Yusuke and the guitarist took the opportunity to tease him.

In a casual atmosphere the band ended the show with a shower of hits and a nostalgic song. After an illusion the vocalist warned, “Let’s try one we haven’t done in a while!” and they summoned the thrashing heads for a grateful shit. All hell broke loose for discord number, Reo on his knees between heavy growls, and despite the odds it got hotter! “Are you ready for more? This is our wish!” the vocalist yelled out. A GLEAM IN EYE ended the set with a blast, the venue becoming one as fans and band sang the chorus in unison.

It was indeed a memorable show and we look forward to lynch.’s upcoming album and tour. Stay tuned!


Set List

UNTIL I DIE
I’m sick, b’cuz luv u.
THE TRUTH IS INSIDE
ALIEN TUNE
THE BLASTED BONE
MARROW
DOZE
EVILLY
LIE
BEFORE YOU KNOW IT
THIS COMA
FROZEN
The whirl
-273.15ºC
MIRRORS
JUDGEMENT
I BELIEVE IN ME
59.
ALL THIS I’LL GIVE YOU
Vernie
Enemy
DAZZLE
pulse_
TIAMAT
ADORE

Encore
an illusion
a grateful shit
discord number
A GLEAM IN EYE