Deathcore is not the kind of music that gets major-label contracts in Japan. DEVILOOF has had two. The voice on all of it belongs to Keisuke (桂佑).
Osaka, 2015
DEVILOOF formed in Osaka in 2015, with Keisuke as vocalist from the start. He and bassist Daiki are the two members who have been there the whole way. The first mini-album, Purge, came in 2016, and in the same year the band came through Metal Battle Japan and played Wacken Open Air in Germany, less than a year after forming.
The band presents itself as visual kei, and names X JAPAN and DIR EN GREY as the models for that side of it. Keisuke’s own listed influences include Megadeth and Elvis Presley. Elvis is not a name that usually appears on a deathcore vocalist’s list.
The Climb
Three independent albums built the reputation: Devil’s Proof (2017), Oni (2019) and Dystopia (December 2021), which topped the iTunes Japan metal chart. Then Tokuma Japan Communications signed the band. The major-label debut, the EP DAMNED, came out on 19 April 2023, followed by Song For The Weak in January 2024 and the single “因習” (Inshu) in January 2025, whose video featured the actor Tadanobu Asano.
The band travelled as well. A Latin American tour in 2024 took in Mexico, Chile and Brazil. A first European tour in 2025 included Resurrection Fest in Spain and a show in London.
The Second Major Label
On 1 September 2026, DEVILOOF announced a move to Universal Music’s Virgin Music, with a single, “我夢牢” (Gamurou), dated 7 October 2026 and a one-man show at Shibuya Stream Hall on 12 December 2026. Keisuke’s comment on the move promised bigger places and a bigger sound.
Eleven years, the same voice, and a bigger label each time. For the guitarist’s side of the story, read our piece on Ray.
Start with Dystopia, then DAMNED.
