NAGASAKI SUNRISE: Noise, Rebellion, and Ruins: A Call to Resistance
Fueled by raw defiance and forged in the fires of history, Distroyer is more than just an album—it’s a statement. Nagasaki Sunrise takes us deep into their world of distortion, disillusionment, and resistance, using the horrors of the past to reflect the chaos of today. In this interview, the band speaks on the irony of war waged in the name of peace, the need for rebellion in an era of growing oppression, and how independent music scenes remain the last bastion of authenticity. With Distroyer, they don’t just make noise—they demand to be heard.
-Hi, first off thanks for taking your time. How’s everything doing in the lair of Nagasaki Sunrise? How does it feel to have your newest album out?
Gazolizna – Hey Queens of Steel, thank you for your interest in interviewing us! Everything’s good here, preparing for our next concerts and tour, and trying to spread the new album as much as we can. It feels good to have it out, we’re really happy about the result. It feels like a chapter coming to an end, with new ones about to start.
Iron Fist – Appreciate it. Right now, the lair is all fire and fallout—exactly how it should be. Distroyer is finally out, and it feels like letting a bomb drop after holding it for too long. There’s a sense of release, but also this restless energy, because an album like this isn’t just something you put out and move on from—it lingers, it claws at you. We built this record from the wreckage around us, and now it’s out there for anyone willing to step into the chaos with us.
– The title Distroyer is a striking wordplay. Can you explain the dual meaning behind it and how it ties into the themes of the album? How does it balance the destructive with the hopeful?
B. Yes, “Distroyer” is a wordplay, as our first album “Distalgia” was. It mixes our love for D-Beat, with the main themes of our songs.
The majority of the lyrics are about WWII, more specifically the Pacific Rim Battles, and the horrors committed during War in the name of progress, religion, or even more paradoxically, peace.
It expresses the irony of advocating the need of massacres and genocides in the name of peace and hope, when History keeps throwing us examples of the true intentions on waging War. Hiding behind false values, there’s an economic locomotive that keeps profiting and steaming ahead, while the lower classes keep being sent to the trenches, or their tombs to be accurate.
Iron Fist – The title Distroyer is about destruction, distortion, disillusionment, and dismantling the narratives we’ve been fed. It’s in the idea that sometimes you have to burn everything down before you can build something better.
– Distroyer reflects the disillusionment and chaos of the modern world, especially in light of recent political upheavals. Do you see the album as a warning, a reflection, or an invitation for change?
Gazolizna – All of the above. These lyrics could’ve been written 80 years ago, or in 80 years from now, and they would still be current. They keep up with time, as our mistakes as species. Even though we don’t need more warnings then the ones we have been given since so long ago. The use of nuclear power is a powerful example of what humankind can do to itself and the planet, and still, to this day, it’s considered as a weapon and used as a threat on a daily basis in the «diplomatic» agenda.
It’s also a reflection, since we focus on writing lyrics from a historical and first person perspective. It’s interesting to fit it into our lyrics, and into the sound and aesthetics of the band .
Iron Fist – It’s all three. Distroyer is first and foremost a tribute to the countless lives lost to the warmachine. It is also a reflection of the chaos we’re living in, a warning about where it’s headed, and a call to anyone who still has the will to resist. The disillusionment, the destruction. You can take it as a wake-up call, a battle cry, or just a raw noise assault to pound your fist to—that’s up you to decide.
– The artwork for Distroyer is visually intense. How does it mirror the emotional and political messages of the album?
Gazolizna – The Artwork is a representation of our sound and lyrics aesthetic. It portrays a 7th Infantry tank firing a Flamethrower in Okinawa, just a couple of months before the Nuclear Bombs were dropped. It’s a good visual example of what happens in battle, and the path of destruction behind.
Iron Fist – The artwork for Distroyer is meant to hit as hard as the music itself—raw, chaotic, and confrontational. It reflects the emotional weight of the album, which is steeped in themes of destruction, defiance, and the scars left by war—both personal and political. The imagery is layered with symbolism: a world on the brink, the ghosts of the past haunting the present, and the overwhelming force of annihilation that looms over everything. Distroyer isn’t just about destruction for its own sake—it’s about the consequences, the fallout, and the people left to pick up the pieces. The visuals mirror that sense of urgency, rage, and brutal honesty.
– Many metal and punk bands call for rebellion. In today’s society, where do you think rebellion is needed the most, and how does Distroyer respond to that?
Gazolizna – I feel like rebellion is needed everywhere, since we’re tragically following the paths we once did, and moving towards totalitarian states where all kinds of prejudice and oppression are accepted with open arms by the general population, since it’s disguised by populist politics based on fear.
This is happening not only on a general widespread population perspective, but also on our «alternative» scenes, where all kinds of prejudice, like racism, homophobia, sexism, are a lot more tolerated again. Just like a mirror of the society we’re supposed to oppose. Even though a band doesn’t need to have propagandistic or direct political lyrics, I find it really important to take a stance and strong position, and to be vocal about and against what’s going on. Turning our heads to what’s happening is the most dangerous thing we could do, given the times we are in.
Iron Fist – Rebellion isn’t just about screaming against authority—it’s about knowing what you’re fighting for. In today’s world, rebellion is needed against manufactured apathy, against the way people are numbed into submission by fear, propaganda, and distractions. Distroyer isn’t some vague call to arms—it’s a violent reaction to the systems that keep people powerless, whether it’s corrupt politics, unchecked militarization, or the slow suffocation of real thought and resistance. The album reflects the anger of knowing that history keeps repeating itself, that lessons go ignored, and that destruction—whether through war, greed, or ignorance—is always looming. If rebellion means refusing to accept that, then Distroyer is our battle cry.
– Your music seems to address themes of nihilism, collapse, and resistance. How do you personally find meaning or hope in a world that often feels on the edge of collapse?
Gazolizna – On a personal point of view, I find meaning on keeping creating spaces, activities, bands etc. outside the paradigm of a capitalistic society. Creating culture, resistance, or basic relations that are not encouraged by money and profit.
Basically the whole DIY scene, where counterculture is the resistance, where you can take control.
Iron Fist – We don’t pretend to have answers, but we refuse to look away. Nihilism, collapse, resistance—these aren’t just themes, they’re the reality we’re all living in. But even in the face of that, there’s meaning in refusing to be silent. There’s power in calling things what they are, in making noise when the world wants you numb. Some people find hope in lies, others in action. For us, it’s in the music itself—the fact that we can still create, still scream back at the void. If everything is falling apart, then Distroyer is the sound of us standing in the wreckage, refusing to go quietly.
– How do you use historical events, like the Pacific Rim battles, to make statements about modern-day oppression, resistance, or conflict?
Gazolizna – Those same events are how we got here, in a historical perspective. They work as a statement by themselves.
Iron Fist – History is a blueprint for everything happening now. The Pacific Rim battles, nuclear tests, occupations—these weren’t just isolated events, they were the groundwork for the power struggles, military escalations, and political betrayals we see today. Distroyer pulls from that history, not as nostalgia, but as a warning. The same cycles of violence and control repeat because the systems that created them were never dismantled—just rebranded. By drawing from historical events, we’re not just talking about the past; we’re holding up a mirror to the present, showing that the fight against oppression, war, and manipulation is never over. It just takes new forms.
– Many of your lyrics delve into the atrocities of war. Do you believe exploring historical violence through music can inspire contemporary listeners to think critically about ongoing conflicts?
Gazolizna – I really do hope so! As I said before, this lyrics are about battles and a war from 80 years ago, but could as well been from the Genocide being commited in Gaza, the neo colonization happening around the world, or the proxy wars we see ahead of us, since humanity hasn’t learn anything from all the atrocities that has been sustaining upon each other. It’s a neverending battle until utter destruction is achieved.
Iron Fist – Absolutely. Music has always been a weapon against forgetting. When we write about the atrocities of war, we’re not just recounting history—we’re forcing people to confront the reality that these horrors never really ended. The faces change, the locations shift, but the machinery of war grinds on. Governments justify it, media sanitizes it, and people become desensitized to suffering. But if our music can shake someone awake, make them question what they’re told, or even just remind them that war is never clean, then it’s done its job. We don’t write to glorify destruction—we write to expose it, to remind people that the past is still bleeding into the present.
– What do you think is the role of independent music scenes like yours in resisting commercialism and maintaining authenticity, especially in a time when global industries are pushing mainstream agendas?
Gazolizna – Independent music scenes, DIY venues, distros labels, etc. have a central part in keeping the metal/punk underground going! When the instagram hypes fades away, and the commercial and mainstream interests move to the next trend, that’s how the underground movement keeps alive and kicking!
Iron Fist – Independent music scenes are the last line of defense against sterilized, corporate-controlled culture. When the industry pushes the same manufactured trends, DIY scenes push back with raw, unfiltered expression. This isn’t just about resisting commercialism—it’s about keeping music dangerous, keeping it real. We’re not chasing algorithms or sponsorship deals; we’re here to create something uncompromising that can’t be bought or sold as the product of trends. Scenes like ours are where rebellion still lives, where voices aren’t sanitized to fit a market. In a world where everything is curated for mass appeal, independent music is one of the few places left where people can speak without a filter—and that’s exactly why it matters.
– And before we wrap this interview up; what are now your near-future plans?
Gazolizna – Keep playing live where we can, organizing new tours, create a good network with people and bands alike and start recording new material. It’s always exciting when you give life to new music and can play it around the world. That’s our biggest goal!
Iron Fist – We have a lot of stuff coming up. There will be a split with the band Military Shadow from Japan this year, our discography will be released on cassette in the US to promote our tour in March, and we are also planning to tour Japan in 2026. The new album is brewing and will be recorded later this year. We might be able to get it out this year still.
-That’s all from our side. Thanks again for answering to these questions. If you’d like to add some final words; it’s your turn.
Iron Fist – No gods, no masters—just distortion, defiance, and the will to keep pushing forward. Distroyer is out there for anyone who still gives a damn, for those who refuse to be silenced, and for the ones who know that the fight never really ends. Stay loud, stay free. Pacific Nightmare Ain’t Over!
Gazolizna – We would like to thank Queens of Steel for the interest and the oportunity! Also thank you for the important task you’re doing in the underground scene, trying to keep it oppression free!
See you soon!
