Some bands flirt with reinvention; Re:O take a bite. Premiered on August 13, 2025, the ninth single “Crimson Desire” pivots from the project’s signature Japanese-styled synth leads toward raw, riff-forward guitar and bass—without abandoning the J-pop/dark-pop DNA that’s defined their sound. Lyrically, the track refracts ambition and insatiable drive through the visceral lens of vampirism: a calm, calculating hunger that never truly fades. Produced by Simon Jackson and co-produced by vocalist–bandleader Rio Suyama, the single also showcases the chemistry of James Wright (bass), James “J” Stevens (drums), Jon Roberts (guitars), and Alex Carli (guitars), with artwork by Colin Van Dongen.
In this in-depth Q&A for Songlens Magazine, Re:O unpack the concept, the production choices that keep chaos coherent, and the live ambitions behind their heaviest chapter yet.
Concept & Story
“Crimson Desire” frames ambition and hunger through visceral vampirism. What sparked that metaphor, and when did it click as the right vessel for this story?
Rio: We were playing Baldur’s Gate 3 at that time and talking about Astarion because he’s a cool character. He’s charismatic and cheeky. I feel womaniser vibes from him, but he’s one of my favorite characters. Anyways, James was like, “I think we can use vampirism as the metaphor for this song.” When I heard that, I thought, how can we do it? But when we started writing the lyrics, it became a perfect match with this song. My favorite line is “One small bite, I’ll be gentle. One drop of my desire.” Such a cool and clever line.
James: When it comes to the concept and story, me and Rio will sit down together and decide on what story we want to tell, and then over time the metaphor or conveyance of the story we’ll decide on. From there, the lyrics are a painstaking, detailed process in deciding whether it’s in Japanese or English or a mix of both. For this particular song, the haunting melodies and raw guitar in place of the lead synths screamed aggression, desire, passion, and ambition. The vampirism metaphor, as we were writing the lyrics, was born out of an “I’ve never written a song about vampires and they have unquenchable thirst,” so it just kind of came together. Honestly, I couldn’t even think of what would be a better vessel than vampirism for what we’re trying to portray. They’re aggressive, ambitious in their politics, and unable to satisfy their hunger.
The lyric voice feels calmly calculating rather than explosive—ambition as method, not outburst. How did you strike that tone on the page and in the performance?
Rio: I’m glad you feel like that because I struck the tone intentionally. For me, singing a song is like telling a story to someone you never know. If you sing with just one tone, it would ruin the world the song weaves and listeners would be lost. So if I want to express some particular part as exposition, I’d sing with a distorted tone. If I want to express sadness, I’d sing with a soft tone. For “Crimson Desire,” it is about an endless hunger to further advance your goals and dreams. An outburst burns fast like fireworks. A desire doesn’t fade away until it gets fulfilled. Even though one desire is gone, another desire comes from nowhere. Then lots of frustration kicks in and builds up silently in your mind. The calm tone isn’t holding back your emotions—it’s more like a connection with the essence of your mind.
Where does “Crimson Desire” sit in the broader narrative of Re:O’s nine singles—continuation, departure, or inflection point?
Rio: This project used to be focused on pop until “GUILD.” After we released “Stains On My Soul,” heavy elements have become more outstanding since other members joined. But if you listen to this new song closely, you can see it has elements of dark pop. So I’d say what we’re doing is a departure from the pop world, but we keep dark-pop elements, which is our sound.
James: It’s a natural progression from our pivot away from pop and into combining the J-pop tones with Western-inspired metal. It is different to our other songs as the synth doesn’t take lead, which is a little alien to fans who love our current sound.
When you sing about realizing “what you have is not enough,” is that critique, confession, or fuel? How do you keep that hunger from turning corrosive?
Rio: It’s more like a criticism of yourself. You’re on a journey to achieve your goals, but you cannot see how far it is. You don’t know how long it takes you to get to the goal. And you struggle overcoming these obstacles. Out of the blue, people like you show up and it seems easy for them to get through obstacles and pass by you. They’re ahead of you. Then you’d think, “What I have isn’t perfect at all, and I think what I’m doing is wrong. I cannot do anything like they do”—negative spirals go on over and over. The more you get what you want, the more you want something you’re wishing for. But it’s not necessarily bad at all. The hunger can boost your creativity and skills. So let it drive you crazy in my opinion, but obviously if you lust for it, it affects your mental health, so I try to keep the balance.
Sound & Production
You dialed back Re:O’s signature Japanese-styled synth lead role in favor of raw, heavy guitar and bass. What specific sonic references or tones guided that pivot?
Rio: Our song process starts from my idea at first. Normally, the way of creating songs isn’t determined within us. When some cool melodies come up in the middle of the night, I record myself and create a song from the small idea. When I have nothing to do and play with synth in Ableton, cool melodies come up like magic. If the whole song sounds good or riffs sound good, then other members try to put in their ideas. So I’d say we write music without thinking too much.
James: There weren’t really any specific references or tones that guided this transition for “Crimson Desire.” It was just a case of writing something we liked the sound of, and it just so happens that the lead instruments in this track were the guitar and bass as opposed to synth. Ultimately there’s no method or reason as to why we write how we do—if it sounds good and we’d put the song on our playlist, then we’ve achieved our objective of writing a song we love.
Jay: Although this does not lead in with our normal synth style, we do place it in our set back-to-back with a song that has a ton of synths and I feel it flows really nicely—and it is a killer of a track to end a set with.
The track carries chaotic energy without losing clarity. Which arrangement decisions kept weight and space in balance?
Rio: Usually our songs have more synth, but this track has less synth compared to other songs. So this song is relatively simple. We focus on the balance of each instrument and the dynamics of the song. And we always try to make space between all the instruments because normally our songs are driven by synth mainly and lots of things are going on. Otherwise, the audience would suffocate while listening, which is not ideal.
Jay: For me, I feel it’s the bass undertone that drives this song, and in its absence at any point there is always a pinch harmonic from the guitar to lead you back in or out of any change, which keeps the ears from losing where you are at any point of the song.
How did producer Simon Jackson and co-producer Rio Suyama divide the lane—pre-production, tracking, comping, sound design, mix direction?
James: Simon has a fantastic way of knowing the direction we want to take the song in and comes up with additional ideas to take it to the next level. The instrumentation, lyrics, and vocal melodies are all done by us before heading to the studio where Simon records, mixes, and masters the tracks, but he adds lots of subtle effects or suggests additions we would never have thought of. Having that external and independent ear come in with those suggestions really helps and, as I said, takes the song to the next level.
Rio: Like James said, the songs were completed, but we need someone to mix/master them and guide them to what we are trying to go for. It’s hard to find the right producer, as not all producers understand your sound or what we want. This is why I was a little nervous if he’s the right person for us when we first recorded with him. He knows what we want and he gives us more ideas like backing vocals and putting boom sound etc. I’m not a sound engineer, so I need someone to do our songs. Also, I need someone who can listen to our songs as an outsider so they can tell us what we’re missing.
Guitars feel central here. What tunings, amps, pedals, or layering strategies shaped that snarling front end? (Feel free to name favorite signal chains.)
James: We’re a bit odd with our tunings—the guitars and bass are in different ones. I play a 5-string bass in A standard, and my Tech 21 SansAmp is the key to my tone. I keep the bass tone relatively simple with a touch of overdrive for a bit of growl.
Jon: Oh good, I get to be nerdy! The guitars were all recorded with my ESP baritone Snakebyte with EMG “Het Set” pickups, all triple-tracked through my Axe-FX III. I like gain but without saturation for lots of definition, so you can hear the sound of the pick hitting the strings as directly as possible. I’m keeping the actual amps used a secret though, as I like the blend I came up with, and to be honest, I want it alllll to myself! I like York Audio IRs, and used my own blend of a Mesa Traditional 4×12 with 70-watt V30s, and an EVH 5150 III cab with its original, basically-just-a-heritage-20w-Greenback speakers. Both cabs used a blend of an SM57 and an MD421, set up slightly differently between each speaker.
The effects chain for rhythm stuff is pretty basic. I don’t like using an overdrive in front of an amp for its core sound, as no matter what you do it always sounds like the pedal rather than the amp. I think the only other thing I did in the box was a lo-fi filter in a few places, which just gave a second to breathe before the wall of sound comes back. Right before the breakdown there’s about two beats where I punched a Tube Screamer in just to make it extra fizzy for emphasis.
The synths now support the rhythm section—the electronics enhance, not crowd, the riffs. What textures or frequencies were most crucial?
James: The synths take the mid and high range in this song to compliment the guitar. To keep it clean, we try to avoid having too many synths in the same kind of frequency as the bass.
Rio: Synth is a key part in this band, but it’s easy to clash with bass and guitar, so they cover the mid and high range. We adjust synth bass with bass and guitar so it doesn’t fight against each other.
Vocally, the interplay between Rio Suyama and Jon Roberts adds dimension. How did you decide who carries which lines, doubles, and harmonies?
Rio: We just tried it and saw if it fit. While I have a clean and powerful voice, Jon has a distorted and aggressive voice. For the verse, I wanted to make it more like telling stories with a calm tone, so if Jon’s voice was main for the section, it didn’t fit. But when there’s a word like “Desire” I want to emphasize, only my voice wasn’t enough, so Jon sang with a distorted voice and it perfectly fit.
Rhythmically, James “J” Stevens (drums) and James Wright (bass) lock the song’s aggression. What was the brief for the groove: pocket first, or punch first?
James: It varies, but the key we work to is ensuring the groove first and foremost. It doesn’t matter what we add as long as the groove you can get lost in is there. But in this particular song, it really was about punch and aggression from my perspective.
Jay: Like any drum & bass relationship, you have to understand each other and know what the main goal is. Rio is very good at pre-writing the drum to the songs before she sends them out to us as ideas. I will then listen and put my own twist on the tracks. I tend to listen to the tracks over and over to get the feel of the song itself so I know where the journey starts and where it ends. Yes, you could say in the pocket and punch at the right times, but I love to play around with lots of different styles, so sometimes it’s hard for me to keep to just one, haha.
Lyrics, Melody & Emotion
Lyrically, ambition can read triumphant or tragic. Which line in “Crimson Desire” is the hinge that decides the mood—and why?
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Rio’s top-line melodies soften the edges of the riff assault. Did the vocal come first and shape the riffs, or did the guitar bed dictate the melodic contour?
James: The synths came first, followed by the guitars, and finally the melody on top to pull it together and add contrast.
If you had to describe the chorus in one sentence—emotionally, not musically—what does it do to the listener?
James: Enthralls them. It did for me the first time I heard the finished song.
Jay: Feeds the hunger and thirst for more.
Aesthetics & Visuals
The artwork by Colin Van Dongen extends the vampiric, hunger-as-aura theme. What visual references or notes did you give him, and what came back that surprised you?
James: This was actually originally an option for “Ronin’s” artwork, but it was just perfect for “Crimson Desire,” so we decided to keep it.
If you were to translate “Crimson Desire” into a live visual moment (lighting, color, motion), what’s the palette and pacing?
James: Blood reds, dark ambient purples, blackouts, and strobe lighting.
Jay: Yes, definitely like James said—blackouts, strobe lights flashing with random purples pulsing through the black.
Jon: Green underglow lighting. Green is an unnatural color for lighting, so it draws your eye to whatever it hits. Eyes up here in between banging your head, thanks.
Band Dynamics & Credits
Re:O credits list Rio Suyama, James Wright, James “J” Stevens, Jon Roberts, and Alex Carli. What’s a decision on this track where the collective changed the song’s trajectory?
James: There wasn’t really. There were small tweaks in the studio, but overall the track is very similar to the initial demo—it was, from the ground up, a guitar- and rhythm-led track we just fell in love with in the early stages of its life.
Lyric credits are Rio Suyama & James Wright. How do you two collaborate—drafts back and forth, room writes, or lyric surgery after the demo?
James: I touched on this earlier, but we get the finished song with a melody and then we decide on what we want it to be about. We then listen to the song and see what kind of metaphor it suits—i.e., is it sad or is it more high energy—and from there we decide if it’s in English, Japanese, or both. Then it’s just back and forth between us.
Genre Fusion & Identity
You’re diving deeper into metal while holding onto J-pop/dark-pop DNA. What’s the non-negotiable Re:O signature that must survive every evolution?
James: The synths being key and leading, plus Rio’s melodic, contrasting melodies. Without these two, our music would be very generic and not as captivating to listen to.
Where did Western modern metal push you the hardest here—and where did your Japanese-styled sensibilities push back?
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Live & Community
How will “Crimson Desire” change the setlist arc live—new opener, mid-set ignition, or late-show catharsis?
James: We don’t want to give away too much about our live set—otherwise it would ruin the surprise! But we did place it in a very prominent and memorable place due to its catchy and aggressive nature.
What’s the crowd moment you’re chasing with this song—a scream-back line, a breakdown silence, a circle-pit spark?
James: Circle pit 100%. The day I see that and hear the audience sing back our lyrics, that’s the day I feel we’ve made it.
Jay: Yeah, definitely a pit for this song.
Looking Ahead
Does this heavier, riff-forward approach indicate where the next releases are headed, or was this a single-song thesis?
James: Honestly, it depends. It depends on how we feel about certain tracks when they’re being made and it depends on what the song needs. We’re not going to add things unnecessarily if the song doesn’t need it. Ultimately, we write what we would add to our own playlists, and for me that means the heavy stays but the synths must stay prominent. I’d also love more songs like “GUILD” too!
Jay: Yes, it’s always hard to predict what the next song is going to sound like as you never know what crazy idea or style I might want to stick in a section and then have to speak to Rio and say, “I wanna play this,” and then see her shock and horror, hahaha… most times it’s fine, hehe…
If you could place “Crimson Desire” on a dream bill or playlist alongside two artists that capture its spirit, who and why?
James: Difficult to say, but for me this song gives me Linkin Park “Forgotten” vibes with the mix of raw guitar and synth, as well as Semblant in a similar sense with how they mix synths and their guitars.
Quick Fire (One-Word / One-Line)
Crimson in one word:
James: Passion
Jay: RAW
Most vicious guitar moment (timestamp):
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Lyric you hope fans tattoo:
James: “My dry heart crying out for something more”—that lyric, although meaning wanting more in terms of ambition, has so many sub-connotations that could be interpreted from it. I’m curious to hear fans’ theory-crafting around this particular line.
Jay: NQMT: Never Quench My Thirst
Next risk you’re itching to take (musically):
James: More synth-driven experimentation and songs more akin to “GUILD.” Although we’re building a strong fan base and everyone is loving the new direction, I do want to release more songs like “GUILD” too.
Jay: For a long time now I have been wanting to play more of my hybrid kit, and fingers crossed in 2026 you will start to see more and more of this at our live shows.
Outro
“Crimson Desire” doesn’t explode—it calculates, plots, and advances. By swapping lead-synth glare for serrated guitars and a bass engine, Re:O find a new kind of intensity: colder, sharper, and truer to the song’s central admission that hunger rarely sleeps. If this is the band’s heaviest swing yet, it’s also their most self-possessed—proof that evolution doesn’t mean erasing your signature, just sharpening its teeth.
