A 21st Century Guitar God

Saki, the guitarist and primary songwriter of Mary’s Blood, is a 21st century guitarist who truly embodies the expansive spirit of Eric Clapton. Clapton channeled the passion of the blues greats who inspired him. Like him, Saki also is able to absorb earlier guitarists’ styles and synthesize them into a unique personal style. Clapton brought an undeniable sense of excitement to his mid-sixties output. Similarly, Saki’s work is full of “what just happened?” moments. Most importantly, Clapton was on a mission to celebrate past masters and mentor new artists. Even in this area, Saki has similarities to Guitar God Clapton.

Admittedly, Japan is blessed with a ridiculous number of guitarists who demonstrate technical brilliance and melodic inventiveness. But what sets Saki apart is the sheer rock and roll bravado of her guitar work. Saki’s riffs and solos aren’t choreographed – they’re felt. They surge out of the songs in a way that is emotional and organic, but above all visceral.

Burning Blaze

Mary’s Blood is in many ways a straightforward hard rock band. pummeling the listener with each incessantly driving track. An all women four-piece, Mary’s Blood features, in addition to Saki, vocalist Eye, bassist Rio and drummer Mari. Eye is one of the most ferocious vocalists in rock music. Her voice is rich and full of character. She can sing gritty or clean, and she is a dominating presence on stage. Rio and Mari – the secret weapon of Mary’s Blood – relentlessly drive the songs forward. All contribute songs, although Saki and Eye are responsible for the most iconic material. On stage, they are usually joined by support guitarist Yashiro (“Yashi”). Yashi, though not an official member, is a major contributor to the live power of Mary’s Blood. All exhibit a joy in performance that is very appealing.

Mary’s Blood is extremely prolific. New releases arrive almost every year despite a constant touring schedule. After releasing three early EPs, the group has followed up with five full length albums from 2014 – 2019. The albums – Countdown to Evolution, Bloody Palace, Fate, Revenant, and CONFESSiONS – are surprisingly free from filler. They typically include crunching hard rockers (“Bite the Bullet,” “Counter Strike,” “World’s End”), ear-worm party anthems (“Ready to Go,” “HANABI”) and riveting ballads (“Infinite Love,” “In the Rain”).

Voyage

The songs on the early EPs Scarlet and Azure are competent, but they don’t yet demonstrate the exceptional guitar hooks and soaring choruses that are hallmarks of Mary’s Blood. Saki truly came into her own as a songwriter with the first full-length album Countdown to Evolution. Her opening riffs began to immediately establish a state of chaos. This became a reliable go-to move.

“Marionette,” the first single from the breakthrough album Countdown to Evolution, is an example of Saki’s gift for establishing the mood with an instantly memorable riff. Countdown begins with a brief guitar fanfare that acts as overture to the album. “Marionette” then kicks in with some savage whammy bar histrionics. In what has become a fairly reliable tradition on their albums, Eye enters with an iconic scream of “yeah-ee-yeah.” What follows is a flame-throwing initial riff that is almost manic in its intensity. It is the announcement of a band that is in total control. This is mastery of a sonically coherent sound.

Shall We Dance?

Unlike Clapton, Saki didn’t have an untapped mine like the blues to explore. Nevertheless, like Clapton, she has clearly learned from past masters. Saki has Eddie van Halen’s virtuoso eccentricity in spades. EVH constantly surprised the listener with where the solo started, where it went and all the weird detours along the way. Saki’s screaming solos take the listener on similar wild and unpredictable journeys. You don’t know where she’s going to begin, you don’t know where she’s going to finish, and you have absolutely no idea how many dangerous and harrowing detours she’s going to take to get there.

In fact, songs like “On the Rocks” and “Rolling Start” from Revenant, the band’s 2018 album, can’t help but evoke Van Halen. The stomp and the swagger of “On the Rocks” would be a perfect vehicle for David Lee Roth in his prime – were it not for the fact that take-no-prisoners vocalist Eye would leave Diamond Dave in a back-alley sludge puddle. Saki’s solo on “On the Rocks” swoops up from nowhere into a cluster of classic rock guitar moves that would make EVH proud. “Rolling Start” is reminiscent of high-spirited Van Halen anthems that conjure the unalloyed joy of rock music. Saki contributes two brief but ecstatic solos to “Rolling Start” that propel the song to a euphoric conclusion.

It’s also hard not to hear the influence of the legendary Miki *sun-go* Igarashi of the pioneering all women rock band Show-Ya. She too has the penchant for unexpected departure points, quickly shifting gears and dangerous u-turns. Like Clapton and his heroes, Mary’s Blood celebrates the influence of *sun-go*, bringing her on stage with them from time to time. The 2017 Live at Liquidroom DVD includes the kick of seeing Saki trade licks with *sun-go* on “Change the Fate.”

Song For You

“Moebius Loop,” written by Eye, from the album Bloody Palace, is a showcase for Saki. With a wildly hypnotic high-speed thematic riff, “Moebius Loop” is kinetic, hard-driving and drama-fueled. Just when you think it can’t get any more theatrical, the band kick it up a notch and then, just for the hell of it, kick it up again. Saki’s solo parts are actually relatively restrained given the surrounding tornado, serving more as elements of transition through the surrounding mayhem.

Saki’s chugging riffs can be hypnotic. But Saki doesn’t just slam through a bunch of power chords while waiting for her solo. She often employs clever guitar figures behind the verses, as in the songs “Bloody Birthday” from Bloody Palace and “Self Portrait” from Fate.

A more obscure example of Saki’s brute force is her guest solo on “Frozen Rose,” from Yashi’s solo album, Astraia. Saki’s brief solo is incendiary. In about eighteen seconds, she blows the top off the song with a series of supercharged licks. Mary’s Blood albums are full of moments like this, in which Saki employs a variety of guitar techniques in rapid succession to create an electrifying atmosphere.

So, yes, Saki is flashy, but her solos always serve the songs in a manner that enhances them. For example, on “HANABI,” Saki rips off two very brief but rapturous themes that she allies with blazing descending triplets to reinforce the fireworks.

Ready To Go

Mary’s Blood studio albums are, like Saki’s playing style, powerful and hard-hitting. But live performances truly showcase her muscular prowess. Three full concerts are available on DVD. Mary’s Blood gives Saki the space to inject her own particular passion and attitude. The three live versions of “Marionette” are a perfect example of how Saki can subtly modify her approach to consistently great effect based on how she feels in the moment. The sensitive fusing of her individual statement to the group context almost always elevates the song.

Infinite Love

One of Clapton’s most appealing attributes is his evangelical zeal in spreading the gospel of the blues. In a similar vein, Saki is dedicated to encouraging and promoting younger women musicians. Saki is an organizer of the World Guitar Girls Collection (WGGC), which stages periodic concerts featuring women rock musicians. For example, one of the WGGC concerts showcases a young guitarist named Ayumi, at the time a relative unknown. Ayumi is now one of the guitarists and songwriters for the powerful new lineup of BRIDEAR.

Saki is an example and mentor, inspiring young women rockers, much as Clapton has laudably served as an ambassador for the blues throughout his life. Watch the brief promo videos that Saki and the other participants filmed for the February 11, 2019 WGGC concert on the @WGGC_Official Twitter feed. It is strangely endearing to see a Saki, dressed in street clothes, who is quite unlike the powerful demon of the stage. Saki is therefore an exemplary citizen of Rock City, spreading the gospel of rock music.

Coronation Day

Saki employs precision finger tapping, extreme string bends, delicate pinch harmonics, swooping dive bombs, and light-speed scalar runs. Saki negotiates sudden changes between these elements as effortlessly as a great drummer does between half time, full time and double time. Along with the whammy bar and kill switch of her blood red Killer guitar, Saki creates an endless stream of jaw-dropping moments. She seems relentless in her search for ways to enrich a song.

Seriously, what Saki does with a guitar doesn’t seem humanly possible. Saki has a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks – muscular hooks, swashbuckling background riffs, virtuoso solos. The results leave the listener simply saying in wonder, “holy shit, that just happened.” Somewhere in the maddening labyrinth of neighborhoods, streets and alleys that make up Tokyo, there must be a wall that is spray painted with the phrase “Saki is God.”