D’ESPAIRSRAY truly delighted fans when they announced single RAPTURE, and it was at last released on May 13, marking the band’s first new release in 16 years. On the same day, the band also shared a gothic, gloomy music video that fuses visual effects and storytelling, alongside D’ESPAIRSRAY’s signature sound. From our thematic reading, the concept of “RAPTURE” may tie into the band’s comeback in a quite interesting way.

The music video begins with a closed-eyed HIZUMI lying in an open coffin with his black-robed bandmates surrounding him, as if a ritual is taking place. Guitarist Karyu is then seen pouring liquid from a bottle labeled “poison” into HIZUMI’s mouth, triggering the vocalist to start whispering the lyrics. Soon after, drummer TSUKASA drops a sword, triggering the screen to crack like glass, followed by a resounding thump. This throws the vocalist upright and fully awakens him into a growl, starting up the song.

D'ESPAIRSRAY 「RAPTURE」 MUSICVIDEO

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To emphasize the pertinent imagery, a little person wearing a skull mask and a dress rolls in and picks up an old, grey-skinned man with an eye patch, seats him on an electric chair, and puts a metal headpiece on him.

After preparations are made, a surge of electricity is sent through the man, awakening him, bringing him to his feet. As HIZUMI sings “Break my past, I’m reborn, Break my fate, I’m ready”, the man drops to his knees and writes those words in a notebook. It’s those words that are put into action as he hurts his creator and runs off.

: “Break my past, I’m reborn, Break my fate, I’m ready” written in the notebook.

After preparations are complete, a surge of electricity is sent through the man, awakening him and bringing him to his feet. As HIZUMI sings “Break my past, I’m reborn, Break my fate, I’m ready”, the man drops to his knees and writes those words on a piece of paper. Those words are then put into action as he attacks his creator and runs off.

From how we interpret it, the sequence all ties closely to D’ESPAIRSRAY’s trajectory as they make their long-awaited return. The word “rapture” in its Christian usage, refers to an event in which believers are caught up to meet Christ, often involving the resurrection of the dead, and in this context, the band is framed as being reborn. Even the spelling of the title replaces what would normally be a “T” with a cross. The single ushers in a new era for the band, reasserting their place in the visual kei scene not only in Japan, but also overseas.

: On the artwork, the title “RAPTURE” has its letter “T” replaced with a cross.

Single RAPTURE consists of five tracks altogether, with the title track followed by four different versions of the song: “vocalless”, “guitarless”, “bassless”, and “drumless”. All of these tracks are available in the physical and digital release.