It was just over a week ago when we learned of the existence of THE DEVIL’S KILLING MERRY-GO-ROUND (officially abbreviated as “DEVIKIR”), the new unit featuring Michelle Noir (ex. Michelle of NECRONOMIDOL) and Ragna Roku (ex. Roku Rokuroku of LAST IN MY CULT). While their official debut live is not until June 17th, they have wasted no time in dropping their first MV, “DIABOROS.”

First off, it’s good. Like, really good. Michelle and Roku’s voices contrast almost perfectly, and the tune is a nice mix of classic kawaii metal and idolcore while still sounding dark and fresh. There was something familiar to the tune other than Michelle and Roku’s vocals, especially in the tone of the guitars, so I sought out info on the composer. The author of “DIABOROS” turns out to be Eve which made perfect sense and sparked a nostalgic trip to the recent past.

Those who have been around the scene since early 2017 will remember Yamitsuki Company as alt-idols biggest flash-in-the-pan: they emerged from nowhere to drop a single, also composed by Eve, called “Yandere///Sickness”. The tune expertly combined the gap elements of kawaii metal with the then-emerging sensibilities of yami kawaii to create this near-perfect moment in genre history:

The expectations created by this stunning debut would have been near impossible for any unit to fulfill, and Yamitsuki Company disbanded several months later without expanding on their catalog. The group has become something of an historical object lesson and cautionary tale warning chika idol otaku not to go all-in on a unit on the strength of single song.

While the unit did not go on to great success, it’s former members have played pivotal roles in several other influential units including BLACKNAZARENE, Hauptharmonie and, of particular note, LAST IN MY CULT where Katsuki Koyoi (ex. Yamitsuki Company) and the then-Roku Rokuroku both served as original members before graduating from the unit in 2020. So is it now just a coincidence that Roku and Michelle have teamed up with Yamitsuki Company’s composer for DEVIKIR’s debut?

I’m not sure how many of you remember the BBC series, “Connections” where James Burke would explain how a simple invention in ancient times influenced the course of history and still has impact on the world today. Yesterday, as I dove into DEVIKIR’s debut, I felt like I went through the chika idol version of an episode. Or, perhaps this is a new game we can all play: instead of Kevin Bacon, we have 6 Degrees of Separation from Yamitsuki Company.

While this post turned into something a big digression, it is important to put the focus back on Roku and Michelle’s impressive debut effort here. “DIABOROS” is a great tune and the accompanying MV spotlights it perfectly.  It is also fantastic to see Eve contributing their exceptional talents to a chika idol project again. If you get a chance, I recommend browsing through the rest of Eve’s discography which includes a lot of work in vocaloid and VK. It’s good fun.