For nearly two decades, Rise of the Northstar has existed outside easy categorization. Blending heavy metal, hardcore punk, hip-hop, and unmistakable visual cues drawn from Japanese pop culture. The Paris-based band has carved out a sound and aesthetic that feels both global and deeply personal. With their fourth studio album, CHAPTER 04: RED FALCON SUPER BATTLE! NEO PARIS WAR!! arriving November 14, Rise of the Northstar continues to challenge how heavy music is defined and who gets to define it.
Vocalist Vitia spoke candidly with The Concert Chronicles about identity, artistic control, Parisian reality, and why resisting labels has always been central to the band’s mission.
Q: Your sound blends heavy metal, hip-hop, and hardcore punk with Japanese pop culture. How did this fusion first take shape for you, and what does it represent about your identity as artists from Paris?
Vitia: The impact of Japanese pop culture in my band is mostly visual, while the topics I address in my lyrics are universal. You need to know that France has a very special relationship with Japan. Since the 90s, our country has been the second largest consumer of manga in the world. So we all grew up immersed in that visual pop culture while also absorbing American music like rap and metal. It’s part of who we are, it’s part of who I am, part of my story.
Q: Your new album drops November 14. What themes or stories are you exploring on this record that feel different or evolved from your past work?
Vitia: Since I’m personally in constant evolution, and our music is an extension of ourselves, each album is different. But it’s the same DNA. C4:RFSB!NPW!! is definitely more modern and urban than our previous two albums, even though rap and punchlines have always been an integral part of our music.
I wanted to write about my city — where I was born — and explain to the world that the way they see our environment, and even my band, isn’t necessarily close to reality. ROTN is sometimes inspired by manga, in substance or in style, but we’re not a band of cosplayers. I don’t want to be reduced to “Manga-Metal,” which is a reductive and ridiculous label.
Q: “Back 2 Basics” featuring Landmvrks hits hard both musically and visually. How did that collaboration come about, and what did Landmvrks bring to the track that elevated it for you?
V: The collaboration with LDMVS happened quite naturally. We’ve known them for a while. We invited them in 2019 to our show at the Trianon in Paris and to a few dates in France because we knew they were going to blow up; they’re really talented. When we were working on Back 2 Basics with Eva-B, even though we already had solid choruses, we realized we wanted clean vocals to elevate the track. Flo seemed like an obvious and impactful artistic choice. He can deliver very high, powerful choruses, which I was able to contrast with heavier verses, rapping in a much lower tone. I love complementarity in features. On top of that, he’s from Marseille, and we’re from Paris. There’s a real rivalry between our two cities, which we had a lot of fun dismantling. This is metal here, we’re all friends.
Q: “Neo Paris” paints a picture of your home city with lyrics like “Watching over myself, demolition of the bad luck, Build something from nothing”. How does this single fit into your overall vision of you as an artist, or how does it fit into the larger story of the upcoming album?
V: “Neo Paris” is to this day the best definition of what the band truly is, both in substance and in style. It’s my favorite track on C4, and that’s precisely why it’s the first single. I was born in Paris and grew up in the Parisian suburbs, with everything that comes with it, in an urban environment that could sometimes be hostile. Japanese animation, and later manga, became a real refuge for me.
I grew up caught between a sometimes difficult urban reality and a wonderfully liberating Asian dream world. All of that is captured in this track. The image people have of Paris is often distorted. The Japanese even developed a syndrome related to our city, ‘Pari sh?k?gun’ (the Paris Syndrome), where the reality of the city hits tourists full force… “Headshot takes the place of the French kiss.”
Q: Your band was founded almost 17 years ago, and your music reflects not only your evolution as creatives but also the changing culture around you. In 2025, with your fourth studio album, what influenced this new era of “Rise of the Northstar?”
V: Over the past ten years, there’s been a real artistic revival in the French metal scene. We humbly hope we contributed to that in some way. Quite a few guys from bands that are now touring internationally have been, or still are, supporters of our band. On our side, this whole new wave pushed us to modernize technically and even influenced the sound of this new album, which is more modern. As I said earlier, if you’re artistically authentic, a band is simply an extension of yourself, and your environment naturally influences it on every level.
Q: As a Parisian band drawing from Japanese and American subcultures, you’ve built something completely global. Do you feel you’ve created your own lane in heavy music?
V: I’m not really sure… Our economic model itself is quite unique. I think this band is truly authentic, whereas many bands that claim to be often aren’t. There’s a dictatorship of fashion and trends that shapes and influences a lot of artistic choices, but I’ve always worked to use trends rather than become a victim of them. I just hope people will remember us as an honest band, one that made no artistic compromises and therefore… remained singular.
Q: You’ve used manga and anime imagery since the beginning — what is it about that art form that continues to inspire your music and message?
V: I wouldn’t put it that way. I draw and illustrate all our albums, I create all our merch, and I design all our stage setups. Japanese animation introduced me to art in general, and manga sharpened me. I draw like a Japanese artist, but I’m not a mangaka. It’s just the style I love the most. There are a couple of punchlines here and there where I reference some works, but no more than you’d find in any rap album. And nobody is gonna say a particular MC does “Manga Rap” just because they mention Vegeta once in a verse. It’s rap, it’s coming from your ecosystem, period. For us, it’s the same: I create my stories, write my lyrics, design my covers. These are the ingredients of my recipe, of my work, all tinged with Japan.
Q: Your visuals are always sharp — from your fashion to your music videos. How do you approach visual storytelling, and how important is it to the Rise of the Northstar identity?
V: As I told you, I create everything. I present my ideas to the band, sometimes I optimize them to get everyone on board, but that’s as far as it goes. I don’t make artistic compromises. It’s maybe why the lineups have changed so much, hahaha
Q: Hardcore and rap-metal have deep roots in defiance and community. What message do you want your fans — both old-school and new — to take from this album?
V: Artistic freedom, your life belongs to you. Don’t let any dogma, style, or subculture influence your creations or dictate your life. Draw from them, take what you need, but build by yourself. Live your life fully, keep moving, don’t bow your head, never stop advancing, don’t look back. Don’t deny either violence or love. Be one with yourself, with your ideas, and with your spirituality.
Q: You’ve been known for breaking boundaries between East and West, old-school and new-school. Where do you see the future of hybrid genres like yours heading?
V: I have to admit, I have no idea, haha. We’ve consumed music, and we still do. There are tons of amazing bands right now, tons of killer US stuff, tons of incredible Japanese series. It all merges in my head, and that’s how I create. I hope other bands do the same!
Q: After this album drops, what’s next for Rise of the Northstar — more global touring, new collaborations, or something unexpected?
V: We never stop writing. I’m actually challenging the guys right now because I have plenty of lyrics in stock. We want to bring our new album to life on stage and develop our show, but I also want to write new tracks. So expect some fresh material starting in 2026. Thanks to our supporters for being here, peace!
Rise of the Northstar’s CHAPTER 04: RED FALCON SUPER BATTLE! NEO PARIS WAR!! Is out now!
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