Meet MADMANS ESPRIT, The Korean Band That Turned Pain Into Aesthetic

There’s something beautifully unhinged about the way Madmans Esprit crosses continents, one moment brooding in Seoul’s shadows, the next tearing through Europe like a band possessed. Romania hasn’t met them yet, but the band already steps into the room like they own the stage, the night, and possibly your insomnia. Their blend of depressive black metal, razor-sharp Visual Kei aesthetics, and pop-soaked melancholy shouldn’t work, but it does, violently, beautifully, addictively.

And with their first Romanian appearance on the horizon, we sat down with the members to talk vampires, multilingual madness, emotional exorcism, and the strange power of making music that feels like a wound you can dance to.

Since this is your debut in Romania, what kind of expectations do you have from your Eastern European fans? Additionally, for those who discover you through this interview, could you elaborate a bit on your background and how you began your musical journey?

Somyul: I hope there’s at least one vampire in the audience.

Kyuho: We’ve only been to Western and Central European countries so far, and this will be our first time visiting Eastern Europe. I’m really curious to see what kind of new reactions we’ll receive there and whether the audience will be as passionate as the ones we’ve met in other European countries.

Kyuho: Madmans Esprit was originally formed by me, and there was a period when it existed as a solo project. After various activities and changes, we’ve been working with the current members for about two years now.

Our music draws from many genres, including black metal, other extreme metal styles, Visual Kei, and even non-metal rock genres. We try to create a sound that’s uniquely our own, influenced by all these different elements.

How does it feel to know your unique style of Korean Visual Kei has reached and resonated with an audience so far away, here in Romania?

Geon: Online, it didn’t feel very real, but when we performed during our last European tour, everything that felt vague suddenly became tangible on stage. It was incredibly thrilling. Knowing that this love has reached Romania as well makes me so happy, and I hope we can feel that same excitement there, too.

Limu: It still feels unreal that we receive so much love and interest. We’re truly grateful. We hope people will continue listening to our music.

Juho: We are unbelievably thankful for all the interest and support.

Kyuho: The power of the internet is incredible. It allowed our music to spread all the way to Romania. Knowing that there are people so far away who enjoy what we make is something I’m very grateful for.

Even if you’re told you have listeners overseas, it doesn’t really hit you until you see them with your own eyes. During our last European tour, experiencing that firsthand was shocking and emotional. That’s why we’re so excited and thankful for the chance to meet new fans in Romania whom we’ve never seen before.

You often use the term “Dark Depressive Suicidal Pop.” Could you elaborate on what this concept means to you beyond the Visual Kei genre? Where do you draw the line between exploring dark, raw emotions and creating music that is still consumable or relatable? How do you successfully balance that deeply dark, emotional side with the “Pop” element in your sound?

Kyuho: We call it “Depressive Suicidal Black Pop” (DSBP). We naturally gravitated toward DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal) because we like the genre and because it reflects many of the themes we want to express. But Madmans Esprit also has very pop-oriented aspects, and some sounds we use wouldn’t even be considered “metal” by metalheads. So instead of defining ourselves through Visual Kei or other genres, we decided to describe our music with our own term: DSBP.

Some of our songs are extremely dark, while others are bizarre or explore different emotions. Creating music is, to us, a way of expressing our thoughts and feelings. Since no one has just one emotion or idea all the time, our music naturally branches out into many directions.

Even in our darker songs, we often use melodies or clean vocals that typical metal bands wouldn’t. That wasn’t an intentional attempt to insert “pop elements,” but rather a natural reflection of how we feel when creating. Also, many metal bands hesitate to mix in non-metal genres, but we embrace those influences, so elements from softer, more mainstream genres remain intact in our sound. That’s part of how our musical identity forms.

Geon: Personally, I don’t listen to extremely dark or minor-toned music all the time. “Darkness” can mean many things, not just despair, but also small, intimate emotions like the feelings you get when you can’t fall asleep alone at night.

We don’t live only in sadness or hopelessness; we feel many emotions every day. Those naturally blend into our music, resulting in something at times flashy, at times modern, but always rooted in real feelings.

Your lyrics often cover heavy topics like pain, existence, and intense emotions. What is the deepest reason you feel driven to explore these darker themes in your art? How does performing this kind of music “affect” you?

Kyuho: It’s not so much that I intentionally try to explore these themes; they’re simply things I live with and think about often. So, it naturally becomes part of my music. Writing these songs and performing them lets me feel emotional resonance and receive comfort. It helps me express and release those feelings positively.

I want to stay a bit longer on the lyrics and the fact that you’re writing them in Korean, Japanese, English, and German. What is the motivation behind this multilingual choice?

Kyuho: Each language has its own unique sound, tone, and emotional texture. Sometimes a particular language fits a specific melody or mood better. Other times, the song’s intention naturally leads me toward a certain language. It’s just the way it instinctively comes to me.

From your formation until now, Madmans Esprit has constantly evolved. Is there a thing in your musical career that you can still remember vividly as one of the best?

Limu: I vividly remember receiving the settlement after the last European tour. It was a concrete way to confirm our musical success, and it felt really rewarding. It also motivated me to work even harder.

Juho: Every performance stays with me. The most recent ones remain the strongest in my memory, but what makes me truly happy is that our music only becomes complete when performed live on stage.

Somyul: I remember fans coming to take photos before the show during our last European tour. Their happiness and excitement left a huge impression on me. Meeting fans is the most precious part of this journey.

Geon: The previous European tour is what stands out most strongly for me as well. It’s hard to choose just one show, but whenever I saw the entire audience united and smiling with the same expression, I could really feel their love for us. In those moments, we felt happiness and a huge sense of exhilaration together.

As a Korean Visual Kei band, you represent a truly unique cross-cultural blend of aesthetics and sound. What do you hope Romanian music fans, especially those who are new to your style, will discover or feel when they step into the world of Madmansesprit live?

Limu: I hope people will feel that even emotions like depression or wanting to die can be understood and accepted. Courage and love!

Geon: I want our show to be shocking, in a good way. I want people to enjoy themselves so intensely during the entire runtime that when they go home, they feel exhausted from using up all their energy.

Somyul: I think everyone will feel something different. I hope they immerse themselves in their feelings, whatever they may be, and feel seen, understood, comforted, and empowered. We’ll make the show worth your time. Feel free to enjoy it, suffer through it, and let yourself experience whatever emotions you want.

Juho: More than any specific emotion, I hope they take away a vital energy that helps them in life.

Kyuho: I’ve never really thought of us as a “special” Korean or Visual Kei band. A concert is a form of comprehensive art, so I simply hope we can express everything we want to express through the many elements that make up our performance.

Thank you again for your time. It was a fun talk! Before we finish, do you have any final words or a message you would like to share directly with your Romanian fans and those who will be attending your concert?

Thank you always to the fans who support us. We’re incredibly happy to be going to Romania for the first time, and we’re really looking forward to meeting all of you.