The instrumental tech-metal band hailing from Japan released their first international album Maximum Impact, in 2019. The release coincided with a UK trip that saw the band play the likes of Marshall Live and Camden Rocks. The band silenced the crowd with their fusion of jazz, prog and metal to create their unique sound they’ve branded as “Driving Rock”. Thumbs Up is the follow up and a step towards the future for the four-piece. Commenting on the release, Seiji said: ‘Thumbs Up’ was inspired by Jon, the head of Marshall Amplification, he uses the thumbs up to communicate with me due to the language barrier. It’s a friendly, but powerful pose. We first played the song at Marshall GALA2, a Japanese Marshall event featuring a number of bands from around Japan, and dedicated it’s premiere to Jon.
When I composed the track, I was deliberately trying to avoid mimicking other songs I had been listening to at the time. I use an uncommon scale for rock in the intro, but something a bit catchier for the bridge melody. It is a bit strange compared to other D_Drive songs, but when we play together, it becomes another one of our famous ‘Driving Rock’ tunes.
