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Chapter 541: Public Reactions to the Secret Concert
🕑 Added 2025-07-26 02:54:04 +0000 UTCFriday, 10 November 1994
In the days following the concert, Zaboru and the Zankoku Band shifted their focus to producing video clips for each of the 11 tracks on their Guitar Hero album. The clips featured the band performing the songs live, enhanced with studio-edited audio to ensure maximum polish. Z&Z released the album once again through Polygram Studio. The video clips dropped on Wednesday, 8 November, followed by the full album release on Thursday, 9 November.
The album became an instant hit — particularly in the USA. Within just a day, countless ZAGE fans had already purchased it. Videos from Zaboru’s concert rapidly circulated through tv outlets, with television networks highlighting the performance and reporting that Zaboru had composed original rock and metal tracks for his latest games.
The songs sparked major discussion. Numerous TV shows began interviewing current rock and roll icons for their thoughts on Z&Z’s music. When asked by a reporter for his opinion on Zaboru’s songs, the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, responded, “Honestly, I was impressed. The album showcases a variety of musical styles — but hey, I like them. They can definitely play rock music.”
The reporter followed up, “Do you feel bothered that they’re a Japanese band playing Western rock and roll music?”
Ozzy looked at the reporter with a puzzled expression, as if the question didn’t even register at first. “What? Why would I feel bothered?” he said, blinking in disbelief. “Music is for everybody — doesn’t matter if you're from Japan or the USA. Rock and roll doesn’t have a passport. It’s a feeling, an attitude. And if you’ve got that attitude, you’ve got rock.”
He leaned forward slightly, warming up to the subject. “Honestly, I think it’s awesome. These guys from halfway around the world are channeling the same fire we felt back in the day — and they’re doing it loud, proud, and with serious skill.”
Ozzy cracked a grin. “Music’s meant to bring people together. If Z&Z are making people bang their heads in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London all the same — then hell yeah, they’re doing it right.” Ozzy can say this because he is Sober right now.
Another response came from Bruce Dickinson, vocalist of Iron Maiden. He praised Zaboru’s vocal range, saying, “That Zaboru dude’s voice is insane. I can’t believe a billionaire has that kind of voice, really.” He went on to explain that it wasn’t just about range, but about tone and energy. “He’s got grit and power, but also clarity — that’s rare. You hear him hit those high notes and think, ‘That’s not studio magic. That’s the real deal.’” Bruce even mentioned that if Zaboru ever wanted to step away from tech and go full-time into music, he could easily hold his own on any world stage. “Honestly, I’d love to share a stage with him sometime. He brings real passion — and you can’t fake that.”
Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, was asked about the song Safari Song by Z&Z, which many fans and critics claimed bore a strong resemblance to Led Zeppelin’s signature style. Robert chuckled, clearly amused by the comparison, and said, “That’s a great song, really. And I think even though Z&Z made it sound similar to us, I don’t mind at all. They did a damn great job!”
He leaned back with a thoughtful smile and added, “It’s not easy to write something that carries that kind of raw energy and swagger — but they did it. You can tell they weren’t just copying; they were inspired. There’s a difference.”
Robert went on to say that imitation, when done respectfully, can be a form of admiration. “Look, Zeppelin borrowed from the blues, just like every band borrows from someone. What matters is what you do with it — and Z&Z clearly made it their own.”
He ended with a laugh, “Honestly, if that song had come out in the ’80s, it probably would’ve been on one of our albums.” Clearly Joking.
Many praised Zaboru and the Zankoku Band’s skill — but, of course, some critics were salty, dismissing their accomplishments by pointing out that they were “just a Japanese band” and labeling the songs and album as “nothing special.” These detractors argued that while the technical performance was decent, it lacked the so-called authenticity of Western rock. Some accused Z&Z of mimicking rather than innovating, brushing off their music as derivative. A few so-called experts suggested that the hype was more about Zaboru's fame as a tech mogul than any real musical merit. Still, their voices were in the minority, drowned out by a growing global fanbase that saw the music for what it was — a powerful and passionate tribute to rock and metal, delivered with style and intensity by a band that clearly knew what they were doing and the gamer itself is really curious what is Guitar Hero game is all about.
Meanwhile, Zaboru remained in Japan, actively managing both the Tokyo and Osaka development teams as they worked through their November and December game projects. Despite his recent rise in global fame, he stayed fully committed to his day-to-day leadership, pushing for tighter coordination and faster iteration cycles on key milestones. In addition to overseeing daily production, he scheduled regular check-ins with senior designers and programmers to resolve blockers and maintain creative momentum.
Next week, he was scheduled to return to the USA to prepare for the highly anticipated ZAGE USA Game of the Year (GOTY) Event in December. During that visit, he would also finalize work on two of ZAGE’s most important titles — the Fallout game and the Guitar Hero arcade machines. His primary objective was to accelerate both projects’ timelines so they could be completed and launched before year’s end, securing their place as two of ZAGE’s final releases of 1994.
Thursday, 16 November 1994
Zaboru flew to the USA again, arriving on Friday, 17 November. As soon as he stepped into ZAGE USA headquarters, he noticed something different — the developers were eyeing him with a mix of awe, curiosity, and mischief. He paused in the doorway, took a look around, then chuckled and asked, “So why are you all looking at me like that?”
John Carmack leaned back in his chair, and smirked. “Well Boss, you're a rock and roll superstar now, right?”
Zaboru raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Huh? what do you mean by that?” Zaboru didn't follow the hype around him recently.
John Carmack laughed
“You’re really famous now, Boss — especially those "Guitar Hero" album Z&Z songs. They’re everywhere.”
John Carmack grinned and said “Boss I bought your Guitar Hero album, please sign it!” The other employee also showed the Album! and asked for it as well!.
Zaboru chuckled and shook his head then he signed all of his USA employee Guitar Hero Album “Well, that can’t be a bad thing, right? As long as no one expects me to show up with eyeliner and a leather vest while I'm at work” He grinned. “Anyway, I’m still me — don’t get starstruck, okay?” Everyone laughed and delighted, then got back to work.
Zaboru also began shooting ads for Guitar Hero, planning to release them the following week. He wanted to capitalize on the buzz surrounding his and Z&Z’s rising fame to build even more hype. He already had a clear vision for the most effective types of ads that would catch the eyes of gamers, music fans, and general audiences alike.
And for the concert that he does previously all of it is purely for Guitar Hero advertisement purposes he doesn’t have plans to switch to full time singer and artist or some like that he is just busy and just like what he always thought Z&Z band will only concert on Special occasion such as ZAGE Events.
As for the Fallout game, progress was steady and encouraging. Thanks to reused assets from Diablo, much of the groundwork was already complete, allowing the team to focus more on refining gameplay mechanics, dialogue choices, and the overall atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic setting. The development pipeline was running smoothly, and barring any last-minute setbacks, the game could be ready for release on Saturday, 18 November.
Zaboru had made several bold changes to the original design. He restructured the leveling system to allow greater player freedom, rewrote sections of the story for more emotional impact, and even introduced branching moral paths that would reflect the player’s decisions in tangible ways. He believed these tweaks would elevate the game’s quality and give it staying power beyond a standard RPG.
Although Fallout had missed its initial October launch window, Zaboru was confident the delay was worth it. He preferred releasing a polished game that exceeded expectations rather than something rushed and forgettable.
Zaboru was prepared for potential backlash. Fallout didn’t shy away from sensitive topics — especially nuclear war, the consequences of unchecked ambition, and the fragility of civilization. He wasn’t sure how the public would respond to such heavy material wrapped in a game. Would they appreciate the narrative depth, or see it as too bleak for entertainment?
Still, he wanted to push forward. He believed that games had the power to challenge minds as well as entertain. Through Fallout, he hoped to make players reflect on the world’s vulnerabilities in an age of power and politics.
To support the launch, he had already created a Fallout ad scheduled to air on Friday in both the USA and Japan.. So far, television networks hadn’t raised any objections to the content, which was a relief. But how the public would respond remained an open question — and that uncertainty kept Zaboru on edge.
To be continued
AN : I doubt real Ozzy will ever talk like that lol but i always been his fan , i’m huge Black Sabbath fan and Rest in Peace Prince of Darkness
