Ok, Dir En Grey. Like them or hate them, Dir En Grey are probably the most successful Japanese Rock band since X Japan. Their last tour through Europe was hugely successful, and I went to see them when they played Sheffield. (Review Here) I came away from that concert amazed – their level of showmanship shocked me, and I started to look into their back catalogue.
Unfortunately, aside from one or two tracks, the two more recent Dir En Grey albums (‘Marrow Of A Bone‘ & ‘Withering To Death‘) have way too much going on, and way way way too much ‘Argh Yargh I’m angry!’ shouting. However, the album prior to those, namely Vulgar, is a brilliant piece of work. I’d heartily recommend anyone interested in Japanese rock, or progressive rock in general, check Vulgar out.
Anyway, onto Uroboros, then.
The album cover
Sadly, I don’t consider myself a loopy “~SoOo Kawaii!!!~” nutcase, so I’m not going to bother talking about the band member’s comments on this album, or the history of making it, or their favourite breakfast cereals or whatever it is you people care about.
Firstly, the two singles taken from the album, namely DOZING GREEN and GLASS SKIN, were released as singles in Japanese but appear on the album in English. I don’t really get why – vocalist Kyo clearly has yet to master English pronunciation. Respect to him for trying, but the English versions should have been bonus tracks, not the Japanese. That said, DOZING GREEN is a great song, and for someone just coming to Dir En Grey it might be a good place to start. GLASS SKIN is a sort of ballad I suppose – very laid back, and Kyo’s whispery childlike vocals work very nicely here.
The best song on the album is, without a doubt, 蜷局 (Toguro), which sort of sits between DOZING GREEN and GLASS SKIN – both melody and rock song at the same time. Whilst I’m not against heavier music, this album has all clean vocals (no shouting or growling), which I have to say I prefer as the clear vocals are far, far better.
They still have their angry American-style metal sound too, and if weird-beyond-belief heavy rock is your thing, you’ll enjoy 冷血なりせば (Reiketsu Nariseba) and the oddly named Bugaboo. If, like me, you like an interesting mix of the two, tracks like Red Soil and the 9 minute epic Vinushka will be right up your alley.
Ultimately then we have a great album on our hands. It’s so, so much better than their last two albums it’s not even funny, the production is brilliant and generally speaking the whole album is well written and entertaining. Well worth checking out if you can take the occasional vocal weirdness. There’s also a lot of use of mandolins and other traditional instruments here, all of which fit in nicely. Altogether a brilliant album.
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Woah, Dir En Grey are looking OLD.
I haven’t really paid attention to them since I was about 15 of course but those 6 years have not been kind…
Alice: They still shout a lot. But they stopped trying to be American, which is nice!
It’s kinda funny(no offense) to see how their lyrics are different between Japanese and English.
@Alice
Why bother at their looks???? Their music is great!
@Mike
They were never ‘trying’ to be American.
Thinking like that is broken, since most variations of rock/metal originate in the U.S. and Europe.
I guess most heavy VK bands are trying to be American too huh?
DiQuix: Not what I meant at all – what we simply saw was a progression of the band to using sounds/mixing more common in American music.
Everyone ages, but, nontheless, I think they are all looking fine the way they are, and considering how busy they must be, its not a surprise that occassionally they may look a bit tired – I’d probably be dead if I were them :).
And on the music side of things, I agree with Mike, i’ve been a Dir en grey fan for quite a while, and was somewhat surprised when Marrow of the Bone was released, and I don’t think the heavy metal did Kyo’s vocals any favors (he had damaged his vocal chords earlier on), so, I’m very glad that through Uroboros they have produced a masterful set of songs, that, for me, left a very deep impression – both music and lyric wise.
Dir en grey, as an all, never seize to surprise me through their constantly changing and expanding music and overall image which, in my opinion, leaves them with being one of the most beautiful, experienced, powerful and masterful bands out there. I don’t think they should have a fixed genre, like them, it should be ever changing.
I don’t like their music. but I respect them.
“Dir En Grey are probably the most successful Japanese Rock band since X Japan”
According to sales, there are a lot of more successful bands !
Nitta: Ah yeah, I meant culturally I guess. I suppose if you include Hamasaki Ayumi or whatever they’re not even close, though.
It’s sad that the reputation and attitude of their fanbase supersedes them. They’re still constantly being referred to as “Visual Kei” even though they haven’t been involved with that scene for almost half a decade. A majority of their fans are insufferable “weeaboos” with a big elitist chip on their shoulders (buying albums at $40 a pop doesn’t make you special), but if you can ignore it and just focus on the music, they actually are a pretty interesting band. Vulgar was a great album, sucks that the only way to get it is to either download it, buy a Taiwanese bootleg for $14, or import it from CD Japan for $40 (more than your average american is willing to spend). And then there’s that Rose Trims Again japanese tour DVD that cost 80 f**king dollars. I wish their distribution would get a clue and try re-releasing that stuff here for cheaper.
Jrock_Communist, their recent stuff HAS been rereleased in the US for cheaper… Like this album, and their last DVD… Don’t make excuses not to buy stuff.