^Unhappy box art. The album itself isn't any happier, either.Ah, Dir en Grey. What a bunch of crazy Japanese artists. If you have any interest in the Japanese music scene (I'll forgive you if you don't, its not exactly a conventional interest) you will have heard of these guys and their brutal, shocking form of music, most likely through their song OBSCURE, which has a very messed up video indeed. Spoiler: babies get eaten.
If not, all you need to know is that it's a very awesome band, though extremely polarising - the marmite of the music world.
Well, enough banter. Track one, Sa Bir is a moody and eerie intro track, with a pulsating bass backing and Eastern riff going over the top. Kyo comes in with his frankly disturbing screams and yelps (I challenge you to find anyone with a better vocal range.), which cut through the already atmospheric backdrop.
Track two, Vinushka. At over nine minutes, it doesn't really belong at the start of the album, but gives the listener a good idea of what is to come. Kyo croons into the mic, before Die and Kaoru come in with a filthy distorted riff and Shinya drums like a beast. About four minutes in it all goes to hell, with an inhuman scream followed by pure death metal, and some very impressive vocals from Kyo. This pattern of soft, hard repeats for the remainder of Vinushka, making a song that is awesome all round.
Red Soil showcases Kyo's quite frankly appalling English, but superb musicianship from the other band members hold the song together until he lapses back into growling like an animal. Varied, twisted... incredible. But you ain't seen nothing yet. Kyo begins spazzing, throwing high pitched punchy vocals at you. Good, good song.
Doukoku to Sarinu. Sounds a little like Red Soil, but there's quite a bit of actual singing involved and far higher vocals, as well as the usual screams and growls. Amazing, as is the next track Toguro, with a catchy intro riff and some distinct warped vocals, climaxing in some very high singing indeed.
Glass Skin, is a touching and reflective piece, which was one of the many hit single's in Japan for Diru. Calming, and probably one of the best song's here. That is, if Dir En Grey had decided to put the Japanese version on here, not the English version, which although more meaningful to us English-speaking folk, hasn't got the feeling of the Japanese version. Oh well, its still awesome :D
Wasn't impressed with the song after, Stuck Man. Too repetitive, like that crappy Tool album I reviewed the other day. Still unique, still cool, but it kinda sticks out in this album of pure brilliance.
Reiketsu Nariseba. Dude, what can I say about this. Growl, growl, scream, growl. Weird little Carribean riff chugging its way through the verse, while Kyo delivers on all fronts by singing both high and low at the same time. No really, he can sing two notes at once. Anyway, utterly fantastic, goes into a creepy Eastern breakdown before hitting you with a savage drop and chorus. Awesome, and very weird.
Track nine, Ware yami to te ... is such a calming song, endlessly inventive, endlessly awesome. i suggest you give it a listen. Its not heavy, trust me :)
Bugaboo, despite the utterly ridiculous name, is probably one of the most brutal songs on here, combining squeals with growling in a slow, thudding song which drills its way into your brain, with a sudden change in pace for the break. Epic.
Gaika Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro, a late winner on this album. "He's really not well in the head, is he?" said one of my friends upon hearing this song. "Bloody hell". Said another. Kinda like OBSCURE, but faster and more awesome. Bugaboo on drugs. Songs like this make me respect Diru even more. Wow.
As we near the end of the album, DOZING GREEN pops up with an epic riff, gentle singing mixing with, um, some not-so-gentle stuff, and an ear-destroyingly high outro. Again, better in Japanese, so go youtube hunting for it.
Final track, inconvenient ideal. Winner of the highest singing award by a man ever, the peaks in the chorus being almost painful to listen to. I have no idea where this slow and wonderful ballad came from, but its definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album.
So, what can I say? Dir En Grey have truly created a masterpiece with this album, correcting the flaws of Withering to Death and The Marrow of a Bone - such an improvement must be commended. This album can only get an A*
A*
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