Usually, a Dir En Grey album is something to look forward to. However, with ‘The Insulated World’ being a borderline unlistenable barrage of noise that completely forsakes the band’s trademark dynamic songwriting, particularly during its first half, I was a bit apprehensive about ‘Phalaris’. Fortunately, ‘Phalaris’ puts Dir En Grey back on the right track. It has turned out to be an album that puts thick, meaty modern metal riffs and melancholic melodies with that typical Japanese flavor in excellent balance again. Fairly streamlined by contemporary Dir En Grey standards, but not without its crushing moments; exactly as dynamic as it needs to be.
Stylistically, ‘Phalaris’ sounds like the album that should have been released between ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ (2011) and ‘Arche’ (2014). It isn’t quite as extreme and dense as the former, but there are plenty of the extreme progressive metal riffs that characterized the album to be heard here. Especially the excellent lengthy opener ‘Schadenfreude’ and the brief ‘Mouai Ni Shosu’ would not have sounded out of place on ‘Dum Spiro Spero’. ‘Phalaris’ also isn’t quite as open and accessible as ‘Arche’, but it has a similar approach to memorable songwriting that gives every track its own instantly recognizable character.
Kyo seems to have toned down his vocals ever so slightly as well. His vocal extremities will always be a defining feature of Dir En Grey, but his approach is more musical this time around. Most of ‘Phalaris’ features his clean mid-range, his head voice or his hardcore-ish bark. There are some deep growls and shrieks here and there, but where he would have crammed the heavier songs full of them ten years ago, he actually goes for a fairly unpredictable approach on the likes of ‘The Perfume Of Sins’, making the songs so much more satisfying in the process.
After my first spin, the bookends of ‘Phalaris’ were clear standouts. ‘Schadenfreude’ is a ten-minute prog metal monster with fantastic riffs, ‘Kamuy’ a nine-minute brooding semi-ballad with interesting use of synthesizers. The idiosyncratic start-stop riffing, cool tom-heavy rhythms and surprisingly subdued atmosphere make ‘Utsusu, Bouga Wo Kurau’ a favorite as well, while ’13’ and ‘Oboro’ are the best examples of the types of “heavy ballads” that only Dir En Grey knows how to do. As usual, the actual ballads – ‘Hibiki’ and the almost alternative rock-sounding ‘Otogi’ – are excellent as well. Due to the dynamic nature of ‘Phalaris’, even the blunt, heavy tracks like ‘Ochita Koto No Aru Sora’ and the somewhat punky ‘Eddie’ manage to impress.
In a strange way, following up the worst album they have ever released with something this good is typical for Dir En Grey. While there are some characteristics you will always get, the overall sound of their albums tends to be a surprise until you hear them. ‘Phalaris’ is the sound of Dir En Grey clawing their way back to to the unique contemporary progressive metal sound that put them on the map worldwide around the time ‘Uroboros’ (2008) was released. ‘Phalaris’ isn’t quite that good, but it is as close as it gets. It is also somewhat more accessible, which might make it a good album for newcomers to get acquainted with the band. Keep in mind that “accessible” is always relative with Dir En Grey though.
Recommended tracks: ‘Schadenfreude’, ‘Utsusu, Bouga Wo Kurau’, ’13’
“What does Dir En Grey sound like then?” Only very few questions are more frustrating to me as a reviewer, whose job it is to describe music along with my opinion, because the difficulty I have describing them suggests inability for me. Admittedly, they’re not the only Japanese band that is difficult to describe, but how do you classify a band that keeps changing styles with each album without ever sounding like a different band? They’re a crazy band with a crazy singer. And they’re fairly loud and unsettling, despite the presence of a few calmer moments. That’s as close as a description comes.
“What does Dir En Grey sound like then?” Only very few questions are more frustrating to me as a reviewer, whose job it is to describe music along with my opinion, because the difficulty I have describing them suggests inability for me. Admittedly, they’re not the only Japanese band that is difficult to describe, but how do you classify a band that keeps changing styles with each album without ever sounding like a different band? They’re a crazy band with a crazy singer. And they’re fairly loud and unsettling, despite the presence of a few calmer moments. That’s as close as a description comes.
Nothing could describe Dir En Grey’s music more adequately than the actual music. So for those of you who don’t know them, let these ten Dir En Grey songs at least provide some guidance to help you get an approximate idea of their sound. Or at least the scope of their sound. Newcomers should know that their mid-period (‘Vulgar’, ‘Withering To Death’ and ‘The Marrow Of A Bone’) may be somewhat underrepresented here, simply because I don’t enjoy that era quite as much as their earliest work or their recent material. There’s still a handful of excellent ballad-like tracks on those records though.
P.S.: While it took more time to put this post together than any former entry, I rather enjoyed doing this. As a result, you can expect more of these.
10. Zan (Gauze, 1998)
Dir En Grey’s debut album ‘Gauze’ was recorded in two sessions. About half of the album was self-produced and recorded in Tokyo, while the other half was recorded in Los Angeles under supervision of X-Japan drummer and main man Yoshiki Hayashi. The latter session was defined by the highly melodic, almost Poppy sentiments of the album… And ‘Zan’. While it’s not the only aggressive moment on the record, its high speed riffing and Shinya’s almost constant Thrash polkas make it the most high adrenalin, destructive experience on ‘Gauze’. The extremely noisy guitar lead and Kyo abandoning all sanity in his performance do the rest. The song is obviously supposed to frighten its listener as well, but I’m not sure if people who listen to Dir En Grey are that easily scared. A remake was released in 2011 and it’s probably the re-recording that stays closest to the original, despite Kyo trading his insane delivery for a deep grunt. It’s slightly tighter than the original, but I still take the original over the new version.
9. Ruten No Tou (Dum Spiro Spero, 2011)
AllMusic contributor Thom Yurek described ‘Ruten No Tou’ as a ballad subverted by multi-textured Pop and Power Metal. As an adamant fanatic of the latter genre, I don’t actually hear it, but it is a downright excellent composition in which expertly layered and haunting guitar melodies with a beautiful clean guitar sound are contrasted quite heavily by the progressive Death Metal of the middle section. That chorus is among the most passionate that Dir En Grey ever recorded and most definitely the most memorable on the highly inaccessible ‘Dum Spiro Spero’. Since that album features the band at its most brutal and complex, especially the calmer, more melodic moments stand out. ‘Lotus’ is another excellent example from the same album, but this closing track is rightfully the apotheosis of ‘Dum Spiro Spero’. It’s also one of the very few songs the band recorded an acoustic version of that is worth hearing. If you’re curious, you can find it on the ‘Sustain The Untruth’ single from 2013.
8. Rasetsukoku (Macabre, 2000 or Dum Spiro Spero, 2011)
Easily my favorite of the band’s more aggressive songs. I’m probably not the only one, because it’s the only song from the earliest days that still appears on Dir En Grey setlists quite regularly. In fact, they often close their encores with it. The original version on ‘Macabre’ is my favorite, as it’s got a much more energetic vibe than the heavily downtuned remake on the limited edition of ‘Dum Spiro Spero’. Especially Kyo’s rabid vocal performance. Because of its strong Hardcore influence and slight industrial edge, ‘Rasetsukoku’ wouldn’t have felt out of place on an early Prong record. When Shinya omits the snare drum from his patterns during the passages between the verses, the rhythm has an almost electronic feel that shouldn’t work with such a heavy, riffy song, but it does. Fun fact: the title of the track translates to “man eating devil country’, which is the name China gave to Russia during the era of the last imperial dynasty (the Qing dynasty if you’re keeping score). It fits the Russian theme that pops up on ‘Macabre’ every now and then.
7. Mushi (Kisou, 2002)
In many ways, ‘Kisou’ is the most emotionally raw record that Dir En Grey has ever recorded. As dense and heavy some of their more recent work is, that’s how open and straightforward ‘Kisou’ is. These compositions strike a nerve emotionally and the stripped down approach only emphasizes that. Just check out the compelling ballad ‘Mushi’. Kyo’s hyper passionate performance in the video above sort of already gives that away, but even on the studio recording, the vocal melody in the chorus is profoundly sad. But the delicate acoustic guitar melody greatly contributes to the fragile nature of the composition as well. It is probably the most acoustic song the band ever recorded; the only electric guitar is the sparse, haunting solo that Kaoru closes the track with. ‘Zakuro’ from ‘Macabre’ comes close in style and quality. It’s pretty much the mirror opposite of the almost claustrophobic songwriting on ‘Dum Spiro Spero’, but that’s the fun thing about Dir En Grey: every album is basically a reaction to the one that came before. The only other band I’ve seen that with so distinctly is The Gathering.
6. Cage (Gauze, 1998)
During the early phases of Dir En Grey’s career, they were basically the more experimental answer to the Visual Kei scene. More melodic than their later work, more versatile than the average J-Rock band. That doesn’t mean that the material isn’t worth hearing though. In fact, ‘Gauze’ is probably my favorite Dir En Grey album together with ‘Uroboros’. The soaring melodies are fantastic, Kyo’s vocals are generally clean and amazing, the production is bright and the choruses basically scream to be sung along even if you don’t know any Japanese. What is most notable, however, is the amount of space there is for Toshiya’s melodic, jumpy bass lines. There’s even a bass solo in this song, but the way he carries the melody of the main section even moreso than the guitars – it first occurs right after that musical box intro – is simply amazing. For me personally, that defines ‘Gauze’ even more than the almost poppy songwriting approach; Toshiya’s really going for the depth rather than the highs these days.
5. Yokan (Gauze, 1998)
Those who discovered the band after their breakthrough in the west with their crushingly heavy sound and borderline disturbing visuals may be surprised to hear how upbeat some of their oldest material sounds. ‘Jessica’ is probably the happiest sounding song they have, but ‘Yokan’ from their excellent debut ‘Gauze’ sounds fairly cheerful as well. I’ve been told the lyrics are still rather dark, but I couldn’t factcheck due to my practically non-existing command of the Japanese language. What I can judge though, is that amazingly bright sound of Die’s clean guitar. Also, I love the way his rhythm part interacts with Kaoru’s in the verses, though the above live version from 2014 highlights that moreso than the original album version. The uncharacteristically Bluesy guitar solo – again courtesy of Die – is excellent as well and Kyo’s performance on this song is just perfect. While ‘Yokan’ may be a bit too Poppy for fans of the brutal direction Dir En Grey took recently, it’s simply a beautiful song that bears all the merits of the band’s early sound.
4. Un Deux (Arche, 2014)
After the technically impressive, but sometimes indecipherable songwriting on 2011’s ‘Dum Spiro Spero’, I was happy to see the band compose some more distinguishable tracks for its follow-up ‘Arche’. When you listen to the album’s lead-off track and highlight ‘Un Deux’, you can hear two decades of musical experience come together in one track. Despite its limited length and catchier approach, it’s still rather progressive by nature. Quite a lot happens within those three minutes musically and dynamically while unsurprisingly, I find it a significant improvement that Kyo is singing clean more often. I find the riff work brilliant, but the rhythm section does something even more important by keeping things as open as possible. When I interviewed Kaoru and Shinya around the release of ‘Arche’, they said they were aiming to write material that was a little easier to translate to the stage and since I’ve seen them live on that tour, I can only confirm that it works. But it works pretty damn good on record as well!
3. Macabre (Macabre, 2000 or The Unraveling, 2013)
For a song that is well over ten minutes long – or even over sixteen for the re-recording on the limited edition of the 2013 EP ‘The Unraveling’ – ‘Macabre’ is surprisingly tightly structured. Sure, there’s a vaguely abstract section around the five minute mark, but overall, there’s a clear verse-chorus structure. Therefore, the length of the song is rather determined by the fact that it slowly unfolds. As for the 2013 remake, which is easily the best reinterpretation of their older songs, it adds a somewhat dissonant segment as well as a few extended solo sections that truly highlight the melodic quality of Kaoru and Die’s playing. Love the twin solo, but that will hardly surprise anyone who knows me. The transitions in guitar sounds are as seamless as they get. Just check out that beautiful clean guitar tone in the 2013 live version above. And let’s not forget that strong beat that drives the song; these may not be Shinya’s most technically demanding parts, but among his most impressive performances. All things combined, simply an excellent song.
2. Ware, Yami Tote… (Uroboros, 2008)
When Kyo’s lyrics aren’t plain disturbing, they’re often deeply depressive. Perfect material for dark, moody ballads. That’s also when there’s most room for Kyo’s wide range to excel. However, Kyo’s amazing vocals aren’t the only reason why ‘Ware, Yami Tote…’ is the ultimate Dir En Grey ballad. Kaoru and Die weave a beautiful tapestry of acoustic guitars and when the first full-on distorted riff enters, Shinya’s subdued percussion keeps it from being one of those cliché power ballad climaxes as we have heard them a million times before. If anything qualifies as an actual climax, it would be Kyo’s bone chilling scream, but the lack of actual release following the tension is one of the song’s greatest merits; instead, more layers are gradually added to the dark, somewhat unsettling atmosphere of the song. On any contemporary progressive record, this would easily have been the absolute highlight. ‘Uroboros’, however, has one other trick up its sleeve…
1. Vinushka (Uroboros, 2008)
A contemporary Progmetal masterpiece. Quite ballsy to start off their amazing ‘Uroboros’ album with this highly complex slow burner of a track, but it is likely the most complete representation of the band’s range. There’s a dark, unsettling atmosphere and within ten minutes, the band excels in both acoustically based melancholy and the two violent explosions of Death Metal in the middle and at the end of the song. That’s where you can hear Kyo go from his soothing cleans to one of the deepest and most frightening grunts ever recorded without effects. I personally have a strong preference for his cleans, but it really emphasizes the shifting dynamics. Shinya’s timing is interesting; while the time signatures are fairly common, he unconventional way he times his beats creates a great deal of tension within the composition. And when the guitars envelop you, you’ll realize this isn’t so much a song as it is a deeply immersive experience. Warning: the video contains footage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims that some may find shocking.
Ever since Dir En Grey singer Kyo discovered he possessed an almost inhuman grunt, the band’s music grew increasingly heavier to accommodate this quality. Despite the presence of a couple of excellent ballads, they took it too far on ‘The Marrow Of A Bone’. Being the type of band they are, follow-up ‘Uroboros’ is a reaction to that. It retains the heavy elements, but the key word here is balance. More ambtious songwriting and the perfect light-and-shade dynamics in both the music and Kyo’s vocals make it the most progressive Dir En Grey record to date. Possibly also their best.
Ambition is something that never eluded the Japanese quintet, but ‘Uroboros’ opens – after excellently setting the mood with an intro called ‘Sa Bir’ – with their most impressive song to date. ‘Vinushka’ is the type of song any progressive band would want to write; the way the acoustic guitars fuse with the tastefully layered electric guitars, Kyo’s dreamy vocal lines and the interesting accents in Shinya’s drums is unequalled. And that heavy passage contains amazing riff work by Kaoru and Die. A listening experience that is progressive in the purest definition of the term, yet sounds nothing like the many Dream Theater clones the genre houses.
‘Uroboros’ lasts slightly over an hour and while after ‘Vinushka’ only eleven and a half minutes have passed, you will be sufficiently absorbed to be taken away on the gloomy atmosphere of the record. Because no matter how impressive the individual performances of the musicians are, albums of these are defined by their atmosphere. And what is all the more impressive: no matter how abrupt shifts like the one from the maniacal aggression of ‘Reiketsu Nariseba’ to the absolutely stunning ballad ‘Ware, Yami Tote…’ are, they make sense and never disrupt the flow of the record.
Being a fan first and foremost of the more melodic side of the band, my personal highlights of ‘Uroboros’ are the beautifully arranged (semi-)ballads on the record: the subtle ‘Toguro’, the almost Linkin Park-like (sans rap, of course) ‘Glass Skin’, the semi-psychedelic ‘Dozing Green’, closing statement ‘Inconvenient Ideal’ and most of all the aforementioned ‘Ware, Yami Tote…’. However, fans of the band’s heavy side will also be treated with tracks like ‘Bugaboo’, ‘Gaika, Chinmoku Ga Nemuru Koro’ and ‘Stuck Man’, the latter of which is carried by Toshiya’s most funky bass line to date. Tracks like ‘Red Soil’ and ‘Doukoku To Sarinu’ find the ideal middle ground.
Of course, ‘Uroboros’ isn’t for everyone. It’s inaccessible, it’s highly unpredictable and it could be a tad disturbing at times, but let’s be honest: nobody ever really loves a totally inoffensive record. For me, this album is truly a work of art that should be heard at least once by anyone who likes Rock or Metal. Though it lacks the distinct J-Rock leanings of their earliest works, I think it is the most complete representation of Dir En Grey’s versatile, nearly indescribable sound. It is a record that has to be heard in order to be understood. Don’t let me keep you from doing so!
During the second half of May, Japanese Rock and Metal heroes Dir En Grey will set foot on European soil again. This time to support their ninth album ‘Arche’, which was finally released outside of Japan about two months ago. On the album, the band employs a surprisingly straightforward and melodic approach. That made the material on the album relatively easy to translate to the live environment, according to guitarist Kaoru and drummer Shinya.
Kaoru: “We reached a point where we wanted to go in a more simple, straightforward direction than the more busy and complicated material we’ve been doing lately. We wanted to go back to a simpler representation of our music.” Shinya: “For every album prior to ‘Arche’, it’s been pretty difficult to translate the material to the stage in a satisfying manner. When we recorded ‘Arche’, we kept that in mind. We wanted to record a more concert friendly record. Or maybe that’s not the correct term, but for every element on the album, we took into consideration how we wanted it to sound live.”
In the past, how was a satisfying concert version of a song conceived?
Kaoru: “Even when we play very complex songs live, we’re not trying to play it exactly as it has been recorded. If there are seven layers of guitar on the recording, we don’t want to play with samples or a backing track on stage. We’ve always aimed for what we can do with five men to bring the song to life.”
Has last year’s tour, during which you focused on the material of your relatively melodic debut album ‘Gauze’, influenced the material in any way?
Kaoru: “When we played the songs from ‘Gauze’, all the songs for ‘Arche’ had already been written, so that hasn’t influenced it.”
On that tour, you played the ESP Ganesa models you used in the early days, instead of the Vipers you play regularly these days. Can we hear those on the album?
Kaoru: “That particular model is pretty difficult to use in the studio, so I haven’t used it. However, ESP developed a new guitar for me that is somewhat based on that model.”
Shinya, your drums sound remarkably fresh and bright on ‘Arche’. New kit?
Shinya: “It’s exactly the same kit as the one I used on our last mini-album ‘The Unraveling’. It’s a Pearl Masters RetroSpec.”
Will we be hearing that one on your European tour as well?
Shinya: “When we’re touring abroad, we always need to rent a kit. It will most certainly be a Pearl kit, because I’m endorsed by them, but what it will be exactly, is always a surprise.”
How do you arm yourself against that?
Shinya: “I’m used to not always being able to get exactly what I want. As a result, I’m always prepared to make little adjustments in order to make the best out of it.”
Kaoru, what equipment is essential to take with you when you travel abroad?
Kaoru: “All the guitars that I need, I will take with me. I won’t leave those behind. In addition, I will always take my AMT E1 pedal with me for distortion. When we rent an amplifier there, it has to be a Diezel.”
How has the audience reaction to ‘Arche’ been so far?
Shinya: “The album’s been released in Japan for about four months now and I’ve got the idea that the fans have listened to it enough to fully grasp the album now. At our concerts, it seems like everybody’s really enjoying the material.” Kaoru: “The reaction has been really positive, but there are some people who were really into our previous album ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ who have the feeling that something is lacking.”
Is there a difference between Japanese, European and American audiences?
Kaoru: “The audiences react differently in different places. Japanese audiences pay a lot of attention to what’s happening on stage. They anticipate what’s happening on stage and react in a way that is very much unified. Everyone reacts more or less the same way, whereas in Europe and the US, everyone gets into the music in their own way. I think it’s very interesting how people from different countries come to the show and experience it.” Shinya: “The European audiences are definitely very passionate.”
Dir En Grey is one of the only Japanese Rock bands that consistently and successfully tours abroad. Why do you think that is?
Shinya: “I have the feeling that quite a lot of Japanese bands tour abroad, but it may be true that no one does it as consistently as we do.” Kaoru: “It’s hard to define why that is. I guess it’s not easy to leave the comfort and the security of touring in Japan behind. There are certain risks when you tour abroad and obviously, a lot of preparation goes into that. A part of it is probably just that we’re still around.” Shinya: “If you know why, please let us know.”
How do you prepare for a tour?
Shinya: “Currently, we are in the middle of a Japanese tour. As soon as we’re done, we’re heading for Europe. So in a way, you can see that as our preparation.” Kaoru: “We hope to maintain this momentum and bring the show to Europe just as strongly.”
Want to judge for yourself? Dir En Grey will play the following European venues in May:
A new Dir En Grey album is much like the box of chocolates referred to in ‘Forrest Gump’. The Japanese quintet has been so eclectic throughout their discography, that you litterally never know what you’re going to get. ‘Arche’ is no exception. Ever since singer Kyo discovered a deep, almost inhuman growl in his already broad vocal arsenal, the Death Metal influence in their music has increased. A further exploration of the experimental extremities heard on predecessor ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ would therefore have been a reasonable expectation. Being Dir En Grey, however, the band chose a different direction. One significantly more straightforward and melodic. The resulting album is a winner.
Stylistically, ‘Arche’ is located somewhere between the emotional approach of ‘Kisou’ and the playful aggression of ‘Vulgar’, combined with the distinct contemporary progressive leanings of ‘Uroboros’. Kyo still employs all the extremes of his range, but has a considerably cleaner approach this time. The cleaner inclination is reflected in the guitar sound and the production as well. The mix is spacious with a lot of room for the drums courtesy of Shinya, who simply gives the performance of a liftime here. Granted, it works because the songs have more breathing room than the band gave their songs in a while, but it works fantastically.
In a way, the two singles released before the album – ‘Rinkaku’ and ‘Sustain The Untruth’ – give the wrong impression, or at least an incomplete one, of what ‘Arche’ sounds like. Then again, each of the sixteen songs has a distinct character of its own. This also is a result of the more straightforward songwriting; ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ was very abstract and as a result, some of the songs tend to blur a little. In this case, sometimes it’s a riff (the kickass headbanger ‘Chain Repulsion’), sometimes the brilliant light-and-shade workings (‘Uroko’) and sometimes just the alternative direction (the almost electronic-sounding ‘Phenomenon’), but all the songs stand out one way or another.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t any highlights. ‘Un Deux’ has fantastic riff work as well as a downright brilliant chorus that sticks in my head despite my inability to remember the words due to the language barrier. It sets the tone perfectly and as such, it rivals ‘Vinushka’ as the best opening track of the band. The surprisingly sparse ‘Kuukoku No Kyouon’ is easily one of the best Dir En Grey ballads so far, not in the last place because of Kyo’s fantastic performance, and ‘Kaishun’ features some fantastic guitar interplay by Kaoru and Die. Whoever plays that solo does an awesome job as well. Those who like that side of the band will probably be disappointed that the Death Metal factor has been toned down considerably, but the closing salvo of ‘The Inferno’ (as if the title didn’t give that one away) and the awesome riff monster ‘Revelation Of Mankind’ do highlight the more brutal side of the band.
Because of its variation and strong songwriting, ‘Arche’ is thorougly enjoyable through multiple spins. Each one of them slowly reveals more layers and secrets as you go along. In time, it may even come very close to ‘Gauze’ and ‘Uroboros’ as my favorite Dir En Grey album. Fact is that it’s another disc of brilliantly written and executed heavy music that doesn’t really sound like anything anyone else is doing at the moment. Dir En Grey at its best.
Recommended tracks: ‘Un Deux’, ‘Chain Repulsion’, ‘Kuukoku No Kyouon’, ‘Revelation Of Mankind’
Dir En Grey’s debut album is the hidden gem of the Visual Kei scene. This may sound a bit weird, figuring that the Japanese quintet is probably the most popular band in the Metal scene with non-English lyrics after Rammstein, but ‘Gauze’ stands out stylistically in a discography that is charactarized by an incredible amount of variation anyway. Those who know Dir En Grey’s later, more brutal and progressive work will probably be surprised by how melodic the material on ‘Gauze’ sounds. One thing is for sure though: this is the work of an immensely talented band capable of writing fantastic songs.
About half of the album was produced by X Japan’s main man Yoshiki. This “L.A. Session” has resulted in a lot of music that sounds closer to the melodic Hard Rock generally associated with the Visual Kei scene than the experimental take on extreme Metal that the band would come to be known for. And although all the band members have proven to be extremely talented through the years, it’s especially singer Kyo and bassist Toshiya that shine on these songs. It’s a matter of space; Toshiya’s jumpy, melodic bass lines add an almost danceable edge to Shinya’s intense drumming, while Kyo, who would become the man who could go to any vocal extreme, gets the room to display how amazing his clean vocals are.
It’s not a strict division though; ‘-Zan-‘, with its hyperspeed riffs and drums, is easily the most brutal and aggressive song on the record and it was recorded in Los Angeles with Yoshiki. On the other hand, the light and breezy Pop melodies of ‘Raison Detre’ (sic) – one of the album’s highlights – is from the self-produced session in Japan. The rest of the album sort of bounces back and forth between those extremes. ‘Cage’ and ‘Yokan’ are masterpieces of melodic Rock with beautiful choruses that have me singing along despite the fact that I don’t speak Japanese (not even a little) and on the other hand, there’s the pounding riffing of ‘Tsumi To Batsu’ and the terrifying Progmetal of ‘Mazohyst Of Decadence’.
Quite a lot of time has been spent on the production and it shows. ‘Gauze’ is a dream of hi-fi late nineties alternative Rock production. In hindsight, the guitars of Kaoru and Die could have done with a bit more balls as the casual listener barely notices how impressive these guys are, but it’s hardly a disturbing factor. In fact, a more “Metal” production probably wouldn’t have suited the album, since it’s not strictly a Metal record.
What this is though is a collection of extremely well-written songs that have a lot of room for incredible melodies and quite possibly Kyo’s best vocal work to date – keep in mind that I have a strong preference for clean vocals. It’s hard not to love an album with such fantastic songwriting and so much variation. The beautiful cover model doesn’t hurt either. All this contributes to what is probably my favorite Dir En Grey album, along the 2008 masterpiece ‘Uroboros’. It’s quite difficult to get a hold of outside of Japan, but well worth tracking down.
Nothing about reviewing Luna Sea is more difficult than describing their style. Sure, their music fits the Rock idiom, but their guitar sound is too clean to call them a Hard Rock band, the song structures are too progressive and their playing too technically demanding for Punk, Ryuichi’s vocals have an undeniable Japanese Pop flair and while the New Wave and Post Punk influences are apparent, the rhythms tend to rock a little too hard for that category as well. Whatever you choose to call this though, it is good music characterized by strong melodies and a wide range of moods and atmosphere.
What helps is that Luna Sea has three good songwriters with equal input in the band. Bassist J’s compositions are probably least alien to western ears due to his obvious fascination with the American alternative scene, while rhythm guitarist Inoran’s works often have a Balkan-like flavor due to his extensive use of accented chords on the afterbeat. Lead guitarist and violinist Sugizo has a somewhat more experimental approach, generally resulting in the more progressive songs of the quintet. These aren’t strict divisions though; ocassionally the approaches mix with great results.
More importantly, ‘Image’ is full of moments where the amazing songwriting and fantastic performances complement each other. Opening track ‘Déjàvu’, for instance, has quite a light Rock feel with breezy melodies, but they still get their power from the rhythm section, particlarly Shinya’s solid drumming. Not many bands succeed in marrying the melodic sensibilities of Pop with the brute force of Rock, but Luna Sea does just that seemingly effortlessly all throughout the album.
Highlighting the album is probably its fantastic title track. With the ideal merger of Inoran’s acoustic and Sugizo’s electric guitars, the fantastic bass parts courtesy of J and Ryuichi’s vocals mainly staying in their lower, soothing register, this song has something of a Japanese Billy Idol-vibe, although Idol’s rebellious vibe is traded for dreamy melancholy. It’s hard not to get carried away. Another masterpiece is the progressive ‘Search For Reason’, where heavier sections lead by an oddly timed Black Sabbath-ish riff alternate with calmer, haunting passages. Once again: brilliantly written, expertly executed. There’s a little something for everyone here though; ‘Moon’ is for the dreamers, ‘Symptom’ for the violent and ‘Wish’ for those who need to be cheered up.
All this, combined with its fantastic production, makes ‘Image’ a must for everyone who likes good Rock music. Also, with Luna Sea being a household name of Japan’s famed Visual Kei scene – though they later prove to take the musical side of it more seriously by ditching most of their visual attire – all of the artwork looks nothing short of fantastic. It’s the last piece to make this perfect as a total product. Luna Sea’s music may sound bit strange upon first listen, because it’s hard to categorize, but once it makes sense, mastepieces like ‘Image’ and 1994’s ‘Mother’ are likely to return to your music player on a regular basis.
Recommended tracks: ‘Image’, ‘Search For Reason’, ‘Déjàvu’, ‘Mechanical Dance’
For the last three decades, I have been on a quest to find the greatest music from all over the world. On my weblog, I would like to share some of my findings with you. Please enjoy your stay and come again!
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