Nowhere Girl

Albums usually chart high on their first few days due to day 1 buyers (usually pre-existing fanbase). No, I don't think that's particularly controversial. I'd give it a 10/10. The tenth of ten albums. My second listen was a bit more positive. Used a different audio setup and boosted the treble. Sounds way better, but still appallingly overcompressed. I can probably get into this in time. It'll be fun live for sure.

No, I get it. My main problem isn't with the songwriting itself but the wall of noise. The fact that there's 6 songs in a row which are nigh-unlistenable due to the poor production is a serious turn-off. Seriously, it sounds like it was mixed on noisy public transport with iPhone earbuds. Like a kid who rushed their homework on the bus on the way to school. I'm going to try listening to this on different devices and headphones until I hopefully find something that sounds passable. Someone else said it was all right on a shitty setup, so maybe I'll try that next.

On initial listen: This is a bad album. I'm that person who praises DEG almost all the time (I still skip audrey, though). I enjoy songs like The inferno and Midwife. However, I simply cannot defend this dumpster-fire. I haven't really ever had a problem with the mix and master on any previous album, with the exception of the poor album version of Hageshisa and the constant torrent of Madsenverb which has plagued the last few releases (which I like but gets stale after hearing it for four albums in a row). However, here, the production, mixing, mastering are unforgivable. I know many bedroom producers who can make a better sounding album than this. Hell, even I can make something that sounds better than this. The guitar tone in particular is fucking horrendous. The whole thing is so compressed that it actually hurts to listen to. This is probably the worst album I have ever heard in terms of brickwalling. It's so loud that it's completely flat, with no dynamics whatsoever. The first 6 songs on the album are a blur of noise, Kyo screaming nonsensically accompanied by a solid wall of distortion. Aside from the singles, I couldn't hear anything in here which resembled a song. It's exhausting, impenetrable, and boring. From Aka onwards, I somewhat enjoyed what I was hearing. There were a few tracks which sounded very similar to previous ones. I heard a Rinkaku pt2, DREAMBOX pt2, LIE BURIED pt2. Seems lazy, but okay. Just sort of mediocre. Overall, I felt there were no stand-out tracks whatsoever. The worst thing is, song-wise, this is the album I wanted. Something raw, angry, and fun, like MARROW. But I didn't want it to sound like this! Perhaps there are good songs here. It's going to take a while for me to digest what's going on and get over the fact that it sounds so terrible. I really want to like this. Again, I'm the fan who enjoys almost every song from this band with very few exceptions. Since they did such a piss-poor job with this one, from everything about the audio to the packaging (misspellings, missing translations, etc), I predict that we'll see a remaster in the vein of UROBOROS within the next few years.

Isn't it the opposite? DSS is sopping wet with reverb, which imo is one of its problems. DSS, UROBOROS (remastered), The Unraveling, and to a lesser extent ARCHE all sound so similar because of Tue Madsen's inability to mix an album that doesn't sound like it was recorded at the back end of a cave. For me, it's probably among the weakest DEG albums. That's not to say it's bad. I very much enjoy it for the most part (Akatsuki is still blah, demo version is miles better). It's just that the rest of the catalogue is so damned good. To be honest, DEG albums are like pizza toppings. Depends what I fancy at the time. Occasionally, I'll get a craving for DSS flavour. The album mostly translates poorly live. It sounds empty due to the aforementioned huge amounts of layering in the studio. That said, DSS at Budokan is incredible, showcasing the material at its best. While they're not part of the main album, the 'symphonic' versions are unbelievably horrible. They sound so fake. I guess they couldn't afford hiring an orchestra for one day.

I for one am super fucking wet.

What the hell is that chorus? LMAO

Fuck the naysayers. TMOAB is fantastic. It's the most raw, angry, upset, and overall emotional the band has ever been. The quieter songs are some of the best of their entire career, and you can't deny the loud songs are extremely compelling. Kyo's screaming range went way off the scale with this album. The vocal delivery is a punch to the gut. Just great. Kisou is also excellent. Not really sure why there's any comparison here, though. MARROW is much more focussed on one idea, while Kisou skips genres constantly. The only song where every other word is "fuck" is The Domestic Fucker Family, and that comes from a completely different place than anything in TMOAB.

I caved and listened to Ranunculus. It's good. Definitely not bad... just kind of there. So far, all three released songs are quite by-the-numbers. That's almost a quarter of the album. A bit concerning. Hopefully the rest will make up for it.

Some of the songs have simple hooks, others are quite complex. The hooks are still there; they're just buried for those who take the time to find them. However, music doesn't necessarily have to be catchy to be good. Everyone has personal preference. Maybe this band just isn't for you. If you don't like it, don't listen.

You probably found... uh.... *that person's* tumblr. (Please don't say her name in here.) Either that or Seelentau's lol

Reading all your posts about the original UROBOROS, I really, really need to throw that thing on again. I haven't listened to it since the remaster. One thing about Tue Madsen's mixing that hasn't been mentioned is that he seems to love throwing reverb over absolutely everything. That may contribute to the 'muddy' mix people are talking about. UROBOROS Remastered, DSS, and THE UNRAVELING all suffer from this. It does add to the depth of the music but it all just ends up sounding very similar as a result (at least, in my opinion).

I accidentally bought the deluxe version of MARROW off ebay a few years ago. Felt pretty stupid when I saw 'Miya Records' on the back. The quality is okay, not horrible, but nowhere close to the high standard Dir en grey usually delivers. One thing I will say is the packaging and artwork are significantly different from the real version, which I suppose is notable at least. On ebay, I actively avoid anything from China and Hong Kong. Seems almost everything there is fake. I did get screwed over locally, though, with a very good bootleg of Pokémon Emerald, so it can really happen anywhere (the seller had no idea). Just do your research, and you should be fine.

egnirys is in my top 5 songs on MACABRE. It encompasses everything I love about that era.

INWARD SCREAM-like sections that involved the whole band would be amazing!

Not really sure what you mean. He's always been like this. In the VULGAR days he would sometimes take some time out of a song so he could spew fake vomit everywhere (a la the Obscure video), or have a gigantic nosebleed. In WtD, he didn't sing whole portions of some songs, instead putting a bucket over his head or some other such shenanigans. This is really nothing new. Above all, he's an artist. He knows that it's pointless to just perfectly reproduce the music in a live setting. That's what the CD is for. In that way, their live show is more about ambience and atmosphere. It's a statement; a message. A visual representation of what he wants the audience to feel when listening to the music. Bear in mind that touring is really fucking hard on everyone involved. They're all tired, probably jetlagged half the time, eating at weird times and having to perform the same songs constantly, and it becomes a drag. They're not going to be on top form every night. It certainly won't be perfect (this goes for practically any band). If he wants to dress up and bring some theatrics to break up the monotony, I say good for him. Let him have his fun. Edit: Speaking of the MODE OF concerts, it would have been really nice if they had not been A KNOT exclusive. They're expensive as fuck. I would have bought most of them had they been £15-£20 a pop.

Not sure why this video was made. As far as I know, Dir en grey gigs do pretty well in London. The only one I remember being badly attended was sukekiyo in 2014. There were probably no more than 200-300 people there (800 capacity), so it was quite intimate.

I give it a month before we get album art, six weeks for the track list, two months for the 15-second sample.

Wow, I had no idea this existed. You're right; this is an absolute train wreck. Made my day. Thanks for the laugh!

Untrue. 残-ZAN- “D.P.Y. Mix” Akuro No Oka “K.N.Y. Mix” JEALOUS -reverse- Ain't Afraid to Die [Irresistible Mix] Gyakujou Tannou Keloid Milk (plucking: Mr.NEWSMAN) -NEW JAP MIX- JESSICA -wave mix- AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS -UNPLUGGED- THE MARROW OF A BONE disc 2 (the whole thing) RED SOIL (UNPLUGGED) DOZING GREEN (Before Construction Ver.) DECAYED CROW (Remix by Kyo) DIFFERENT SENSE (Unplugged Ver.) “Yokusou Ni DREAMBOX” Aruiwa Seijuku No Rinen To Tsumetai Ame (Crossover Ver.) JUUYOKU (Unplugged Ver.) DECAYED CROW (Remix by NARASAKI) VANITAS (LOS AWKIS Folklore Ver.) Ruten No Tou (Acoustic Ver.) Unraveling (Unplugged Ver.) THE FINAL (Unplugged Ver.) RINKAKU Eternal Slumber Mix (Remixed by Akira Yamaoka) Behind a vacant image (Acoustic Ver.) There are more that I can't be bothered to list. Sure, there are some bad remixes, but there are also a lot of good ones.

Very glad to see a new album so soon after Ningen wo kaburu. Completely random title, though. At least it isn't as embarrassing as 'In incontinence'.

Honestly, it's not worth it. If it's the same individual I'm thinking of, that person was an absolute nightmare.

Was this someone who used to post a lot on fukkatsu? Actually wondering if their name is banned from being written for fear it might summon them.

Tbh it'd probably be cheaper to make a vector of the graphic and get it etched into a blank Zippo lighter. More effort, yes, but not 22k Yen. Holy crap.

WTF is this? New poetry book or something?

AVERAGE Uncommon Despair.