Nowhere Girl

I totally forgot about those... probably for good reason. Actually, every now and again I think about breaking out the original UROBOROS, but then I remember this horror and decide against it.

Yeah, I've always felt the alt vocals version of Fukai was kinda lacking. It's not awful, just very mediocre/forgettable. Amusingly, I seem to remember that six Ugly's remakes were met with some disdain at the time, particularly children, the original of which had only been released two years prior. Fuckin' tricky men = Fuck kids are now/Fuck it's an owl. It's easiest if you just ignore the lyrics altogether. I treat them as gibberish for the most part. But he's been throwing English into the songs since they began, so... Reiketsu Nariseba is still an awesome song.

Yeah, that's a good idea. A few years ago, I worked in the postal service around Xmas to get a bit of extra money for the holidays. Big mistake. It was such a nightmare, I vowed to never sign up for it again. Now I buy my gifts in November to prevent damage. This is the first DEG CD I've skipped in ages. Maybe since DECADE. Just doesn't seem worth my money when I have everything already bar those three remakes.

Tbh, they all kinda do. Wonder what the "VR content" will be.

Too dark and sludgy for them. If it was just the backing band, maybe. Something more fun like egnirys cimredopyh +) An Injection, INCREASE BLUE, or Cause of fickleness would be more up BABYMETAL's alley.

No, only juniors. Can't wait to hear the Sakura Gakuin rendition of Reiketsu Nariseba umbrella.

Disagree. The original, while good, was just a shameless rip-off of another band's song. The remake makes the song a Dir en grey song.

Undecided, though. Also Bottom of the death valley is way better in the re-recording, imo.

Also perhaps because THE FINAL is on it. Probably one of their most popular songs alongside OBSCURE. I voted for Kisou. It was between that and UROBOROS remastered. Really tough decision as I like almost everything they've put out aside from MISSA (and even that's good). Very surprised that DUM SPIRO SPERO is the top-rated album; that would be bottom of the pack for me. DEG albums for me are like different kinds of chocolate. Sometimes 100% cocoa is just a little too much.

Can someone explain why this is the popular opinion? I don't get it. But then, I also like other songs that are universally jeered at like PINK KILLER and Beautiful Dirt.

I've hardly listed to Utafumi either. Maybe 5 or 6 times. When Hageshisa to... came out, I was hyped after UROBOROS and listened to it fairly often, and it lost its appeal with the two year wait for DUM SPIRO SPERO. Didn't help that the re-recording was mixed badly. That song is horrendously overplayed. Tbh, I like Utafumi. It reminds me a little of the Withering/MARROW era. The only part which isn't as good for me is the break; Kyo's vocals sound tired and awkward for some reason.

Surely it's easier to stay at home and write music than go on eternal, exhausting tours that last years. But if they did that, they wouldn't be reaffirming they exist and making money in the process. Plus, tours keep the fans happy (at least, those in Japan... screw everyone else). This is so true. :/

It may be depressing but their output has reduced dramatically. Kisou, six Ugly, and VULGAR all released in less than two years of each other (not to mention all the singles for those LPs). Nowadays, they are really focussed on touring their material as much as possible and writing is almost non-existent. Maybe they want quality rather than quantity. It does mean that any new release is appreciated more. However, I'd really love to hear some more raw, experimental stuff from them. Almost every band member has a solo project now, so there's plenty of other music to listen to by them, even if it doesn't quite scratch the DEG itch.

Their output over the last few albums has been roughly the same. There's usually an entire year between releases. I predict a second single sometime between 6 months to a year after VESTIGE OF SCRATCHES and then a full-length album a year after that. By that point we'll be absolutely fucking bored of Utafumi and it won't fit on the LP at all (also see: Hageshisa to...). I imagine the next time they'll tour near me will be in 2019/2020 to coincide with the LP. Edit: Yes, I'm jaded, but we all know this is exactly what they're going to do.

I already own every release, so I don't care about the remasters. So for someone like me, ~£25/ ~£45 (not including shipping+customs) for 3 re-recordings is a bit crap. Hopefully they'll surface elsewhere. Possibly it's worth it for those who just want a convenient collection of the most popular songs.

It's been a repeated motif since GAUZE (possibly earlier, not sure). The mazohyst of decadence video is overtly about abortion. OBSCURE is probably the most well-known example. Also, as for PV budget, you can make some really disturbing stuff with almost no money. It just needs the right director, storyboard, and application of resources. DEG videos have been lazy as heck for ages.

The Blu-Ray for this release is weird. The main feature seems fine, but Kyo's voice is completely off. This is probably the worst I've heard him for a while. The odd thing is that after the main feature are some scenes from a couple of other tours, one where he's wearing something that looks like a Tim Burton-designed night-dress, and another where he's wearing bandages. Both of these performances look and sound utterly incredible, but these are only snippets that fade in and out after a minute or two (some only seconds). It's quite frustrating that they didn't show full songs from either of these performances, as they're so much better than the main show. The album itself is, as with most sukekiyo, quite challenging. Some songs clicked immediately. It'll probably take me a while to 'get' several of the others. Haven't heard the second disc yet.

23000 yen for a couple of concerts is actually disgusting. I'm a big fan of Dir en grey, but NOPE. I may have gotten a little moist seeing Akuro no Oka on Day 2, though.

Change that for Hageshisa to... and you're me. That song is so overplayed. (I also feel the same way about Rasetsukoku... this is probably heretical)

I'm amazed they're playing Audrey. Didn't Kyo say it was one of his most hated songs? Very curious to hear how it sounds now.

Well, this now exists...

Thanks. Maybe I'll give it a try and just skip those tracks or something.

I heard one of the early songs and it was autotune hell. Got scared away as a result. Is it all like this?

The shows look cool. I'd love to have the entire [mode of x] series, but I'm not a member of the fan club and they're disgustingly expensive. £15-20 each would be okay. £70 per Blu-Ray is an outrage. Really hoping the Best Of won't include one token exclusive song to force fans to buy it. However, if it's completely re-recorded material, that would be sex. If it's not a re-recording, it's kinda redundant, as DECADE already exists. Unless of course it's just stuff from UROBOROS, DSS, and ARCHE, with Unraveling and Utafumi chucked on the end for good measure. Unfortunately, all this news means that it's doubtful that we'll get any new material this year. So it'll probably be two years between singles. It's just been a relentless string of pricey fan club-only live blu-rays. I get that this series of tours is celebrating each album, but it's getting kinda tedious at this point. I remember when DSS came out and Hageshisa to... was just sort of plastered on the album. It felt so out of place because of the sheer length of time between releases. I imagine the same thing will happen with the next DEG album (at least, for me).

I mean the guy screams, growls, croons, whispers, cackles, uses falsetto, chest voice, head voice, squeals, raps, ululates, inhales, throat sings, and that's not even including his normal singing voice. As someone who isn't versed in vocal tech, I'm probably missing 20 more things he does. Is that not enough? Or maybe the issue you're having is that it's too much. Technique super-saturation.