Nowhere Girl

While I agree that we've heard his full range now, I disagree that he hasn't evolved since Uroboros. Rinkaku and aftermath are definitely impressive and very different from anything previously. He seems to truly care about his art, pushing himself in challenging ways (occasionally to his own detriment; see Ratio ducat, non fortuna 2011.11.11). I'm sure we'll see him explore new avenues in due time.

From the reception here, I cannot wait to get my copy. I'll wait for it to arrive before listening. CDJapan just shipped it half an hour ago, so I imagine it'll be about a month before it arrives.

The verses of that song are almost identical to Bois de Merveilles. The whole thing reeks of Malice Mizer. Not bad, but not exactly original.

Despite my complaining, I still went and pre-ordered this. And now I have a hole in my wallet. But... new sukekiyo! It'd better be in a velvet-lined box with gold inlay.

I don't really care. It's only a two-day stint and it's not happening outside Japan. Cool for those who can go, distinctly meh for the rest of us. Releasing a collaborative single at the same time would make so much sense from a marketing perspective, but perhaps the tour is too short-lived to be worth that much effort. The most I expect is yet another fanclub-exclusive Blu Ray. I'm most excited about hearing those new songs. Utafumi has grown on me massively since I first heard it.

Just listened to Divine Error and Lethal Affliction for the first time on youtube. Can't believe this band passed me by. I think they need to added to my 'watch' list.

I always come back to this topic expecting actual music news... there really is nothing to talk about, is there? While I love this band probably more than is healthy, their output these days is fucking glacial. I know they tour a ton but they haven't swung by here (UK) in two years now. Wasn't there at least one new song that debuted live last year? Really hoping they'll throw us a bone after the MACABRE and PIERROT tours. So, I guess we're looking at August at the earliest. This is optimistic given that Rinkaku, SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH, and ARCHE were each a year apart.

I am so looking forward to not owning this, just like Anima. It'd be nice if they could make a regular edition for the plebs who can't afford nosebleed prices every time they wipe their arses on a CD. Of course, downloading is still a thing. I'll just wait for some kind soul to upload.

The songs sound good so far. However, the videos are atrocious. Not quite sure how the music is supposed to be related to the teen-slasher visuals and trashy voice-overs.

In just over three months, it will be a year since Utafumi. I would hope there's some kind of news by then, even if it's just a single announcement.

inb4 Kyo is the "random guest vocalist" and it just ends up sounding like DEG. also inb4 the inevitable "Shinya can't drum" posts.

It's coming up to six months since they debuted that new song live. I imagine we'll get some kind of release news soon, unless they're not planning on a second single.

Maybe they'll do a [mode of mini-album] or [mode of b-side] where they play MISSA and six Ugly in their its entirety along with non-album tracks like Toriko, Ash, and ain't afraid to die. Edit: Looks like they performed six Ugly in the [mode of Kisou] tour. But this is a thread about Shinya. I wonder if there's going to be a greater focus on percussion? It does say it's a 'solo' project, so it stands to reason that Shinya will be front and centre, while DECAYS and sukekiyo are definitely new bands.

Interesting. The DIRU IZ DED OMFG conversation has come up constantly since THE FINAL, and we've laughed it off as ridiculous. Now we're in a weird position where 3/5 of the band are doing other things, and the band themselves have been extensively touring most of their old material from past to present like some kind of last hurrah. These could be the final days. On the other hand, Dir en grey is WAY too big to just lie down. There's money there, whereas I doubt most people will care too much about these side-projects. Perhaps they're feeling creatively bankrupt as Dir en grey and need to move on. Or maybe these solo endeavours exist simply to fill in the down-time between DEG tours. Of course, we can speculate, but there's really no way of knowing.

They'll possibly consider throwing us a tiny morsel after this whole [mode of...] shebang has ended. Then it'll be more touring for two years until the next album.

inb4 this is another $150+ EP that's impossible to get at a reasonable price outside some Japan-exclusive fanclub.

You know a tour is good when the worst setlist is still godlike. It'd be nice if they did stuff like this overseas.

Giving the Blu-Ray a miss since I already own Persuasio and that price is just outrageous. Hopefully the album will be more affordable.

I feel like I'm completely alone in absolutely loving that song. Kisou is probably my favourite album after UROBOROS.

Kigan lyrics? It'll be interesting to hear what the old material is like now. Their sound has changed so dramatically since the almost Industrial Punk kisou.

Their material hasn't grabbed me since Recreation Eve. Hopefully this will be better, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ew. Autotune. :/

There's also G.D.S.. Arguably, some of the more unrecognisable remakes like AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS -UNPLUGGED-, Tsumi to Kisei, and Kiri to Mayu are new songs. Recently, we also had and Zero and Tefu Tefu.

On the subject of 'bad' songs, there's typically only one per EP/LP that just never clicks with me for some particular reason. Of course, I'd prefer any of these to the crap that's played on the radio. Missa: Garden. Too formulaic and too long. GAUZE: MASK. Always thought it was forgettable filler. MACABRE: Audrey. Seems out of place on an otherwise stellar album. Kisou: Love the whole thing. However, the re-recorded Bottom of the Death Valley is way better than the original (imo). six Ugly: Love the whole thing. VULGAR: Love the whole thing. Withering to death.: Jesus Christ R'n R is just too silly. Kinda fun, but I really have to be in the right mood. MARROW: Love the whole thing. UROBOROS: Love the whole thing. Although, I dislike the English versions on the regular release and HYDRA 666 is out of place on the reissue. DSS: Akatsuki. The demo version is awesome, though, and it's okay live. Something just feels off in the studio mix. ARCHE: Kaishun. The main riff is recycled from DIABOLOS, which pisses me off, and the chorus doesn't grab me like it should. I love Cause of fickleness and The inferno. Come at me, haters.

Has anyone received their LE copy yet? Just wondering if the live show is decent. I assume that the overall presentation is similar to the last few singles. Waiting to get my copy before I listen to anything. Looking forward to the remix especially. As a fan of the artistic, experimental remix scene, it's pretty awesome that DEG continues to fuel that and doesn't usually succumb to slapping on a generic dance beat and calling it a day.