EvilHippy

Well, Arche had 3-4 tours. TIW had 1-2 tours. Probably that's why it felt much faster to learn about new single 

New DVD is pointless.
Glad to hear about new single, as always.
Now, about re-recording old songs... Kinda want Asunaki Koufuku, but with more jazzy approach (even though it's already most jazzy their song)

I’m excited for this new single. 
 
And yeah there’s no way that bonus DVD won’t have a few TiW tracks on it.
 
No comment for the Mode of. Whatever they smokin, I want some cuz it seems to be strong as hell.

I'd gladly go the rest of time without Deluhi for another UNDIVIDE album.

Mary's Blood 5th full-length album "CONFESSiONS" drops June 12th.
 
Two editions / 11 songs
1.Labyrinth of the Abyss
2.Karma
3.アルカディア (Arcadia)
4.Laylah
5.エイム (Aim)
6.Hello
7.Mermaid Serenade
8.HIGH-5
9.GO AHEAD & LAUGH
10.VirtuaReaL
11.贖罪の鐘～Requiem for the victims～

No new single, eh?
That's... underwhelming, to say the least. I think Ninth is a bit lacking and one strong single would make things better.
 

22 years today, Dir en grey was officially formed.

Learned about them from Baldman's stream. Re:program is a such fun song.

Well, they also can include remakes from VoS.  And, maybe one new single+another re-recording.

Wait... next year?

Meev has begun uploading song previews on his Instagram if anyone's interested.
 
 
Here's the one we've all been waiting for, lol. *drowns in cheese*

Dima did it better

| Dir en grey's tenth album is something special indeed.
 
Few artists can bring the scene together and elicit responses from everyone the way that Dir en grey can. They can make you pause your habitual listening routines to check out their newest single or album, even if you don't like them. This is because Dir en grey is one of the few bands where we can sense the progression and self-improvement from release to release. I don't think that Dir en grey aspires to impress anyone but themselves from three years ago, and now more than ever I see and feel a band that has graduated from copying trends to setting them. As a concept, and after listening to the album several times, I believe The Insulated World refers directly to them, their view on the world, and the inspiration for where the music they wish to create comes from.
 
The Insulated World feels like a journey into oneself, and the album feels separated into two parts. The first half of the album feels like a turbulent descent into madness, while the second half feels like the madness has yielded to tranquility as the listener floats towards personal understanding. I prefer the second half to the first half. This is a far cry from literally every other album of theirs, where tracks were arranged haphazardly and the experience suffers for it. I can hear various influences from each of their previous eras and albums - some more than others - but one of the most redeeming points about The Insulated World is that it doesn't sound like anything in particular.
 
In the past, I've felt that Dir en grey bit off more than they could chew, and failed to deliver on their own expectations. I felt this most when listening to DUM SPIRO SPERO, where the band used progressive elements for the sake of being progressive. The Insulated World has the progressive elements applied more sensibly, similar to ARCHE. Songs morph and change direction on a whim, but there are hooks and motifs that the band returns to that gives each song coherency. Vocalist Kyo reminds us once again that he's the king of vocal manipulation - just in case you had doubts - but he's embraced his mid range more. Focusing on the extremes of his vocal techniques leaves an immediate and lasting impression at the expense of it sounding very binary. I prefer the vocal extremes for specific emotional climaxes and using other vocal techniques for specific feelings at the appropriate times. "Values of Madness" is the best example of what I am describing, where we get screeching, rapping, singing, and more in a compact four minutes. The re-recording of "The Deeper Vileness" is another great example, and also highlights how well some of the ideas they explored in The Marrow of a Bone translate into their new style ten years later.
 
Complaints about the terrible production job for the singles "Utafumi" and "Ningen wo kaburu" were founded and make more sense in hindsight, with the new versions sounding less congested. Die and Kaoru no longer compete with Toshiya for total control of the low end frequency, Shinya's drum kit sounds less robotic, Kyo doesn't feel tacked on top of the mix, and there's plenty of room left for the guitar distortion techniques and electronic samples to breathe. For the most part, I like the tone chosen for the guitar and the way everything comes together in each song, and I would rank this among both their best and least obnoxiously mixed albums to date. I wish they could get their singles to this quality.
 
The Insulated World is not a perfect release. "Devote My Life" is not listenable due to the piercing, unrelenting tone of the guitar. Sticking it in the second slot does a lot to turn away people who only have once chance to give Dir en grey. They should have gone with a guitar tone closer to "Downfall". "Ranunculus", while a great song and a good note to end the album on, has an atmosphere which doesn't fit with the album. I get the impression this track was conceived either very early or very late in the production cycle, because it stands well on its own. I also am unable to find the hook in the album opus, "絶縁体" (Zetsusentai), which I find difficult to wrap my head around. They've done this style of track more effectively with "Vinushka" and even "Diabolos", and it doesn't hold a candle to the pure atmosphere of "MACABRE". Speaking of Macabre, I also find the new version of "理由" (Riyuu) slightly inferior to the original version. The cover of the song does justice to the original by not straying too much from the melody, but they reined in the emotion of the song and the guitar solo with only a cleaner sound to compensate,  and the original version of the song sold itself on its emotion. They didn't ruin it, but they didn't improve it much. The new version of "鬼眼" (Kigan) falls into the same camp, but the much better production values edges it out ahead in the end. For the record, I much rather these safe reinterpretations than ones that butcher the song beyond recognition.
 
These interpretations are subject to change as I spend more time with The Insulated World, and perhaps catch them live one day to experience these songs in person. Even a month later, I still think I wrote this review prematurely, as there are songs still growing on me and others that I am unsure if I like or not. I am pleased overall with how this album turned out, and I can see myself listening to this album in a few years without the songs wearing thin. Dir en grey did well, and this is an album I can recommend to both long time fans and the curious, but if ARCHE did nothing for you then this won't either.
 
 
Support the artist!
iTunes | CDJapan

Vote for a new Hokage

Vote for a new Hokage

Vote for a new Hokage

Vote for a new Hokage

Vote for a new Hokage

To celebrate DELUHI's 10th anniversary, they will be releasing a new Best Album titled DELUHISM:X with unreleased tracks on December 19
 
Furthermore, they will be holding a revival live at Akasaka BLITZ next year on April 12
 
DELUHISM:X Track list:
01.Overture -Yggdalive-
02.Rebel:Sicks, Shadow:Six
03.flow snow
04.WAKE UP!
05.NO SALVATION 
06.リヴィングデッド
07.Freedom
08.Ivory and Irony
09.Remember the rain
10.F.T.O
11.Baby play 
12.HYBRID TRUTH
13.unreleased song
14.Orion once again -09 remix-
15.Freedom -09 remix-
 
Price: ¥3,240
 
 

Imho, they need to stop that dual solo thing for all songs.
E.g. I don't like how Audience Killer Loop's solo sounds without rhythm guitar.

Rubbish Heap, Aka, Values of Madness, Followers, Keigaku no Yoku

Friends, we need to discuss how perfect that Kiri To Mayu live take is....
 
It sounds so fucking CLEAN. Shinya really did a great job here. I thought he fucking killed it in the DSS Budokan performance but here he sounds wayyyyy more comfortable. 
 
And the fact that Die let Kaoru do the solo without joining in just makes the track sound more fuller. They need to do this for Uroko as well cuz it calls for the rhythm Guitar section to be played while the soloing is going on. Toshiya alone doesn't cut it. 
 
The whole performance just ROARS. YES. YES. YES....I AM SO HAPPY.