geist

I almost forgot how much I love the kiri to mayu remake, tbh. I could listen to Kaoru improvise chugging riffs on a 7 string guitar for hours. Years ago, when they remade Zan, I said the one remake I wanted was Kiri to Mayu, and they didn't disappoint. And I almost forgot how awful Kyo's voice is on I'll. I mean, it's evident from the very beginning Kyo wasn't the best at staying in key. People thought the IIID Empire remake was bad, and it is; but it's nothing compared to I'll.

I'm not sure if that's saying much, because at times some of the DSS material was a disaster live. I remember when they first started touring DSS material and Different Sense was a mess with a botched Kaoru solo to go with it. At least that part seemed to have been ironed out over the course of touring, but yeesh.

Yeah, idk, definitely conflicted on these re-recordings -- and by the fact these "shot in one take" cuts on the DVD apparently won't be "shot in one take" afterall. Since Sustain The Untruth, the band has been making a conscious effort to get things to a point where their material feels more comfortable to perform live, but that's difficult when Kyo insists on doing weird shit like in IIID Empire. All this really does is make me more anxious for new material.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they backed out at the last minute.

I'm one of the few, but for the most part I can't stand a lot of the "unplugged" and "symphonic" versions Dir en grey release. It just sounds like virtual instruments in a DAW and then slapping on Kyo's original vocals at the end. There's some cool stuff here and there; but otherwise, meh. I mean, it's a great way to add "value" to special editions, but that's all it really is to me -- album filler to make you not feel like an asshole for spending $50 on a CD. The same goes for those god awful Symphonic Versions. Listening to the Mode of Dum Spiro Spero release, not only is Kyo singing out of key half the time; but then those virtual instruments come in and I found myself having to parse through things I enjoyed. The Symphonic Version of LOTUS was OK. Definitely listenable. But Decayed Crow Symphonic Ver.? Really? Why? I guess that stuff isn't for me.

That's the real crime here!

I imagine they wanted to avoid calling it "Live" because they're in the studio, so "shot in one take" makes sense. Kinda like "hey, here's the band performing that song in their studio jam space!". It's a "live" take with all the benefits of being in the studio. I guess they're kinda cool? Either way I really doubt it's that big of a selling point.

Typically when the band uses keys and other instruments that deviate from what they play, they bring in guest musicians to perform as they did with ASOM unplugged. A gentleman by the name of "Tadasuke" recorded the piano on ASOM Unplugged. They probably gave him sheet music and had him improvise and then had Kyo scream and wail into a mic for several minutes.

1. Piano recorded by some random guy, probably 2. Incoherent screams

Yeah, he sounded really good on Mode of THE MARROW OF A BONE; but then we get to Mode of DUM SPIRO SPERO and it's a shit show. Mode of VULGAR was also really good. I don't know what it is. He insists on doing falsetto's for legitimately everything now...for some reason; but he can't replicate it live. There is a clear inability to hit those notes on a consistent basis and is one of the main reasons why my enjoyment of Dir en grey's music has tanked -- at some point Kyo's live performances just become so grating on the ear. I enjoy the studio stuff still; but then when I want to hear it live I have to brace myself for all the out of key notes Kyo's going to sing at any given moment. It's a damn shame tbh

The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Required reading for anyone wanting a first-hand account of the atrocities carried out by the Bolsheviks starting in 1918 and accelerating into the 30s and 40s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulag_Archipelago

I'm surprised to see DSS and Arche so high, relatively speaking. UROBOROS is the clear favorite, and rightfully so; but I would have thought remnants of the old fanbase that despise Dir en grey's latest efforts surely would have sunk their teeth into Vulgar or Kisou and pushed those to the top spots. Perhaps -- though based on a small sample size -- love for Dir en grey's newer releases is far more prominent than I previously thought it would. tbh the list should go something like: Uroboros Macabre Vulgar Dum Spiro Spero Marrow of a Bone Gauze Kisou Withering to Death Arche Arche is the only album (besides Unraveling) that is genuinely difficult for me to finish. The only way I can describe it is "underwhelming". Kyo goes through the motions, gives us a bunch of material he can't even remotely replicate live, and a rough patch near the end of the album (Chain Repulsion - 空谷の跫音) that kills me of boredom worse than the entire junk planet sequence in Transformers The Movie (1986). It's a shame because the rest of their discog I find rather good to excellent; but Arche is the odd man out for me.

I personally love Hydra 666, idk if I necessarily love it on the album, but improved mastering from Tue Madsen is OK with me! and Bugaboo Respira? I don’t even bother lol. I just deleted it because why the fuck do I need that shit? Get rid of that track (and Hydra if you want) and you’ve got virtually the same album! I’m sure this is blasphemy for some, but I can’t be bothered with Bugaboo respira

I recently listened to Uroboros for the first time in 5 years, and I'm surprised how well it's held up for me. Some of their later releases (Unraveling, Dum Spiro Spero, Arche) quickly lost their shine for various reasons, I could rant for hours about those; but Uroboros still holds up as one of my favorite in the band's discog

tbh I would have preferred 4 discs of I'll

That was the big takeaway for me, as well. Forget the album, I want to know what Ruki is wearing.

This may not be very helpful in your case; but you could always try to make your own if you play an instrument and are familiar with basic home audio production.

I wouldn't say he was off key for 100% of that teaser; damn near 50% though -- but hey, that's better than Kyo only bothering to sing 50% of a given song like he used to, right? At least there's an effort being made? I guess?

I'm not entirely sure what it could be; but there was a period when Dir en grey -- a few years ago -- were talking about *simplifying* their songwriting process and getting into the studio to jam with each other more. It feels like Dum Spiro Spero was written entirely in the studio in such a way that they were actually still unfamiliar with the songs when it came time to tour them -- which explains why it took the band so long to get a lot of the DSS songs in working order, and why much of the album still sounds awful live. During their recording sessions they would record alone, play the songs alone, and they almost NEVER -- as far as we know -- played these songs together consistently to actually get to know them, and live with them for a while before going into the studio. Maybe this was a reflection of what you described, marking a difficult time for the band.

Ahh, good ol' Batsu. I remember one of the two characters that were into bootlegs (Deadborn, forget his real name) tried to sell a shitty LOTUS bootleg before the single came out. I don't know what was more embarrassing, the fact the recording was awful (as are most AUD bootlegs), or the fact he was asking for over $500 USD for a single song.

Happy to see Kyo going for that Simple Jack look

I have a very good feeling that Ruki is overreacting, as celebrities are wont to do.

This might be unpopular; but I really really really really like the Pillows. Even their newer stuff, not just the old stuff I have some nostalgia for. They were the first band that got me into J-Rock (through FLCL, obv) and I've never really stopped listening to them since then. Perhaps a big part of my love for them is because of nostalgia, because whenever I hear their music I get feelings of longing for days gone by.

I wish I could attend one of those concerts! Themed shows like that are always so much fun! I hope (even though it probably won't happen) we can start getting previews / another single to promote this album soon because I'm DYING for new GazettE music.

Dir en grey has a strict "no fun allowed" policy. Please enjoy your stay.