geist

I disagree somewhat only because after the central heavy section, we get programmed sounds that are reminiscent to the beginning and ending of Ranunculus. This song is sure as hell not a "leftover" -- a trendy phrase thrown around with little meaning -- but it's a very clear continuation of what they built on in The Insulated World, without a doubt. This song has more in common with the likes of 絶縁体 than anything else; but it's more complex, it's richer in sound and musical development.

Very good single. This is a far more mature approach by the band even if there are minor points here and there that I find lacking. The overall development of the song is great, the middle section features some new style riffing from Kaoru, and then the climactic ending ties it all together into an amazing finish. This is the Vinushka ending but heightened to such an incredible degree I don't think I can listen to Vinushka anymore. Vinushka, Diabolos -- those songs feel so juvenile by comparison to this new style. I love this shit. EDIT: though I will say -- this band deserves a better drummer than Shinya

James Hetfield wouldn't just be hanging out with the rest of the crowd, he would have been on the side of the stage or in the stands at the Gramercy. He was at the November 11th show, 2009, at the Gramercy. I was there, I didn't see Hetfield; but on the 14th I saw a surprising amount of Japanese businessmen there. Probably label execs or something, so it would definitely make sense Hetfield would also be in attendance a few days prior since he was in town for a gig at MSG. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-frontman-attends-dir-en-grey-concert-in-new-york-city/

Early buzz indicates this song is pretty much like Vinushka and all their other "long" songs: starts off slow and builds to a fast/heavy section.

Dozing Green sounds like the first good acoustic or “unplugged” track since Undecided. Shits gonna be fire.

This shit is next level. Over 10 minutes of this? Hell yeah.

A single over 10 minutes long? I'm expecting big things from this.

That doesn't apply. I said "barring specific circumstances". An encore sing-along with fans is one of those "specific circumstances" I was talking about. Once "back in the day" is not "common place". My argument has been this is not common place except maybe among bad VK bands. So far I've been proven correct in that assertion.

That’s an odd response. It seems weird to me you would make assertions and then be unable to back them up like that. This may be the first time I’ve ever seen a band play the same two songs in the encore that they did in their set; but I’ll start paying extra attention just for you.

If it’s common practice you’ll have no trouble citing several examples from the past year, right? It’s definitely not common in music; but among bad VK acts then maybe.

To my knowledge, it’s not, barring any special circumstances. Chances are those songs were replayed because they don’t have enough material yet.

Did they really rehash two songs for the encore?

lmao true true. I think there’s a fundamental difference between the music as a composition and the vocals though. The music is excellent (bless Papa Kaoru) but the vocal delivery is all over the place and a turn off for me. If I had my way I’d have Kyo re-record the vocals or have someone else do them entirely. These feelings for me started around The Unraveling when Kyos vocals really became over indulgent. He’s doing all these unnecessary wails and it just throws me out of the music. Kyo is generally great and what he lacks in chops he makes up for in creativity; but lately that “creativity” has begun to wear thin.

Arche was the reason I temporarily stopped listening to the band, The Insulated World is why I came back. Arche isn’t bad but there’s nothing going for it. In total it’s an album with cool parts but nothing holds it together for me maybe because there’s so much filler. Also, let’s stop pretending Kyos vocals weren’t awful around 2013-2015. With Dum Spiro Spero and Arche, Kyo began relying on those falsettos that he can’t reliably hit. They’re all over Arche and when they play these songs live, even songs from DSS, they don’t sound as good as they do on the record because they’re songs crafted in the studio with things Kyo could only do in the studio. The Insulated World is an album the band can actually perform live, sounds great live, and shows the band at a creative peak no one expected them to hit. TIW is better than Uroboros by a long shot and maybe even DSS largely because they’re dealing with more complicated song ideas. The material is just so much more interesting. The only downside is the production isn’t as great as Uroboros but I tend not to obsess over that stuff. The Insulated World is great and deserves to be in company with the likes of Uroboros and Dum Spiro Spero.

Hizumi must be desperate for money. This band FUCKING SUCKS

Typically what happens -- or what has happened the past couple of years -- is the band stands behind a barricade and people stand/sit in front of them and get their picture taken. There is very minimal interaction with them, and sometimes they let you do questions for a few minutes. The value, and if it's "worth" the $148, is entirely based on your own subjective assessment. For me it's worth it because I've been dying to ask Kaoru guitar-related questions for fucking ever. I don't care about getting a picture, I don't care about the laminate, I don't care about early access to the venue or the merch -- all I want to do is ask Kaoru guitar related stuff so I can pick his brain. That's worth $148 imo

Arche as a whole is really good; but there are a few tracks I can't stand including Midwife, Kaishun, and Sustain The Untruth. Midwife isn't a "bad" song per se; but holy shit that intro is terrible. I've ranted about this several times before. Kaoru writes this amazing groove and what does Die do? He fucking ruins it with this terrible lead work. And OF COURSE it's a few db higher than Kaoru in the mix so you get this awful lead guitar passage and all the good shit is buried underneath it. Fuck that song. One of these days I'll stop being lazy and write my own lead passage for a cover; but right now I'd rather keep complaining.

I'm a simple man. I see Dir en grey coming back to the States, I book a hotel room.

THIS FUCKING SUCKS. Why did they make a video that's 2 minutes long and only include 1:30 of music? When your music is that boring, I guess it makes sense.

There’s about 3-4 songs on this album that are exceptional, the rest are pretty boring or downright terrible.

Dorothy is one of those songs a fake Japanese band would make as a joke. I can picture the PV already: cats in kimonos dancing in front of a backdrop of Mt. Fuji and the Japanese flag. Mix in some 80’s filter aesthetics, and you’ve got a banger.

A lot of good ideas on this album, which I suspect are Takumi's. A lot of not-so-good ideas on this album, which I suspect are Kyo's.

I'm just saying it would be a weird experience showing up to a sukekiyo show expecting to snort coke off a fat goth's manboob only to find a bunch of teenage girls dancing and waving in a synchronized VK dance cult.

I'm struggling to find the appeal of sukekiyo. They're the kind of group you would find in a New York nightclub full of drugged-out techno goths ripping coke and ecstasy in the bathroom. To my knowledge, such a thing is non-existent in Japan. So what's the point?

We take our androgynous Japanese musicians VERY seriously around these parts.