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geist

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Posts posted by geist


  1. 10 minutes ago, kuyashii said:

    I'm kinda amused by the fact they chose to finish this album chapter with... a song that doesn't sound anything like it lol. Yeah their first post-album singles never really sounded like they could fit the previous albums very well so it doesn't really surprises me. I wonder if they're still going to pursue this "proggier" direction (I'm not really talking about song lenghts, but you know, more detailed arrangements, more adventurous song structures, that kind of thing) considering TIW was kinda punkish and they probably feel done with that thing for a while?

     

    I won't lie I had dreams of a full-on prog album by them before lol You know, 5-6 songs, all really long :P 

     

    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.


  2. 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


  3. 19 minutes ago, Kabukichoatmidnight said:

    I find that a bit hard to believe as well. Not just that I wouldn't have thought they'd be into Dir, but the fact that any of the members would go to a show? Seriously? I also have not seen any photo/video evidence of this, which I'm almost certain there would have been. Hardly like either band are shy around cameras, and Dir basically documenting every tour overseas they do. But if there is, then throw it this way.

    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/


  4. 3 hours ago, EvilHippy said:

    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.

     

    2 hours ago, Disposable said:

    afaik black:list did this during their live in finland back in the day, so it even happened in the EU. 

     

    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.


  5. 39 minutes ago, saishuu said:

    Sure I'll have trouble because it never felt like a big enough deal in the VK scene for me to actually keep track of it? You can find examples on your own given you don't seem to take my word for it, that's okay.

     

    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. 


  6. 7 minutes ago, saishuu said:

    It's commom practice exactly with those bands who don't have enough material yet, which is why I don't see the problem with them repeating 2 songs during the encore because, well... they're new.

    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. 


  7. On 8/18/2019 at 8:00 AM, Shaolan974 said:

    Setlist at 2019/08/16 at Shibuya REX

     

    SE

    01.MABOROSHI

    02.ANOTHER FACE

    03.Plastic Factory

    04.POISON EATER

    05.soulcage

    06.KaliMa

    07.Grand 0

    08.Phantom Rain (仮)

    09.Halzion

    10.I don’t seek, I find (仮)

    11.BLACK SWAN

    12.XStream

    en

    01.POISON EATER

    02.Plastic Factory

     

    Did they really rehash two songs for the encore? 


  8. 35 minutes ago, nekkichi said:

    I'm just wondering where y'all have been when those albums initially dropped and the locals were creaming themselves over the new-found heaviness they could actually imitate in their little going nowhere personal music projects x

     

    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. 


  9. 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. 


  10. 8 hours ago, GreatNorthernVK said:

    Quick question: I’m seriously pondering a stop on the NA tour this time around. In the past couple meet and greets, were there any photos or autographs allowed? I sprung for the Gazette meet and greet and was disappointed that they allowed neither. Just wanting to know if it’s worth it, especially because I’ve heard that Kyo and  Shinya just go through the motions.

    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


  11. 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.


  12. 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.  


  13. Just now, Tokage said:

    you say that like it's a bad thing lmao

    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.


  14. 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? 

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