Rosner

That's Jens Bogren's trademark snare sample! Would be my only grip with most of his works. Even my favourite of his albums (Paradise Lost's 'Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us') has a perfect drum sound... Sans the snare! But well, works for him in the context of the mix I guess. But I'm definitely with you: the bonus tracks sound so much better than the album... Also, thank you Seelentaus!!! Really interesting read.

Been listening the shit out of the album for the last couples of days, and it just gets better and better. I have no problem with the placement of songs now, and I accept 'Ningen...' and 'Utafumi' now. My only problem would be 'Values of Madness': I still don't like how it is placed after 'Aka'. The rest of it has finally clicked with me. Also got past the production after finding the right EQ and listening device, as Saishu said. I just hope someone rips CD 1 and 2 in good quality, because I can't get enough of 'The Deeper Vileness' remake and it's only on YouTube. Seriously: I'm really happy with what they did to the song. I would love a complete re-recording of 'The Marrow of a Bone'. Going back to 'The Insulated Wolrld'', I honestly think it's a good album with some standout moments (especially the second half), but they could have done better. It still feels rushed and 'simple', though this was something the band was after. Hope we don't have to wait four more years for another album!

Is there somekind of rivalry going on between Dir en grey and The Gazette? I know nothing about VK, but I see a lot of comparisions and feud-like commentaries about them. Seems like the 'Metallica VS Megadeth' of the VK scene. Is it possible Rubish Heap was somekind of parody to The Gazette? I'm really clueless about this enmity. Honestly, I like both bands, but comparing them is like comparing Slipknot to Maudlin of the Well (The Gazette would be Slipknot, obviously). Everything from 'Aka' to 'Ranunculus', except for 'Values of Madness'. The second half of the album has the kind of sound I wanted the band to pursue after Arche. 'Aka' would be the ideal: I'd love hearing an album full of songs like it or 'Rinkaku'. A dreamy atmosphere, almost nostalgic, goth rock arpeggios, post-metal/shoegaze-esque chords, sludgy riffing, soaring solos and of course, Kyo's high vocals. In terms of favourite, 'Zetsuentai' is my definitive choice: I love this kind of songs, and I would also love the band to make an album full of long, progressive dirges like 'Vinushka' or 'Diabolos'. They may be predictable (eerie intro, arpeggios, melodic chorus, build up, death metal/core drumming and riffin, etc.), but I really love them. In fact, I know this is kind of early and pointless, but... What would you like to see on future albums? I would honestly love a double album: CD 1 could be agressive, weird and catchy, while CD 2 could be more experimental and progressive. Just a tought.

Just posted this on the album's official thread: This is INCREDIBLY weird.

Listened to the album today on my garbage cellphone with the worst earbuds I've got... And I'm amazed but how good it sounds! Normally, I would listen to most modern albums at full volume (95% or 100%), but I'm listening to 'The Insulated World' at about 70% loud and it sounds really good. The guitars don't overwhelm the drums and everything sounds controlled. The snare cracks really good and there's some good dynamics between each instrument. Also, I would always listen albums at 95%/100% in order to avoid any external noises bleeding into my ears, but 70% is enough for this album. This is REALLY weird. I'm surprised that I got the best listened experience for the album with the worst audio settings ever... I'm digging 'The Deeper Vileness' remake! I was really excited for it as it is one of the few heavy tracks on 'The Marrow of a Bone' that I enjoy. It's basically the same song, but I like how they made it more agressive. Kyo's growls are amazing! The other remakes don't do much for me, but they are ok. Regarding their engineering I think it's ok but not really good... But still, not as bad as on the actual album! I'm really dissapointed tough, because Jens Bogren is one of my favourite metal producers/engineers EVER, and I had really high hopes... But well, either is his fault for doing some lazy engineering or it's the band's: maybe the original audio tracks are not that good...

They sound 'broken'! I cannot find any better adjective to describe them. When lowering the volume, they sound better, but when turning it up, they are unbearable. I don't know what happened here. I was happy when I listened to them on 'Ranunculus', but know I think I prefer the ones on 'Ningen...'s single, even if they are so dull. I agree with you Manji 卍, 'Vestiges' has an overall better production. It sounds raw, yes, but if they were aiming for a more 'live' and unpolished sound for 'The Insulated World', that kind of production would have benefited the album a lot!

Been listening to the album the whole night, and I definitely cannot stand the engineering. The guitars are my main problem: I cannot take how 'broken' and badly compressed they sound. I agree with Saishu: the lower the volume, the better it sounds. Also, geist is right about getting a different experience with each different audio device. Sadly, I listened to it on studio monitors and on professional mixing headphones (no pre-EQ) and it has a lot of problems. I also listened to the album on some low-tier Sennheiser HD 202, which have an acceptable bass boost, and it sounds kinda better. Later, I'm going to listen to it on my cellphone with the worst earbuds I can find: that's the true trial by fire for me. And finally, going to try listening to it on some DT-770 tomorrow! Also, I was so upset about the mixing/mastering that I decided to play with the songs a little. I created more headroom, used some RX6 to cut some reverb and crackle and then 'uncompressed' it and applied a basic mastering chain. I'm REALLY far from an audio engineer, but I think it sounds more bearable, especially the distorted guitars. Also a lot of extra layers like the synths (or violins?!) on 'Zetsuentai' cut better through the mix. I still can't get around how loud the cymbals sound tough. May upload it later, but I still have faith the CD-rip is going to be more bearable. What's just really fun about all this is that a YouTube user named Yurameki uploaded almost every song of the album to the aforementioned site and it all sounds better. Weird thing, considering YouTube tends to compress the audio, sometimes causing a drastic quality loss. But to be honest, aside from the production, I'm enjoying the album more and more with each listen, especially the second half. The last four songs are amongst the best the band has composed in years.

YES! I'm feeling the same... The distorted guitars sound really compressed and have some sort of clipping. I cannot stand them!

I think 'Ningen...' as the album opener would be interesting. Maybe I just would love for it to get out of the way soon, but then, it has an appropiate intro and outro, which would connect well with the actual first two songs on the album ('Keibetsu...' and 'Devote My Life'). Regarding the rest, I need time to think of an specific order, but I would love for it to be an 'A-side'/'B-side' album with the heavier tracks on the first half and the more experimental/progressive/atmospheric/whatever tracks on the second half. Kind of what we got, but even better placed.

I came to say similar things! 'Aka' really feels like 'Rinkaku pt. 2', I love it! Overall, I'm enjoying the album a lot! Especially the second half. It feels like a missing link between 'Dum Spiro Spero' and 'Arche', and while the songs are less layered than before, they still have a lot of interesting things to unearth with each new listen. The mixing/engineering would be my main complain. There's so much compression and clipping on the harsh vocals and on the distorted guitars (they sound so horrible...). Hope the CD rip has a better quality, but my hopes are low. I also do not like how the album flows during the first half. A different song order would have done wonders. Maybe this is because I'm a sucker for conceptual albums, but I would have loved for it to have a better pacing. The last four songs flow so amazingly, especially how 'Zetsuentai' segues into 'Ranunculus'. Speaking of pacing, 'Ningen...' and 'Utafumi' really feel out of place and kind of break the flow for me. I like the new vocals for both songs, but they seem to be on a different kind of vibe than the rest of the songs on the album. Also, everything seems really rushed. The second half seems far more polished than the first, with songs that are more 'progressive' and less in your face. I'm really loving songs like 'Keigaku no Yoku' that seem to achieve a lot of the styles and overtones of the band in just 4 and half minutes (even when I feel it ends too abruptly). Song by song, I would briefly say: 'Keibetsu to Hajimari': amazing album opener, I like the energy on this track a lot! 'Devote My Life': really digging the mathcore riffing here. I like how this flows with the first track like if they were just one song. 'Ningen o kaburu': feels really out of place. I like the new vocals, but yet it seems like a song that's on the wrong album. 'Celebrate Empty Howls': loving this! Reminds me of 'Untouchables'-era Korn a lot! The extra percussion really works, and Kyo's clean are incredible! 'Utafumi': I really like the new vocals, sans the backing ones. Not as out of place as 'Ningen...'; maybe I'm just tired of this song. 'Rubbish Heap': it's like 'The Inferno pt. 2', but with better songrwritting and with one of the best climaxes on the album! (AMAZING vocal lines). 'Aka': as said before, 'Rinkaku pt. 2'. I was hoping for an album full of songs like this. I really like this post-metal/gaze vibe. Very beautiful. 'Values of Madness': placed after 'Aka', kind of breaks the flow, but again, same thing happened with 'Rinkaku' followed by 'Chain Repulsion' on 'ARCHE' and I got used by it. Love the song, but the extra section does nothing for me though (I prefer the promo edit). 'Downfall': love the riffing, even some black metal-esque tremolo riffing in there. Even if it is the shortest song on the album, there's a lot of things going on. 'Followers': reminds me of songs like 'Behind a Vacant Image', really digging it. 'Keigaku no Yoku': on of my favourites in the album. Too bad it ends so abruptly. Love the eerie atmosphere. It's like 'Diabolos' little brother. 'Zetsuentai': best on the album for me... But well, I'm that kind of people that would love a total progressive Dir en grey album. 'Ranunculus': love how well connected to the previous track it is! The extra sections make the song sound fuller, especially the ending. Amazing way to end the album.

JENS BOGREN? HOLY SHIIIIIIT!!!! Is it leaked already?

Original Uroboros! I love it's raw, analog and 'weird' mixing. Also, I'm a big fan of bands that bury the vocals in the mix or have them on volumes that are lower than the standards for popular music, so I'm ok with how the vocals are mixed: when vocals are not the predominant instrument, I'm more than happy. Also, the drums are weird but feel real, which is always a plus. I also enjoy the muddy guitars and think they really work in the mix overall. Lastly, and most important, the original version has a vibe that's difficult to describe... Somekind of 'ancient' and 'arcane' atmosphere, if that makes any sense. On the other hand, I cannot stand the remix/remaster: that atmosphere I tried to describe is completely lost thanks to the clean and polished sound. My main problem comes from the drum samples. I do not like them: they sound tiny and don't have the same kind of impact that the original ones got. It's obvious they tried to match the modern metal/core-esque perfection of Dum Spiro Spero and there was heavy editing/triggering on drums and guitars. I also do not like the extra content: the extended 'Sa Bir' does nothing for me, same for 'Bugaboo (Respira)'. Also, the inclusion of 'Hydra 666' breaks the flow of the album for me. However, the remix/remaster is not totally bad: there are really amazing things, like the beautiful drum panning and how everything breathes better than on the original. I just don't think the crystal clear production fits the experimental and erratic nature of the album. As Asakusa hinted, a sound that could be something in between both versions could be really interesting. I like polished and well produced/mixed albums, but I would never trade that for atmosphere!

New samples sound great! Getting a big 'ARCHE part 2' vibes now. Seems like the songs are definitely going to be short but with many things going on around. Also, there's seems to be a lot of variety: just hope the whole album flows well and haves no filler at all (50 minutes sounds promising).

Really excited for this!!! To be honest, I was hoping for a more progressive and experimental album, but this in-your-face approach seems nice. Some songs seem to have mallcore riffing and even some mathcore patterns going on. I just hope there's room for laidback and atmospheric parts too and this is not just total violence. If they are going for something like 'The Marrow of a Bone' but they manage to make the heavy songs interesting, then I'm sold! So '絶縁体' is going to be an epic track? GREAT! That's exactly what I wanted. If it is like 'Vinushka' or 'Diabolo's, then I'm happy. I hope there's lots of variety on the album: that's something that I found great about 'ARCHE'. If they can pull a varied album that's 50 minutes (as speculated) long and with no filler, maybe we could be getting the best Dir en grey album in years! 'Values of Madness' sounds like 'Chain Repulsion' part 2. It's fun, weird and has a big chorus: It's very clear they were going for a more 'live songs' thing, and it really works. On the other hand, I've always loved 'THE DEEPER VILENESS' (one of the few heavy songs on 'The Marrow...' that I truly enjoy). Seems they are giving it a great treatment. '理由' has me really pumped too!

LOVE that moment! Same kind of harmony happens in 'Dreambox' at around 03:16. It's really subtle, but very effective: DSS has amazing production and arrangements overall!

I knew the visual kei movement was originally inspired by darkwave bands, butI didn't knew that Dead Can Dance was such a big influence! To me is one of the best bands in the history of music: they are just out of this world, and their music has a really strange and moving vibe that's hard to replicate. They just announced a new album ('Dionysus') to be released in November! Really excited: 'Anastasis' is one of the best reunion albums ever, so I have really high hopes.

It would say live sound engineering is a different and even a more complex job! Say you have been working with the band for years: you know what instruments they use, what amps they use, how their setup works, what levels should the vocals have, etc. You also know the songs very well, so you know how to work around the faders. And you also have the backing tracks, which the band uses a lot (synths, additional instruments, samples, etc.). Ok, let's say you have a setup ready for all of that and during rehearses it works marvelously... But then you got to the venue, and you have never ever been in that place. Your setup does not work!!! So you need to improvise, you need to soundcheck with just a couple of songs, you need to do some technical and mathematical stuff that scares me, you need to adjust your settings, you need to accomodate to the venue dimensions and you need to have in mind how the natural reverb and echo of the place affect the sound... AND THAT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE NIGHT WHEN TOURING! A studio engineer has a more relaxed job: if he/she records in an studio he/she owns and also uses his/her own equipment for mixing/mastering/etc., then he/she's going to have an easier ride than a live sound engineer. Even when changing studios or gear, there's still less stress than a live engineer, who has to do things hastily and with no room for big mistakes. Also, if the studio engineer has experience and if the band has a big budget (which means they have a lot of time to expend), then surely it's going to be a pleasurable experience. I'm sure the band's current sound engineer for live shows has been working with them for years. He/She knows the band, knows the songs and also knows the venues: if the band played a lot of shows on the same places and he/she was in charge of their sound during those shows, then surely he/she knows what to do beforehand!!! I remembered when Dir en grey came to my country (Argentina) a few years ago (2011): most foreign bands that come here to play and are not big stadium bands have most of the times really bad sounding shows. That's either a) because the promoters for the tours don't have the money to pay for the 'full experiencie', so the bands came to play without their own engineer (leaving the one in the venue in charge, which really is bad idea), or b) the band doesn't have a live engineer or does not bother to tour with the engineer outside of their country or continent. So far, I can only thing of six small-venue shows that sounded AMAZING during the whole show: Opeth, Katatonia, Gojira, Alcest, Dead Can Dance and of course, Dir en grey. Opeth, Katatonia, Gojira and Alcest toured with their sound engineers: this was confirmed to me by one of the organizers of the show (an acquaintance of mine). Dead Can Dance is a really important and big band for music overall; they played a small venue because people here are very ignorant, but they are really professional, so I'm sure they brought their own egineer. Regarding Dir en grey, I just can only theorize they brought their own engineer too, because it was one of the best shows I've even seen (and heard): perfect sound since the first minute (sadly, the audience was one of the worst I've ever seen in a concert EVER, and while I tried not to pay attention to them, it was a really sad experience...).

Really? I think it sounds way better than on 'Utafumi' and 'Nigen...'. Of course it's no (lets say...) 'Ænima'-quality drum tone, but I think it sounds way better than on 'Ningen...'. The toms re now bearable and controlled, the bass drum has more body and less click and the snare sounds more 'inside the mix' than before. It's a vast improvement for me. Also, the overall improved sound of the band (less muddy and bass-driven guitars, for example), really help the mix. BUT I agree that the mixing could be this album's downfall: I have the feeling that either a) the whole album was remixed to have cohesion and uniformity or that b) the album is going to be a 'Frankenstein', with each song having a complete different mixing and then an overall mastering that tries to glue 'em all together. Here's hoping for a... but if it is b, then I'll be punching my speakers too!!! The overall rhythm guitar tone in 'Ranunculus' sounds way more satisfactory than on 'Utafumi' and 'Ningen...'. It seems they finally got rid of the 'mid scooped' sound with boosted bass and now they are letting the guitars shine like they are supossed to. Also, the way the bass is mixed really helps: I'm really digging it this way because, while you can perfectly hear it, it does not have the same mid-range presence as on previous records. It also does not seem to clash with the bass drum, which is the ideal thing for me! Regarding the question, I'm no expert (hope to be some day!), but I'll try to answer. Honestly, I can't tell which part(s) Kaoru is playing, but I just can tell you this: for metal music, when you have wide guitar panning, there's a lot of things you have to do in order to make them sound right. Most of the times (on modern metal, of course), you have the same amp sound double tracked (or even quadtracked) and hard panned: you obtain the sense of stereo wideness thanks to the millisecond differences between each take. So, there's the possibility that both Kaoru and Die used the same amp settings (hell, the same vst or amp modelers surely!) when recording their takes. Also, the guitars used during the recording affect the sound too: maybe they both used the same guitar, maybe not. Keep in mind that going into the studio has a really different approach than playing live for most bands. They could, for example, be endorsed by ESP and play with those guitars live, but on studio they may be recording with, I don't know... Let's say a Les Paul Custom '86 (Boris! Haha) for the rhythm parts, an old Telecaster for the cleans, a Jackson for the solos, some acoustic guitars... Today, I think the band sounds way better live than on studio, which is oddly amusing! There's other possibility: when a band has a guitar player that's clearly best than the other when it comes to rhythm guitar playing, a lot of producers and engineers make that guitar player record every take in order to avoid slopiness. For me, both Kaoru and Die are great and have different styles, but I would say Die is a tighter player (and you have to consider Kaoru's recent problems with his hand here; what if he wasn't fully healed when recording?) . So, let's say the engineer or producer, or maybe even the band was aware of that, and decided that Die must record all of the rhythm guitar parts. I highly doubt this happened, because the way Die and Kaoru play different things on each side is one of the main traits of the band's music for me (but well, I bet Die could learn Kaoru's lines quickly), but it's also an option -although a far-fetched one considering Kaoru is the leader here-. Then there's one other possible scenario: what if they used different amps for the rhythm guitars? Or different amp/vst/modeler/etc. settings? If that's the case, then they are harder to work with than when the guitars are recorded with the same amps. Of course it's not impossible to make them work, its just harder. For the 'Dum Spiro Spero' sound, it is clear they were using the same settings on each side. I like that guitar sound for that style of music (let's say 'deathcore'), but I think it wouldn't work on a song like 'Ranunculus'. Just check out 'Lotus' single version and then compare it with the album version: the guitars lose a lot brightness. 'Ranunculus' hasn't metal riffs or chugging: it's mainly centered on the 'clean' leads (which, by the way, sound great!) and on the distorted chord progressions in the choruses. There's just one kind of riff at 01:26-01:28 and it sounds like shit (maybe it's intentional).

I agree with most of what has been said about 'Ranunculus'. While I'm loving the song (really nice use of the hang drum and a beautiful and powerful chorus), it feels way to short. It's like there's something missing: wish it a was a minute longer! During the first listens, the 'ranunculus, ranunculus' bridge sounded weird, like if Kyo started to sing out of tempo. Hope the album version has more cohesion. Still, I really like how this one is mixed and my faith for the whole album has been restored. Also, it sounds like a proper album closer: I'm eager to see how the singles fit within the albums continuity.

Finally!!! Ranunculus preview: Ok, I wasn't expecting that! I thought it was going to be a mellow ballad, really calm and depressive... This snippets makes it sound like something closer to 'Lotus' or 'Rinkaku', which is amazing! Really digging the visuals of the video, and also really digging the positive vibes of the song. Everything reminds me of a fairytale.... Also, maybe it's because I was in the studio all day long and thus I have my ears really fatigued, but... Don't you think the mix sounds way better than on 'Utafumi' and 'Ningen...'?! I like the dynamics between the snare and the drum, and the toms sound more controlled now. The rhythm guitars also sound more pleasant, at least to my (tired) ears. Here's hoping the album has a good or at least bearable sound!

'Ningen...' sounds good live! The chorus sounds weak, but I think that's because its heavily layered on the single. Also, it may get better with time, just like it happened with a lot of other songs. I'm digging the backing vocals!

Official artworks unveiled, one for each edition: Wasn't expecting this... I thought they were going for a different art style, similar to the one hinted at the lastest promotional band photoshoot (white, pure and kind of ethereal, with some sort of a 'traditional asian' vibe -at least that was what Kaoru, Toshiya and Die's clothes seemed to hint for me). This looks like a mix between Tool and Björk. I really like it, but it seems weird! I give a lot of importance to an album's artwork, and it changes how I perceive its music. The only thing I do not like is the deathcore-ish font. On a second thought, it looks like a similar font to In Flames' 'A Sense of Purpose'...

I agree with most of what Kelrya said! 'Arche' is a difficult album to listen to. In fact, songs like 'Kaishun' only clicked for me after a couple of years of listening to the album, because I would always be too tired when listening to it when I played 'Arche' as a whole. 'Tousei', 'Magayasou', 'Kaishun' and 'Behind a Vacant Image' where for me the same song (...), until I started to listen to each one of them individually. Regarding 'Soshaku', I love it! I had trouble at first with how lackluster the verses are, but one the chorus kicks in, it really shines. That also may be because it's the second song on the album, so it's easier to like when listening to the whole thing. Regarding 'Midwife', I only started to appreciate it a couple of months ago! I love the dissonances and the goth-rock-esque arpeggios and melodies it has. Now, it is one of my favourite ones on the album. That's what I love about this band: I always keep coming to the records and I keep finding new things when re-listening to them. With the announcement of the re-recording of 'The Deeper Vileness' for the new album, I went back to 'The Marrow of a Bone' and payed more attention to that song. To be honest, I kind of despise the nu-metal/core tracks of that album, especially 'Lie Buried with a Vengeance', but I kind of enjoy 'The Deeper Vileness' more now. There are some really good ideas amidst the mallcore riffing and the goofy lyrics. About 'Sustain the Untruth' (or 'Sustain the WahWah', as I like to call it), I think it is a fun song, but as Seelentau said, it is so overplayed that I don't want to hear it anymore. I also think it has no place on 'Arche': a dated nu-metal song on an otherwise original and progressive album? Not even the the solo and Die's awesome leads save it from being a low-tier song. As blacktooth says, it's silly how they force them on their setlists.; feels like they are trying to write a couple of catchy and simple songs that work well live. I cannot believe how Kaoru enjoys playing it! He always looks so happy and does that 'wah wah' motion with his mouth... I would love if some of the early singles would stay out of the album's final cut: 'Hageshisa...', 'Lotus' and 'Rinkaku' worked really well, but I feel like 'Utafumi' and 'Ningen...' are going to be the new 'Sustain the Untruth's of the new album. Wish 'Arche' had 'Tefu Tefu' instead of 'Sustain the Untruth'...

Thank you very much! I thought it was going to be a full ballad without 'rock sections', interesting. If it is similar to 'Kukoku no Kyoon', then I'm definitely going to love it! A really interesting choice for an album closer. I wonder how conceptual is the order of the songs going to be. While I loved 'Arche', sometimes it sounded more like a collection of songs due to it's weird pacing.

'Conceived Sorrow' is one of my favourite opening tracks ever, and one of my favourites by the band. I really love the piano, the smooth bassline and the dramatism. 'Ware, Yami Tote...' is like 'Conceived Sorrow' but on stereoids! I like the drumming and the crescendo in Kyo's performance (those screams at 05:20 - 05:26 are soul crushing). I enjoy 'Vanitas' a lot too. The guitar solo is one of Kaoru and Die's finest moment, especially the tremolo harmonies and everything that follows that section. A moment of calmness amidst Dum Spiro Spero's bipolar violence. Regarding 'ARCHE', I love 'Kukoku no Kyon', possibly my favourite track on the whole album. They really nailed the acoustic guitar sound, and that synth (or is it an e-bowed guitar?!) creates a really melancholic atmosphere. The Utafumi version with Sugizo on violin takes the song to a whole other level: the chorus hits really hard. Seelentau, could you describe Ranunculus? I imagine it as a mix of the dark and gloomy vibe of 'Conceived Sorrow' with the piano driven and ethereal beauty of 'Rinkaku' (without the doom and technical riffing, of course).