kuyashii

Which songs got better mixes? I kind of skipped over Vestige.
 
Also pretty sure Gauze was their most expensive production, so that's probably why it sounds so good.

Changing the topic a bit, why are their mixes always so bad? I think Gauze might be their best-sounding album in terms of production. Macabre sounds fairly good too (even though I'm not really a fan of the music per se), but then everything between Kisou and Marrow sounds so thin and weak! I actually like the messy sound of the original Uroboros album but I agree it's not everyone's cup of tea. Dum Spiro Spero sounds fairly good, even though the music doesn't have much "depth", but then all of their post-Rinkaku releases  sound so mechanical, specially the drums, which sound too triggered.
 
Also, I still think all those "From Depression to" DVDs were absolutely pointless and all that touring didn't did anything other than delay the release of the album for a long time. I know they were aiming for something big for the 20th anniversary, but I think it would be much better if they remastered their earlier albums. There's so  many great songs, it's a pity their production isn't always the best. Thankfully Vestige of Scratches corrected that issue for a couple of tracks, but a lot of my favorite songs from earlier relases weren't touched.

It's pretty weird for me to see how much criticism Shinya's drumming gets because I always had him as one of my favorite drummers. Of course he doesn't really work as a "metal" drummer but his style is pretty unique, reminds me of Nick Mason from Pink Floyd with all the weird tom rolls and weird accents. When it comes to live performances I agree that he doesn't always replicate his drumlines perfectly, but on his defense he developed stress fracture of the ribs around 2011 from overtouring (they talk about that on one of the Age Quod Agis DVDs but I don't remember which  one) and aparently never recovered from that (and well, he is on his 40s, he doesn't really has all the physic prowess he used to have when he was younger). I think he's like the drumming equivalent of Kyo in a sense: his studio work is really nuts but he's not the most technical musician live, so he goes over his limitations with a lot of determination and intensity (I don't really see that as positive though, in the end it only makes their conditions get worse  )

DEG almost always gives nonsense for bonus material. If it’s not a song remixed with burps and farts then it’s Kyo’s studio tracks pasted over music not played by the band. 
 
At least Arche gave us And Zero and Tefu Tefu. 

Ningen will probably have a new mix. Whether or not it’s better is up in the air. 
 
My opinion is that only the first two discs for Vestige were remastered. The stuff on the third disc sounds untouched to me. 

I often wonder how much the band influences the final mix. Even when they work with one mixing engineer for several projects (Tue Madsen) the quality varies. And Tue Madsen was the one that jacked up the album mix of Hageshisa so badly. 
 
Overall the main problem is too much compression, which started with Unraveling pretty much. I think everything has sounded the same ever since 2013. 

I think the terrible sound of almost every Dir en grey release is something most of us agree upon. There doesn't seem to be an appropriate answer for it, and I'm sure it is not budget related. I've always theorized about the band's role as their own producers, having total control of their music. Maybe this affects the recording and mixing engineer's work and we end having weird sounding albums.
 
I do not know how much knowledge about music production the band has, but sometimes I think they like to experiment with the recordings and the results are very hit or miss. One thing for sure: since 'Uroboros', elements like, for example, vocal layering have gotten better. Other elements, are really getting weirder, like the rhythm guitar's hard panning, the loud and clicking bass sound and the mechanic and heavy-triggered drum sound you've already noticed. Sometimes they really work, sometimes (most of the times) they don't.
 
I agree 'Dum Spiro Spero' sounds really amazing: I think it is their best and most modern album production-wise, but the 'deathcore' style sometimes makes the things weird and opaque (just compare how the album version of 'Hageshisa...'' sounds contrasted to the single version). I also love 'Uroboros' production: it really fits the 'acoustic' and weird approach the album has and I think the remixed/remastered edition kills it's mood with the crystal clear production and the ultra-triggered drum sound (the bass drum sounds like a basketball and I really miss the Danny Carey-esque snare sound). 'The Unraveling' also has a similar production to DSS, and I think it is also one of the best sounding ones. What happened with 'Arche' is really a mystery...
 
Regarding previous albums, I think the band's identity crisis could also provide an answer. As you said, 'Gauze' and Macabre' sound pretty good, especially for being their first albums, but 'Kisou' sound really weird (though the 'garage' sound really works in songs like 'Bottom of the Death Valley'. Since their shift to a more 'westernized' sound (especially with 'Six Ugly'), they seem to have been struggling with finding a balanced mixing sound. 'Vulgar' is definitely the one that sounds really thin, and the bass drum sample is truly annoying (but well, I got used to it).
 
'Withering to Death' is maybe their most balanced pre-Uroboros release, sound-wise of course. To me, it sounds really pleasant and 'calm': it is good for the dynamic range, but at the same time it draws back the power of the heaviest songs on the album. Regarding ''The Marrow of a Bone', I kind of like the rawness of it, because it seems to mimic Ross Robinson's style, very fitting for the album's sound.
 
Now, for 'The Insulated World' singles... It seems to be in the same direction as 'Arche'. 'Utafumi' sounds like it was live recorded, with vocals, synths and extra guitars overdubbed later. Reminds me of what a traditional doom metal band would do in studio with producers like Jaime Gomez Arellano, but I think it doesn't work really well for Dir en grey's present style. On the other hand, 'Ningen Wo Kaburu' has a better quality, but still has that weird 'Arche' sound (specially the drums... The tom samples are horrible!!!). The mastering also seems bloated, but I think it's a consequence of the lackluster mixing...
 
 

I love how raw and crazy the screaming is on MOAB.

Wouldn’t it be something if it came to light that Kyo’s half-deaf ass had the final say in the album mixes?
 
As for Vestige, I think the only songs that benefitted were the ones from Vulgar and WtD. 

Changing the topic a bit, why are their mixes always so bad? I think Gauze might be their best-sounding album in terms of production. Macabre sounds fairly good too (even though I'm not really a fan of the music per se), but then everything between Kisou and Marrow sounds so thin and weak! I actually like the messy sound of the original Uroboros album but I agree it's not everyone's cup of tea. Dum Spiro Spero sounds fairly good, even though the music doesn't have much "depth", but then all of their post-Rinkaku releases  sound so mechanical, specially the drums, which sound too triggered.
 
Also, I still think all those "From Depression to" DVDs were absolutely pointless and all that touring didn't did anything other than delay the release of the album for a long time. I know they were aiming for something big for the 20th anniversary, but I think it would be much better if they remastered their earlier albums. There's so  many great songs, it's a pity their production isn't always the best. Thankfully Vestige of Scratches corrected that issue for a couple of tracks, but a lot of my favorite songs from earlier relases weren't touched.

Changing the topic a bit, why are their mixes always so bad? I think Gauze might be their best-sounding album in terms of production. Macabre sounds fairly good too (even though I'm not really a fan of the music per se), but then everything between Kisou and Marrow sounds so thin and weak! I actually like the messy sound of the original Uroboros album but I agree it's not everyone's cup of tea. Dum Spiro Spero sounds fairly good, even though the music doesn't have much "depth", but then all of their post-Rinkaku releases  sound so mechanical, specially the drums, which sound too triggered.
 
Also, I still think all those "From Depression to" DVDs were absolutely pointless and all that touring didn't did anything other than delay the release of the album for a long time. I know they were aiming for something big for the 20th anniversary, but I think it would be much better if they remastered their earlier albums. There's so  many great songs, it's a pity their production isn't always the best. Thankfully Vestige of Scratches corrected that issue for a couple of tracks, but a lot of my favorite songs from earlier relases weren't touched.

Changing the topic a bit, why are their mixes always so bad? I think Gauze might be their best-sounding album in terms of production. Macabre sounds fairly good too (even though I'm not really a fan of the music per se), but then everything between Kisou and Marrow sounds so thin and weak! I actually like the messy sound of the original Uroboros album but I agree it's not everyone's cup of tea. Dum Spiro Spero sounds fairly good, even though the music doesn't have much "depth", but then all of their post-Rinkaku releases  sound so mechanical, specially the drums, which sound too triggered.
 
Also, I still think all those "From Depression to" DVDs were absolutely pointless and all that touring didn't did anything other than delay the release of the album for a long time. I know they were aiming for something big for the 20th anniversary, but I think it would be much better if they remastered their earlier albums. There's so  many great songs, it's a pity their production isn't always the best. Thankfully Vestige of Scratches corrected that issue for a couple of tracks, but a lot of my favorite songs from earlier relases weren't touched.

It means 喜(Che, pleasure)怒(do, anger)哀(a, griefs)楽(ra, joy) in Japanese which describes four basic human emotions.

First listen thoughts:
 
This was very different from what I was expecting, since I was guessing it would be heavy af from start to finish. Surprisingly the moments where they opt for a more progressive/atmospheric sound ("Hito to Katachi", "D. Hymnus", etc.) are much better than the ones where they go heavy. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a bit of pop sensibility that works well even when interspersed with the heavy elements (like on "Grotesque" for example). I was a bit disappointed by the heavy stuff since it didn't sound nowhere as interesting as the pre-released songs (I think "Mad [K]" might be my favorite track on the heavier side). I'm a tad disappointed but overall it's a pretty solid album and I think its short lenght was actually a good thing because nothing really overstays its welcome and the result doesn't really make you tired. I think it can have potential to grow on me with more listens.
 
Funny how they pulled out a reverse Dir en Grey and released the best songs as singles BTW.

Not gonna lie, it's a pretty hard album to digest. Will have to listen to it a few more times...

This band wasn’t anything special before Issei left because they were more or less Periphery fronted by a Kyo stan. And Issei’s drum tone was garbage. Hiroshi sounds like he’s actually back there playing a real drum kit. 

MEME is Turkish for titties......

It's pretty weird for me to see how much criticism Shinya's drumming gets because I always had him as one of my favorite drummers. Of course he doesn't really work as a "metal" drummer but his style is pretty unique, reminds me of Nick Mason from Pink Floyd with all the weird tom rolls and weird accents. When it comes to live performances I agree that he doesn't always replicate his drumlines perfectly, but on his defense he developed stress fracture of the ribs around 2011 from overtouring (they talk about that on one of the Age Quod Agis DVDs but I don't remember which  one) and aparently never recovered from that (and well, he is on his 40s, he doesn't really has all the physic prowess he used to have when he was younger). I think he's like the drumming equivalent of Kyo in a sense: his studio work is really nuts but he's not the most technical musician live, so he goes over his limitations with a lot of determination and intensity (I don't really see that as positive though, in the end it only makes their conditions get worse  )

I was salty as fuck at first because of llll-Ligro- disbanding and cancelling Tomurai...then DIMLIM beefed everything up. I'm glad issei left, they really weren't that interesting with him in it, These past three songs have been spectacular and been replayed daily. Didn't think I'd be hyped so soon after being severely disappointed, I hope sho finds a different scream technique so he doesn't ruin his voice in the near future. (like hinata...ily hinata)

Haven't been this hyped for a release in a really long while. It's downright ridiculous how much they evolved in such a short timespan. Specially Sho, his early vocals were cringy af but now he's definitely one of the best vocalists from the current j-scene (I'm still not really a fan of all that inhaling since it's a quick trip to a wrecked voice but I can't deny he does it pretty well). As instrumentist they all had the technical chops since the beginning but good god the songwriting was laughable (though I'm aware Issei was their main composer before he left the band). It's pretty cool how they went from "this is so bad it's good" in Aharewata to "this is actually pretty cool" in Vanitas to "OMFG THIS IS AMAZING" in Shigarami. I still haven't really absorbed Aijou no Tsuki really well but that doesn't diminish my enthusiasm for the upcoming album.