VESSMIER

'tis the season 
 

Small haul of oldies, but goodies.

test-No. - test-No. 004
Malice Mizer - Beast of Blood
Malice Mizer - Voyage
Redian Mode - Hysteric
Eliphas Levi - 黒死館
V.A. - 革命～Voice of Rebirth～
Je*Reviens - univers～未知なる扉～

Flatbacker (EZO) LPs

Strawberry Fields VHS tapes

Sounds like the lim is dimming, guys

Among these albums, why only UROBOROS got a remastered version? :<
It's good to have though, but it was too soon to remaster a 3-year-old album back then.
 
UROBOROS is probably their masterpiece, and they had to make more money out of it while they still could?
Well, I'm just hoping that they will release more of remastered albums in the future.

The way Midwife is played live is how it should've been arranged in the studio. The studio version is ass so while it is a favorite of mine, I can see the gripes people have with it. 
 
Akuro No Oka is another song that only works well live. The MODE of Gauze performance (as well as a majority of that live) is great.
 
Actually, a lot of Dir en grey's old stuff translates well live.
 
Id KILL to see Garden and Erode in 2020

I really enjoyed this thread. Thank you @Zeus.
 
As for DSS to ARCHE, I did somewhat of a case study for it.
 
The band (or maybe just Kaoru) did want to make a more badass version of Uroboros because of how well received Uroboros was. They were really confident and very open when it came to promo for DSS. Remember how Shinya did a QnA on FB? And how they had giveaways every other day like a month or so before DSS dropped and the twitter account was hella active? Once the album dropped and they seen how many units it sold, it definitely hurt their ego and overall morale. 
 
To paint a picture here's what i was able 2 pull from Wiki:
Uroboros JP sales: 43,316 
US Sales/Shipments: 6054
 
VS.
 
DSS JP Sales: 37,586
US Sales/Shipments: 3,900 
 
(if im wrong here or these numbers are inaccurate, please let me know) 
 
The bands attitude shifted  after that and I remember there was a lot of talk about them hating each other and possibly disbanding, due to the interviews that dropped post the release of the album. It also didn't help that the performances were and arguably still are pretty bad due to how they recorded DSS. Clearly the band didn't learn their lesson because they proceeded to take the same approach when it came to the Unraveling, which imo aged badly minus a few songs. 
 
The band did go back to basics when it came to ARCHE and that same energy they went into DSS with was non-existent. Yes, they did learn how to work together again but they played it safe sound wise. It has hints of their oldie stuff mixed with DSS, thus making it one of their most lukewarm albums to date and imo it doesn't hold up well years later. 
 
 
The Insulated World, is a step in the right direction. It has elements from ARCHE and DSS that blend well with each other and has enough freshness thrown in that separates its self from them.
 
Its also has some of the bands worst written songs to date...Zetsuentai and Devote My Life belong in a dumpster fire.
 
As much as I love the album, its no where near as creative as DSS or Uroboros. DSS is where the band peaked and now they're in the same boat as Lynch. and the GazettE. They've found their medium and they're gonna stay there, while occasionally doing something that really stands out. The World of Mercy should be a clear indicator of that. And THAT IS FINE. 
 
Promotion wise, I don't think they care much for it at this point. ARCHE had like 2 singles but they were REALLY spaced out. The insulated world had like 2 other really spaced out singles as well. Though, a lot of that could be because of DECAYS and Sukekiyo. They also stopped dropping physical releases for the US as well and I think that's out of spite for the low sales DSS did over here. 

Love them or hate them, almost everyone's got an opinion about Dir en grey. The scene stops to listen whenever Dir en grey announce a new single or album. As a long time fan of the band, I think it's the perfect time to express how I feel about all of their albums. My feelings will differ from album to album. Some albums have had the benefit of twenty years and others only a few months, so that's always going to be a factor in how I rank things. I will cover this from my least favorite album to my most favorite album, but by no means take this as a definitive list for Dir en grey. Everyone will have their own rankings and their own suggestions for where to start. I happen to think that this also a great order to introduce someone to this band.
 
This is a perfect topic for those that don't listen to Dir en grey or don't know where to start, current fans looking for spicy opinions and a pot to stir, or even old fans looking for a reintroduction into their new era. Not only have I included a PV for each album as a sampler, but I also put together suggested playlists for each album. The playlists are the order that I would have arranged the band if I were them. The songs are the songs that I believe are the best from each period. Some will require more effort than others to construct. To make it simpler, I have included my favorite three tracks and one music video from each album.

I will not consider the mini albums MISSA and six Ugly in this analysis, but some of those tracks will appear in the playlists I create.
 
DUM SPIRO SPERO
 
Album No: 8
Released: August 2, 2011
Length: 67:31
 
 
鬼葬 (kisou)
 
Album No: 3
Released: January 30, 2002
Length: 69:57
 
THE MARROW OF A BONE

Album No: 6
Released: February 7, 2007
Length: 50:05
 
ARCHE
 
 
Album No: 9
Released: December 10, 2014
Length: 68:01
 
🎖️The Insulated World🎖️
 
Album No: 10
Released: September 26, 2018
Length: 50:27

🏅Withering to death.🏅
 
Album No: 5
Released: March 9, 2005
Length: 51:14

🥉MACABRE🥉
 
Album No: 2
Released: September 20, 2000
Length: 72:57

🥈GAUZE🥈
 
Album No: 1
Released: July 28, 1999
Length: 64:47
 
🥇UROBOROS🥇
 
Album No: 7
Released: November 11, 2008
Length: 58:54

👑VULGAR👑
 
Album No: 4
Released: September 10, 2003
Length: 57:02

That's everything folks! Thanks for reading all the way to the end! Did you like it? Did you agree? Do you have your own rankings? Leave them below! I'm interested to know what everyone's opinions are, especially since Dir en grey is one of my favorite bands ever. So many people are passionate about this band like no other. If enough people liked this, I may follow up soon with one for the GazettE.
 

Until next time

After effect - リチウム/DOWN
Bloom 06 - Crash Test 01
 
non-music related:
Lupin the Third: Goemon's Blood Spray

This are the six stages of trying bath salts for the first time

New omnibus album "Sanuki Loves You" will be released at 2019/12/25. (500yen) (2CD - 35 songs in total)
 

 
Twitter

My first VK CD's! 
 
Aliene Ma'riage - Les Soiree
Syndrome - Nostalgia
Syndrome - Sosei
Matina - Prelude 2 - En Effort of Resalt

Loving the new Cattle material! I'm really looking forward to their new album!

DarkVoice 336SE OTL tube amp
 
Bought one of these used recently, it's my first foray into tube sound

ffffffffffffuckyes.

🐵

Eliphas Levi - 懺悔の朝に・・・  (sealed)
Eliphas Levi - リデルの赤い書物
Eliphas Levi - 冷たいアトリエの魔術師
+ some postcards, flyers, poster and such
 

 
Scarlet Valse's lucky bag (incl. a T-shirt and tote bag)
 

 
V.A. - 2011.3.5 Larme d'ange 三ヶ月連続主催イベント第二弾 超カマ騒ぎ～カマホワイトデー！ March de カマーチ つったかたったった～ 限定
gossip - obscene
gossip - Newborn
Javelin - ～道標～/逃避回路
Zephyr - Primary Colours
Kyoka - M
LUAZY - Misty Blue
関西耽美系～Lily project～ - 華麗なる雪花のアリア
V.A. - HOLD YOUR KEY ～DUAL SHOCK VERSION～ 1999.5.30 渋谷公会堂
V.A. - NEW AGE CULTURE～第一楽章～
Seciliaルナ - Baptism (Type-B)
岡部 啓一 - Piano Collections NieR Gestalt & Replicant
Aliene Maφriage - 傀儡異形のマリア (sealed)
Aioria - 蒼月の陰影
Distray - gene of "D"
岡部 啓一 - NieR Gestalt & Replicant Original Soundtrack
Rosé Noir - Rosé Noir 
Rosé Noir - So One Blue Night (Special mix version) 
Rosé Noir - 1993.03.18 ヤンタ鹿鳴館 - / TAI：LEN - 1993.08.02 難波ロケッツ (not in this picture)

Love the new look, Toshiya looks stunning ✨
 
Also, Kyo kinda reminds me of gulu gulu's first single artwork 🤔

-

That demo tape is pure gold... They fuckin butchered サ・ン・ダ・ル on "mousse", the demo version is far superior. I've always loved Ryota's vocals and his part in that song is especially sweet 💕

Here's some nice tapes from my collection.
Laliene by Laliene 
オルゴール (Orgel) by Platina
愛するお前たちへ・・・ by AFTER IMAGE
THE 1TH ANNIVERSARY by MALICE MIZER
Remember by L'abime
scéne d'amour... by CHARLES
Premium Demonstration Tape by AMADEUS
xxxBLUE by D≒SIRE
 

 
Yes that's the best demo tape ever! hahaha

Schwarz Stein will perform in Chile in November. Details to be announced...
 
 

Love the new look, Toshiya looks stunning ✨
 
Also, Kyo kinda reminds me of gulu gulu's first single artwork 🤔

Love the new look, Toshiya looks stunning ✨
 
Also, Kyo kinda reminds me of gulu gulu's first single artwork 🤔

Love the new look, Toshiya looks stunning ✨
 
Also, Kyo kinda reminds me of gulu gulu's first single artwork 🤔

I can't but think of the people here going through an album's production with a fucking tape measure and a try square looking for some hot takes as utterly ridiculous dilettantes who are on a quest to rate and evaluate everything they come across from dogs to cats to hotdogs and shoehorning them into some system of cosmically applying universal worth, like a senile bookie trying to get one over the plebs of the board that has rigged the game so many times to his own favor that he has come to believe that's how it's supposed to be played. Unsurprisingly this takes place mostly on the threads related to Dir en grey in one way or another, and I hope that one day whoever supplies the audio equipment to these people decides to send them boxes of tapes containing different bass frequencies and one note sounds recorded with different studio presets, so that they can spend the rest of their lives busy with their ear pressed against the speaker being fully content about that crystal clear HQ sound, because god forbid we'd have to see these people writing about music again when they could be spending their parents money on audio jacks and Pepsi instead. Some of the best releases in rock music history sound like they were recorded with an Xbox 360 headset so fuck off already with this shit and go watch the past seasons of american idol on VCR and pretend to be Simon like you really want to.
 
Considering what vk has been doing from X's look to Kiyoharu's simulated hanging on stage to today, I don't think the word edgy has a place in the conversation with any other role than as a praise full of positive connotations only. While some people sure are eager to please and orientate themselves towards the lamestream taste with their hands and knees begging for their family to listen to their shitty japanese music at family gatherings and hand out positive affirmations, the rest ought to know that the only thing that really matters to any autonomous subject is the sincerity of their self-expression and the intellectual integrity that's solely their own. The general impulse of the public is to take the edges out of everything and grind them down into submission and guilt over being "lame" and "embarrassing," so hopefully instead of edgy music the people here can find things with the coarse edges done polished down so smooth that they'll trip and fall on their heads, becoming completely paralysed and unable to use their hands to write anything as stupid as they are in the future.