Ro plz

I listened to “to continue” today and I shed a tear. 
 
Long live -OZ-

I listened to “to continue” today and I shed a tear. 
 
Long live -OZ-

Facts. BIG facts.

D'espairs Ray's music hasn't aged well.

D'espairs Ray's music hasn't aged well.

Hotarubi works well in conjunction with the other Macabre tracks. I know for sure that I cant skip it whenever i listen to the MODE of live of MACABRE in general. Sure its not a Rinkaku or Vinushka but is def a chill groovy track that I've grown to appreciate as time went on.

Hotarubi works well in conjunction with the other Macabre tracks. I know for sure that I cant skip it whenever i listen to the MODE of live of MACABRE in general. Sure its not a Rinkaku or Vinushka but is def a chill groovy track that I've grown to appreciate as time went on.

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

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?!

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. 

Kisou is terrible studio album but the MODE OF Live(s) show the album in a new light for me. 

Kisou is terrible studio album but the MODE OF Live(s) show the album in a new light for me. 

I think a huge part in the Uroboros to DSS sales slump was that the popularity of weeb shit was sinking fast and the promotional machine falling apart by the seams. The optimism for the foreign market must've been massive after 2008 and I'm sure tons of money was spent on promoting Deg overseas with next to no return to that investment. That must've been very disappointing both for the band and management once it was finally realised that they peaked in American and European venue size already back in 2006 and it's only going to be downhill from there no matter what they do. I consider this band entering their old man phase right around when Sukekiyo was formed and Arche was released. The ambition that went to DSS is obviously on a different level to Arche and TiW, but whether that's a good thing depends on what you think of their Monster energy drink-pig squeal-core-Mike Patton-time signature wanking era. To me the band that made everything from Missa to Vulgar ain't the same band as this one. Sometimes when I put on a track like 24k Cylinders or Macabre in the right state of mind I go like fuck, what a fucking band that was. It's the same guitarists farting that fucking dial-up modem sounding chug that made egnirys and 304? I cannot believe it.
 

 
thank u
 
 
 

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. 

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. 

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. 

I'm off and on when it comes to K-pop but I think this time around I'm gonna stay off.
 
I'm gonna come off a certain way when i say this but i promise its not meant to offend. 
 
When I got back into K-Pop in 2014-2015, I Honestly believed that this was a revolutionary genre. There was a lot of creativity with the music and I will always admire how the songs even in that 3:30-3:50 pocket, can make me feel so satisfied. Even with the plethora of groups, they all had their own style to an extent and they were always reinventing themselves with every release. However with that said, this applied mainly to the Girl groups and there wasn't that pressure or intent to break into the US back then. Come the tail end of 2016-2017...a lot of the groups/singers that i loved chose not to renew their contracts/disbanded, thus ending what I believe was the golden run of K-Pop. Since then, there's been a surge of guy groups that have taken the spotlight. I'm not mad at this because I know that trends happen and its how the business goes. The groups now sound more or less like carbon copies of each other and its clear that the goal is for as many of em to break into the US as possible. The artsy part about it that I need to enjoy music in general is gone. 
 
But im ok with that. I've racked up so much music and videos on my HD with stuff that I enjoy so Its really no love lost. 
 
As for the fans, I try my hardest to stay away from them so they don't bother me as much. But that's not to say they're not some of the most despicable, delusional, and outright nastiest people on the internet. I refuse to give them the pass of mental illness because its disrespectful to those who actually do have issues. Also i believe a lot of these individuals just act like this online and feed off of each other.
 
 
 

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.

I actually don't think its far fetched for a VK (or any) band to ask that there isn't any photography during their shows. And they as well as the venue have whatever right to lay the consequences on you if you get caught. There have been cases where the performers have called out and or kicked out people for using their phones. Idk about you but I'd feel embarrassed and like a dumbass if I was on the receiving end of that. Granted the GazettE couldn't and wouldn't do so and not all the venues had staff confiscate phones, It's just a matter of integrity and basic respect.
 
Also, no matter what justifications people have had or will have, you can live without taking a picture or video during a set IF you're asked not to. That memory/experience of the show alone should suffice.
 
And lets be honest, the clips and video ppl are willing to potentially get reprimanded for are probably ass anyways.