Featured Review #19: Dir en grey - ARCHE

[Zeus 7997]

Artist: Dir en grey Album: ARCHE Score: Diru's ARCHE has two of everything.

It's not at Uroboros levels of good, but ARCHE can go toe to toe with Withering to death. for third best Dir en grey album.

Dir en grey learned a very important lesson with Dum Spiro Spero, which is that sometimes less is more. Nuance and Dum Spiro Spero went together like an axe to the face. Dir en grey have been a constantly evolving band ever since their formation in 1997, but 2011's Dum Spiro Spero was an almost clean break from everything they've done up to that point. While it was an interesting experiment, listening to the band buckle under the weight of their own creative ambitions was an overbearing, unrelenting, suffocating experience. It's a positive sign that Dir en grey have stopped trying so hard to mix progressive metal with deathcore while retaining an ethereal atmosphere and complementing it with well-thought out melodies (for the most part), because the result is pretty damn pleasant to listen to.

ARCHE is their most focused effort in years. It may not be as unrestrained as Dum Spiro Spero, but it is an infinitely more listenable experience. By not trying as hard to replicate the progressive atmosphere they farted out with Uroboros in 2008, they nailed it again and perpetuated their cycle of good album/bad album. ARCHE has hints of the atmosphere explored by Kyo's side project sukekiyo with nods to styles from previous albums now and again. It's no easier to take in all at once, but I can see how Diru's interpretation goes down better with some than the abstract and sometimes plain strange vibes of sukekiyo. Songs like "phenomenon", "懐春"(kaishun) and "禍夜想" (magayasou) are great examples of when the band excels at this sound, being amongst the top tracks on the album.

It wouldn't be a Dir en grey opening without an engaging opener, and "un deux" is exactly that. It's not the tribal acoustic source field intros of previous albums but I find the more direct approach refreshing. With ARCHE clocking in at 68 minutes, unnecessary pretentious intros are not needed. The first four tracks are pretty damn good, remaining consistent in quality and mood while watching Dir en grey alternate between experimentation and straightforward melodies. It's a sound we always knew they were capable of, but only surfaced once in a blue moon with songs like "腐海" (fukai) and "蜷局" (toguro). If the album stayed this course, it would have been one killer record.

But it isn't a true Dir en grey album without some tracks that should have never made it onto the album. The first is "cause of fickleness", which tried to combine the 90's visual kei mental instability antics with the nu-sukekiyo atmosphere and failed. The result is a lame chorus, uninteresting guitar melody and a total departure from the atmosphere that was built up by the first four tracks. To make it worse, the song that follows, "濤声"(tousei), picks up right where "phenomenon" left off, which makes me question why "cause of fickleness" is here. It's the kind of basic error that should not be made after eighteen years of making music. They repeat this mistake later with "The inferno" sandwiched between promotional ballad "空谷の跫音" (kuukoku no kyouon) and album ender "Revelation of Mankind". "The inferno" is junk not worthy of further elaboration but the ballad is a nice melodic break after all the metal. It wasn't the best choice to get people excited for the album though - "Un deux", "咀嚼" (soshaku), or "鱗" (uroko) would have been better choices. "Revelation of mankind" feels like a re-interpration of Dum Spiro Spero's "流転の塔" (ruten no tou). It doesn't get quite as good as "流転の塔", but it's a solid song and ends the album on a high note.

ARCHE's biggest issue is that after two years "輪郭" (rinkaku) is still the best song, even though several contend for second place. "Sustain the untruth" slides unnoticed into the latter half of the album, remaining the most straightforward metal song on the album. It also doesn't fit in all that well but the second half of ARCHE is an identity crisis anyway. All consistency goes out the window as Diru can't decide if they want to be mysterious, straightforward, reserved, or aggressive. It hurts more than it helps and with long albums consistency is important. The silver lining in all of this is that there is no progressive behemoth like Vinushka or Diabolos to inflate the running time further and make ARCHE unbearable to sit through.

The ideas don't work as well if the execution isn't top notch, and with the removal of some tracks and rearrangement of the rest ARCHE could have been in the same league as magnum opuses Uroboros or Macabre. But for a band that's been continuously reinventing themselves for the better part of a decade to be taken as a legitimate metal band, seeing them finally embrace melody and compose without pressure to conform to "metal ideals" is great. All aspects of Dir en grey that fans adore are still here, just devoid of the sprawling, unfocused attempts of albums past.

In the future, I could see ARCHE mentioned in the same breath as VULGAR and Withering to death. as generally good Dir en grey albums, and it is definitely an album I will find myself revisiting again and again. It's just something that could have been a legendary release with a bit more time and care.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

I must admit, I sat down to listen to DIR EN GREY’s latest full-length ARCHE with a mixture of slight fear and lowered expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the dark and sprawling nature of their previous album DUM SPIRO SPERO and it seemed to me that they were on a somewhat logical track with their subsequent singles. Despite this, I found myself caring less and less about those one-off songs, and the promo tracks for ARCHE didn’t exactly rile up my attention either. As soon as I pushed play, however, I remembered the band’s greatest strength – making cohesive, strong albums.

 

This time around it sounds like DIR EN GREY stayed with the overall mystical atmosphere of their previous full-length but managed to craft songs that are far more accessible and compact. This accessibility coupled with the band’s taste for the eclectic proves to be a winning combination, as they manage to hit us with some truly impressive (and even catchy) segments. Far from being predictable, songs like the menacingly lingering “Phenomenon” or the kaleidoscopic whirlwind of “Behind a vacant image” are sure to cause a – hopefully pleasant – surprise for old and new listeners alike. Even the tracks previously released as singles are planted effectively into ARCHE’s framework, strengthening the album and vice versa. Accordingly, the dark and gorgeous “輪郭” provides a smooth transition from the somewhat lighter “濤声” to the catchy aural stampede of “Chain repulsion,” one of the simpler offerings of the album, executed with perfect musicianship nonetheless.

 

Speaking of performance, the whole band is in top form, from the reliable and smart grooves of Toshiya and Shinya’s rhythm section to the multi-faceted guitarwork that warrants extra praise. We get a lavish treatment from axemen Kaoru and Die who often resort to outright badass solos and unexpectedly well-composed atmospheric segments that border on post-rock brilliance. We must not forget Kyo either, who does an excellent job at painting the scenery with his vocals – whether possessed by spheric or demonic beings at any given moment. With the five of them, the DIR-EN-puzzle fits together perfectly, yet again.

 

DIR EN GREY’s newest album ARCHE feels like a strong contender for album of the year, at least it certainly mesmerized me. Almost all the tracks work well with each other, intertwined to make a lasting listening experience that might feel a bit long at times but is ultimately satisfying. They manage to do what very few can accomplish authentically, that is to evolve their sound constantly without abandoning their core characteristics. And if this process results in actually worthwhile and meaningful compositions, like here – all the better!

[doombox 4421]

DIR EN GREY need little introduction in circles such as these, but it bears repeating that they've been the chameleons of Japanese rock and metal over the last 17 years with a career that all but started in the Oricon Top 10. The band has not only toured the world over, but been one of the handful of Japanese rock acts to do it continuously. Outside of their home country, they've won awards on MTV2, Kerrang! Magazine, and Loudwire.com, to name a few. Many would call them the quintessential Japanese rock band of the last 10 years. And this year they've graced us with their 9th full length album, ARCHE.

 

For me, ARCHE was a bit of a 'grower'. After my initial listen I was left with only a single song I can say I enjoyed, which was largely in part to it being previously released as a single. "輪郭(Rinkaku) " was the bar I expected the rest of this album to reach, and that was an error on my part. After getting over my previous expectations, the second and third spins of this album revealed "Un deux", "Phenomenon", and "空谷の跫音(Kukoku no kyouon)" all to be gems in their own rights. All four songs have strong rhythm that seperates them from the rest of the album. Shinya's drums sound absolutely massive on these tracks. I have to say the production on most of the album is amazing. These songs not only have driving beats to them, but the emotional element really comes through. Unfortunately, I can't say that the rest of the album had this effect.

 

A large chunk of this album sounds boring, to be frank. It's as if the band is no longer striving to out-do themselves. They sound complacent and uninspired. Songs like "濤声(Tousei)", "Chain Repulsion", "懐春(Kaishun)", and "Behind a vacant image" all have transition issues that keep the songs from establishing their own flow, or they simply feel like parts of songs thrown together that never achieve the dramatic highs or lows the band is known for. None were so bad that I was itching to skip them, but I was left rather unimpressed and they ultimately end up as album filler.

 

I was shocked to come across so many songs on this album that I absolutely could not make it through willingly. Too many songs are worse than dragging and complacent, they forge right on into contrived try-hard material. This probably stems from so many of the songs not having a strong enough emotional core that they can wonder off into vocal dramatics and muddy chug-fests without losing their focus. At points, it began to feel like the band threw in everything from their arsenal as they tried to fill in the gaps where the album required something heavier. The problem with coloring with all of your crayons at once is everything turns into mud. Somehow DIR EN GREY found that magical place where a song can be ridiculously heavy yet go absolutely nowhere. "咀嚼(Soshaku)", "Cause of Fickleness", "Midwife", and "Revelation of Man" all made me really annoyed in the same way a child feels locked in a car with your little brother poking at you repeatedly. I just needed them to stop. 

 

Even though I have not been on the hype train for this band since Withering to death., I could appreciate they were passionate about their new direction and they were growing, expanding, and evolving with it on the previous albums. But it seems that journey has come to an abrupt halt with ARCHE. And worst of all, the compositions feel more half assed than anything I've ever heard DIR EN GREY release before. There was far too much strangeness for the sake of strangeness, failed transitions from polar opposite sides of the spectrum with no unity, and basic recycled material that was not even near the high points of their discography. I was lucky that I ended up liking more of the album than I initially thought I would, but ARCHE is definitely not going to be one of the pillars of the band's catalog when I look back on their body of work. 

 

Rating: 

[beni 2149]

After three years since their last album, DIR EN GREY returns to the spotlight with the highly anticipated album ‘ARCHE.’ With a running track of an hour and twenty three minutes, it may appear overbearing at first but don’t feel intimidated. For an album with sixteen tracks in total, adding another seven tracks if you include the limited edition, there’s a lot to get through. But you won’t be joining the ride just because of the sheer hype. DIR EN GREY hasn’t disappointed. In fact, they’ve exceeded expectation, at least to me. For a band that has delivered every time, they’ve still managed to produce a beautifully balanced and highly addicting album this year.

 

What I can quickly bring up about this album is that its atmospheric factor is spot on. Not only do the album covers do this justice, but the opening track, ‘Un deux’ really pulls you in. With an engaging chorus and bridges, it’s structured beautifully with brilliant guitar and drum soloing. We definitely know we’re hearing the Dir En Grey we all know and love with this fine opening song. Coming in at track two is ‘咀嚼,’ and with a more melodious and steady tune to it as well as high and low notes from Kyo, it keeps the album going strong as well as nicely contrasting to the loud opener. It follows up wonderfully to ‘鱗,’ which is just as thrilling as the opener, if not more! The inclusion of ethereal choir singing caught my attention against the rougher tone of Kyo’s vocals and instruments. 

 

Now coming to my favourite album song, ‘Phenomenon’ really is phenomenal. It’s the kind of track which really shows off Dir En Grey’s eerie sound. Creepy and haunting, it stood out and kept me anticipating the rest of the album. Possibly the most disliked track from the album, ‘Cause of Fickleness’ might be a lengthy filler to most, but it’s a lot of fun and a rather random placement which breaks up the unnerving feel of the album. I found that quite appealing and a nice addition. ‘濤声’ brings us back to a gloomy mood, with an emotional and sorrowful delivery. Another track I’m addicted to as much as ‘Phenomenon’ the more I listen to it, it’s got a warm yet cold feel to it. In a way, I found this track mesmerising; it’s both depressing and comforting. This is actually how I felt throughout the whole album, caught between mixed emotions.

 

At seven, ‘輪郭’ is another lengthy track which is even more melodious as the engaging track ‘咀嚼.’ Kyo’s vocalisation is my favourite element of this track.  As you might have noticed, my favourite part of the whole album was definitely this section. But Dir En Grey keeps the energy with lovely contrasts in tone and style with each track. ‘Chain Repulsion’ is energetic and strong, even if it’s the shortest track of the album. ‘Midwife’ is highly enjoyable, and I especially adored those precious onslaughts of Kyo’s frantic shrieks and screams. What a track.

 

Even coming this far in, to track ten, the band continuously delivers contrasting tracks beside one another, some sounding brutal and unforgiving, while others are of a haunting beauty with a slower tempo and calmer mood. This made ‘ARCHE’ truly appealing and engaging to me. Stand out tracks from the later part of the album for me where the final three songs. ‘The Inferno’ is a super powerful number, while ‘Revelation of Mankind’ is a brilliant album closer and the single ‘Sustain the Untruth’ is one of their many songs I’ll return to many times. I found it difficult to stop the album when I had to, and it certainly kept me hungry for more as I continued listening. If you haven’t boarded the hype train yet, you’ll only be disappointed with yourself.

 

[fictioninhope 355]

I was so excited for Dir en grey’s release of ARCHE that it physically hurt me. After the disasters that were DUM SPIRO SPERO and Sustain the untruth my iTunes library was in dire need of something worth listening to. I was hoping ARCHE would satiate that need. My first listen through was fantastic. I was so crazy over it I couldn’t say a thing about it that wasn’t in all caps telling my limited number of uninterested Facebook friends about how they were missing out on a fantastic album. Then I listened to it again and the hype was gone. It wasn’t even a slow burn out; it was like everything I had imagined the album to be after the first listen came crashing down like a house of cards soaked in gasoline and lit on fire. As I replayed the album I kept asking myself what happened. I found I had to force myself to make it even halfway through many of the tracks.

 

I loved “Un deux” but I don’t feel like it’s placement at the start was the best decision. “咀嚼” was listenable but it would have sounded better without the Cookie Monster feature. In fact, the entire album could have done without it. I was not aware he was a member of Dir en grey so color me surprised at his frequent inclusion on this album. I enjoyed “Phenomenon” and the almost “Disabled Complexes” groove it had to it, especially in the beginning. “Cause of fickleness” is probably the worst excuse for a song that Dir en grey has ever released. The fact that the band put some fairly decent music on this album and then thought it would be a great idea to include it almost angers me. I would have been content if it had transitioned directly from “Phenomenon” into “濤声” which is a mellow easy-to-listen-to song that made me think of the unplugged version of “艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み.” I can’t say “輪郭” is a favorite of mine but compared to a large chunk of ARCHE it is a quality song worth listening to.  “Chain Repulsion” was enjoyable except for the weird distortion on the guitars near the middle that hurt my ears.

 

The rest of the main album was more or less a blur of nope. Either it wasn’t memorable or it was just flat out horrible. I pretend “Sustain the untruth” doesn’t exist. “The Inferno” is nothing more than leftover trash from DSS and I can’t say “Revelation of Mankind” was much different. Going into the bonus disc, I sincerely believe “and Zero” should have been the album opening track. The word ‘gorgeous’ doesn’t even properly express what I think of it. I could listen to it on loop for days and never grow tired of it. “てふてふ” was another highlight overall. It gave me a lot of Withering to death./Marrow of a Bone feels. It boggles the mind why these two tracks weren't put on the main album instead of the rather replaceable tracks that somehow made the cut. The remix, acoustic and crossover tracks were not even worth the effort it took to make myself listen to them. I would even go so far as to say they weren’t even worth releasing to the public.

 

All in all, this album was disjointed and not deserving of any of the hype it received. Songs that should have been on it were reduced to bonus disc material. Song placement was thrown out the window. Most of the songs are lackluster and uninspired and it has me worried that maybe this brilliant band has run out of worthwhile creations to offer to the masses. The few good songs were not enough to keep me interested. Add this to the list of yet another painful miss in the collection.

 

[nekkichi 6043]

I can't get enough of this album for the entire week, and this is probably the first time since withering to death when it happens.

I hope it won't take them another 3 years to record a follow up, and they won't be doing self-cover releases anymore in the meantime, since nothing good typically comes from those.

my 2nd favest deg album at the moment (vulgar and wtd got stale a few years ago, although I still listen to kisou quite a lot.)

[shizukasou 47]

While Uroboros stays up there as their best work with its overall organicity and ecstatic feel, Arche sure comes across as a very close second to me.

I, too, think that the first part flows waaay better than the second one and that some of the bonus tracks should have been in the regular version (but that won't make me spend 80 euros on the album, sorry you lovely old farts), yet this project pictures exhaustively how DEG can always reinvent themselves while expressing their skills both as individual musicians and as a whole. 

I also appreciated how Kyo gave up on the constant screaming, one of the things that made DSS less enjoyable to me three years ago.

So for me it's a 9/10 and a permanent stay on the hype train. 

[Ai Chan 26]

I'm not Dir en Grey avid fan but I did listen to them especially their old song at some point of my fandom of Japanese music, so I'm quite familiar to their styles. I remember, they are the first Visual Kei band that scare me. I was listening to the whole album. Mostly of the songs are quite simple. It's like I'm listening to an acoustic or pop album inserted with few songs with different genre, that spice up the album. Not bad, maybe because we expected differently. I guess, that's live up to the title "Arche" - back to the basic, the very beginning.

[Shmilly 519]

In general agree with Zeus. The album opened strongly but I found myself losing interest a bit toward the end, perhaps due to the overall length of it. Cutting out a couple of the songs would indeed have made it both smoother on the listening experience (the positioning of Cause of fickleness really is baffling) and a nicer length. 輪郭 is definitely still the best track, but that's not surprising for me because it's one of my favourite Dir en grey songs in quite some time. I actually found Revelation of mankind to be quite interesting, but I think that's more to do with the promotional video than the song itself.

 

A solid album, but not their best to date.

[beni 2149]

After reading everyone's comments, I feel like I'm the only one who prefered the later half of the album. xD What shizukasou said about Kyo's screams and how there is significally less of this tone within the album I have also come to really appreciate. A very good point there. While I'm more of a screamo fan, I felt all the songs really delivered and made that eerie feeling of the album stand out so well. And about what Shmilly had said on the length of the album; I felt rather heartbroken giving MEJIBRAY's album fewer stars, but that proved to me how well executed 'ARCHE' was in comparison, since they both had so many tracks and a long running time. I never got tired or bored of listening to 'ARCHE.' I'm also finding it interesting which albums other favour. I always, personally, felt that Withering to death. and Kisou are in another league. I actually voted on the poll myself (which I hope is okay and posting another message when I've already reviewed is okay xD), and chose the top choice because I couldn't complain on anything with this one. It's just behind the two albums I adore the most from them.