Dir en grey

[Pretsy 1343]

Anyways, Kyotakumrau has some fresh stuff up (live report sketches):

 

 

A knot live, aka one of the first gigs of their current tour I think?

 

Kyo's current look (aka this week):

 

"freak monk" look heh.

 

 

Kinda interesting that Kyo even got his piercings back (???)

 

Also, since there's no Sukekiyo thread - I thought it wouldn't be out of place to post some news from them too:

 

http://azabu-festival.sakura.ne.jp/artist.html

 

Kyo and his co. will have a free gig @some university festival next month - and it will be their very first "free gig" btw, I am jealous!

[emmny 4139]

the looks for the new tour--based on these sketches and others--is literally fucking perfect. panda eyes and moodyness what else is required!!!

[DogManX 179]

I can't stand Shinya. Like.. man up!! Try to finish a sentence without gazing downwards. What's he thinking anyway? That this will attract japanobitches with their kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-tic? Or like "Oh my god that guy is so cute oh mi gosh I hope no one sees I'm getting red~"

You're a fucking rockstar. Everyone admires you. And you live in japan where no one will ever critizise you. Don't act like that fucking shy girl whos new in school for fucking 15 yraes straight.

 

(I'm sorry yall please don't mind it)

 

I wanna see Kyo with a fucking bärtelhut and lederhosen. Then he got my respect. That would be fucking awesome.

[emmny 4139]

god forbid he's a *gasp* introvert !

[DogManX 179]

Yeah I just don't buy that. I think it's an act. But as I said don't mind me I'm probably the only one who thinks that way ^^

[Ro plz 1290]

There's always some pic of him, hanging with other band's members and such, especially at bars. I dont think its a front, i think its more that he's selectively social. 

[Saishu 1589]

I think he'd be a better metal drummer if he stopped trying to look like an emotionless doll while playing.

[DogManX 179]

He'd be a better drummer if he practiced. Nuff said

[emmny 4139]

he's always been cast as the shy type but i think its genuinely his personality, its hard to fake the kind of introversion he shows in interviews etc. besides, i'd think those "acts" are saved for indies bands, although im sure a huge chunk of the shit deg have said in early interviews were bullshit made up for the fangirls.

and shinya's a fucking fanboy for sure LOL he's always drinking with new bandomen thats why he's A SHITTY DRUMMER

[Saishu 1589]

Shinya is a great drummer when he's not being forced to play "extreme metal." He can't play blast beats and he has no foot speed. This goes in like with Kaoru saying that Shinya will refuse to do something he doesn't like. I don't think Shinya particularly enjoys that type of drumming, so there's no desire to improve on it.

During the DSS/Unraveling tours, Shinya did an interview where he said sometimes he loses the passion to play. Ten to one its because he's sick of playing Different Sense and Hageshisa.

[emmny 4139]

shinya u PUSSY bring on the br00tality

[Crube 585]

Or you know... practice? Neil Peart does an hour warm-up before the shows he play at and he's 63.

[DogManX 179]

oh fuck it. no shinya discussions anymore

[Ro plz 1290]

Shinya is a great drummer when he's not being forced to play "extreme metal." He can't play blast beats and he has no foot speed. This goes in like with Kaoru saying that Shinya will refuse to do something he doesn't like. I don't think Shinya particularly enjoys that type of drumming, so there's no desire to improve on it.

During the DSS/Unraveling tours, Shinya did an interview where he said sometimes he loses the passion to play. Ten to one its because he's sick of playing Different Sense and Hageshisa.

 

I agree with this. You can see that he's been pretty spot on with a lot of the older material live, from Uroboros and before. Till this day, I love the 304 Goshitsu performance from Blitz. He deboed that so well.....

 

As for Hageshisa and Different Sense, he may dislike playing them (that is still up to interpretation), but he's gotten better at playing those two songs live. You kind of have no choice when its a staple song.

 

I think he'd be a better metal drummer if he stopped trying to look like an emotionless doll while playing.

I think it works for him. I honestly can't imagine him doing all those facial expressions and such while playing. Adds to the appeal and shows he can still do his thing while keeping his cool. 

[Pretsy 1343]

^ I suppose by "staple song" you meant Hageshisa and not DS as well? Since they have stopped playing DS lately (or for a while, if you will)  - and yeah, if he really dislikes it, he cannot do much seeing as it's the main favorite amongst fans when staple songs are in question ("boo, bah...OOOOOH NOT THE FINAL AGAIN!!").

 

Is it me or are Toshiya's basslines sorta subdued too lately? I really miss his earlier playing (MOAB or even Uroboros) in which he had this groove thing going in the background (while supporting the rhythm section, e.g. Ryojoku no Ame) - and not this distorted two-string minimalism or TWANG-TWANG-TWANG-KLANG-KLANG hi-jinks (guess which DSS song I am referring to, lol).

[Saishu 1589]

The Amon bass line seriously pisses me off. He laid that down, then everyone listened back to it and said "yeah, that sounds awesome!" It doesn't.

Toshiya's playing does seem less prominent lately, and it makes me wonder why he bothered to switch to a 5 string when he doesn't really make full use of it. I will say that one of my favorite moments on Arche is the bass solo in the middle of Tousei. He totally carries that section with a fantastic melody you would expect from a guitar solo. Tons of feeling in an already emotional moment.

My emotionless doll comment comes from me thinking that there's a stiffness to Shinya's playing. I don't feel like he's giving it his all because he's trying so hard to keep up an image. Listen to a live version of Kiri to Mayu (2012); all those fast fills are sloppy and lack power, almost like he's just tickling the drums and not putting any weight behind his strikes. I guess I give him props for standing behind his performance and not using triggers, but I'd prefer if he just wrote material that didn't extend beyond his capabilities.

[DogManX 179]

 

Is it me or are Toshiya's basslines sorta subdued too lately? I really miss his earlier playing (MOAB or even Uroboros) in which he had this groove thing going in the background (while supporting the rhythm section, e.g. Ryojoku no Ame) - and not this distorted two-string minimalism or TWANG-TWANG-TWANG-KLANG-KLANG hi-jinks (guess which DSS song I am referring to, lol).

 

Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch. Ouch.

 

Just reading your nonsense makes me churn up my insides. TWANK KLANG hijinks???? You mean like.. slapping? Until now his bass play has always fitted to the present music, more or less. I'd criticize his Uroboros phase when he randomly played notes just to play them (Glass Skin, Dozing Green etc.). That would really be the highest of feelings. Next, "distorted two-strings-minimalism"? What is that? Do haters of the new songs go to such far lengths to not even care what they critizise? It's laughable. I'm out.

 

EDIT @Saishu I think the Amon bassline was pretty good, underlining the nature of the song perfectly. Diabolos was more of a.. well..pointless thing? He did exceed with the slapping from time to time, but on DSS it was pretty okay overall. I think he will come back to it on the next album or so. DSS was kind of an experiment for the most part anyway.

 

And didn't he have a 5-string during DSS already? I'm pretty sure he did. And he has alot of deep notes on ARCHE to play, still. And all the remade, downtohell-tuned songs.

[Saishu 1589]

The slapping doesn't bother me, I just didn't like his tone in Amon. Sounded like an amplified fart.

[Pretsy 1343]

Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch. Ouch.

 

Just reading your nonsense makes me churn up my insides. TWANK KLANG hijinks???? You mean like.. slapping? Until now his bass play has always fitted to the present music, more or less. I'd criticize his Uroboros phase when he randomly played notes just to play them (Glass Skin, Dozing Green etc.). That would really be the highest of feelings. Next, "distorted two-strings-minimalism"? What is that? Do haters of the new songs go to such far lengths to not even care what they critizise? It's laughable. I'm out.

 

EDIT @Saishu I think the Amon bassline was pretty good, underlining the nature of the song perfectly. Diabolos was more of a.. well..pointless thing? He did exceed with the slapping from time to time, but on DSS it was pretty okay overall. I think he will come back to it on the next album or so. DSS was kind of an experiment for the most part anyway.

 

And didn't he have a 5-string during DSS already? I'm pretty sure he did. And he has alot of deep notes on ARCHE to play, still. And all the remade, downtohell-tuned songs.

 

I think people who have hung around DEG muzak for almost a decade should sorta know already what exactly is "slapping 'n' popping" - and how one can make it sound "funky cool":

 

 

or just pure mess, as Saishu already showcased it by citing "AMON" (don't get me wrong, there are parts where I find Toshers' new bass tone to be quite pleasing, e.g. BLOSSOMING or Shitataru - but that's just less than a handful).

 

When it comes to "playing random notes", have you ever inspected what kind of basswork Toshers had throughout his career? In earlier albums you had his capability of contributing counter-melodies to Die/Kaoru riffage (not to mention having great bass technicians/mixers to refine that magic tone) while albums from Vulgar up until Uroboros he was basically the main contributor of "groove" behind most DEG songs you could only name - let's not forget various oddities he's known for as well (e.g. overdriven bass on "Domestic Fucker Family" or funnily early prog-worshiping bass glory a la original "MACABRE").

 

Implying that I'd be a full-on "hater" would be too much if I just threw my dislike towards his later, much more subdued style out of my chest. I am not the professional bassist to begin with (moderate one though), but I can tell you that he has his moments here and there (e.g. Tousei and Kaishun on ARCHE), but for the most part dull basslines ("Phenomenon") take the lead. How unfortunate imho, but what can I do? Only if I could, I would have asked him to utilize all the potential his 5-stringer bears, as Saishu already pointed it out.

 

Also, allow me to express my cringe towards odd choice in their current metal sound: just why would you SLAP DAT BASS if you were about to pull off "deathcoreistic carnage" for the most part (e.g. new Zan - don't death metal/deathcore-based bands normally utilize treble-heavy finger bassplay?)? I'd like to hear proper musician views on this subject

[Ro plz 1290]

Toshiya's playing does seem less prominent lately, and it makes me wonder why he bothered to switch to a 5 string when he doesn't really make full use of it.

My emotionless doll comment comes from me thinking that there's a stiffness to Shinya's playing. I don't feel like he's giving it his all because he's trying so hard to keep up an image. Listen to a live version of Kiri to Mayu (2012); all those fast fills are sloppy and lack power, almost like he's just tickling the drums and not putting any weight behind his strikes. I guess I give him props for standing behind his performance and not using triggers, but I'd prefer if he just wrote material that didn't extend beyond his capabilities.

 

I reckon the switch to a 5 string was for more range and better sound and knowing eventually their sound would "require" it. Him and Kaoru seem to be the only ones that are enthusiastic bout the extra strings. Die has been really vocal about not liking em. Makes me wonder why he doesn't just use a regular 6 string tuned to drop A or Drop A#. Say what you want, he can still finesse that to play what the others play. Seems more like a total dictator move on Kaoru's part lol.

 

I also agree with Dogman...Toshiya's baselines and such fit with what Dir en grey is doing. And its more than just slapping the bass. That kind of thinking makes it seem like he's just doing it just to do it. We all all agree that-this isn't the case. Its called switching up the style and evolving. Yes, he had some cool basslines when using a pick but i feel like his technique now was called for...just like the duo solo's and etc. 

[DogManX 179]

@Pretzels I'll just say tell Victor Wooten about your TWANK KLANG hijinks and he'll TWANG KLANG you across the face.

 

 

 

When it comes to "playing random notes", have you ever inspected what kind of basswork Toshers had throughout his career? In earlier albums you had his capability of contributing counter-melodies to Die/Kaoru riffage (not to mention having great bass technicians/mixers to refine that magic tone) while albums from Vulgar up until Uroboros he was basically the main contributor of "groove" behind most DEG songs you could only name - let's not forget various oddities he's known for as well (e.g. overdriven bass on "Domestic Fucker Family" or funnily early prog-worshiping bass glory a la original "MACABRE").

 

Implying that I'd be a full-on "hater" would be too much if I just threw my dislike towards his later, much more subdued style out of my chest. I am not the professional bassist to begin with (moderate one though), but I can tell you that he has his moments here and there (e.g. Tousei and Kaishun on ARCHE), but for the most part dull basslines ("Phenomenon") take the lead. How unfortunate imho, but what can I do? Only if I could, I would have asked him to utilize all the potential his 5-stringer bears, as Saishu already pointed it out.

 

Also, allow me to express my cringe towards odd choice in their current metal sound: just why would you SLAP DAT BASS if you were about to pull off "deathcoreistic carnage" for the most part (e.g. new Zan - don't death metal/deathcore-based bands normally utilize treble-heavy finger bassplay?)? I'd like to hear proper musician views on this subject

 

 

Yeah but I think there's a simple reason behind it, being that the surrounding music called for it. And as I wrote, being that DSS and cohortes were more of an experimental lab, I'm sure we can expect more from Toshiya in the future. I don't know how much you're into heavy music, but for songs like AMON or ZAN the slapping technique has a deeper rhythmical input. Partly because the bass has a harder time being audible on such beasts. Partly because it underlines the aggressiveness. It's a convenience that comes with the genre I guess. And for the nonstop staccato sections on DSS the slaps worked pretty well.

 

For my part, I don't find it unfortunate at all at the time. It just fits for me, you know? ^^ It's the thing with e-bass. If you put too much into it, it fucks up the song. (This was some big musicians saying btw, but I can't remember who).

 

What I'd like to hear is some Alex Webster shit. That guy knows how to melt melodic lines into totally dissonant chords. But then again, Cannibal Corpse works a bit differently than japan's biggest and greatest band of all time.

[Pretsy 1343]

^None shall mention Wooten and AMON in the same sentence or even in the same goddamn comment, L M A O how dare you 

 

Then again, it depends on how you personally perceive DEG in terms of genres: for me they are a rock band, no matter what kind of metal direction is in question - I will always take their musicianship in the same level as with any other rock act, and I feel like they were tailored for that approach in the first place too. Guess this is why I actually take their alternative/nu metallier bangers (SUSTAIN or well, Kaishun (again)) much more seriously than say, Juuyoku, InferNAWW or any other deathcore-ish track they've had since moving further away from Uroboros (I have my own sources for "metal" (i.e. textbook definition of metal, NOT some alternative-based amalgamation) in case I need it).

 

Since we are at speculating/theorizing what kind of musicians we would like our fav bandmates to emulate: I'd love to see Shinya attempting to emulate David Silveria again (STUCK MAN was so close to his usual sets...but not enough) and Toshiya being less of a Fieldy-deathcore crossover (note: check him out and you'll see where Toshers got his awkward playing pose from), but more of...Justin Chancellor*-meets-Chi Cheng's dynamics-kind of person (note: see my reasoning above for these artists mentioned)

 

 

*off-topic but let's get this straight for the sake of anti-Tool bias: Chancellor is one of the best, most varied drop tuning bass players to me (Chancellor is a great example of a bassist that explores good melodic lines without losing sense of rhythm.) , albeit the fact that metal elitists tend to downgrade his/everyone's drop playing in general.

[Saishu 1589]

I reckon the switch to a 5 string was for more range and better sound and knowing eventually their sound would "require" it. Him and Kaoru seem to be the only ones that are enthusiastic bout the extra strings. Die has been really vocal about not liking em. Makes me wonder why he doesn't just use a regular 6 string tuned to drop A or Drop A#. Say what you want, he can still finesse that to play what the others play. Seems more like a total dictator move on Kaoru's part lol.

I also agree with Dogman...Toshiya's baselines and such fit with what Dir en grey is doing. And its more than just slapping the bass. That kind of thinking makes it seem like he's just doing it just to do it. We all all agree that-this isn't the case. Its called switching up the style and evolving. Yes, he had some cool basslines when using a pick but i feel like his technique now was called for...just like the duo solo's and etc.

Have you seen the Macabre performance that's on the DVD that came with Sustain the Untruth? Die alternates between a 7 string, 6 string, and an acoustic. It was amusing because Kaoru stuck with a 7 string the whole time.

[DogManX 179]

You can label them however you want, that doesn't change the convenience of some bass styles over others based on what it is supposed to play with. Toshiya will probably not fit a Cage-solo into Shitataru Mouro. No way. He's doing good, and I found it funny anyway how you criticized his bass work on DSS (or so I suppose) while this was amongst the only things DEG fans could agree on was good about this album. But everyone as thou like.

[Ro plz 1290]

Have you seen the Macabre performance that's on the DVD that came with Sustain the Untruth? Die alternates between a 7 string, 6 string, and an acoustic. It was amusing because Kaoru stuck with a 7 string the whole time.

I personally loved that he did that. It added some more realness to the performance. Kaorus piezo pickups can't beat the authenticity of an actual acoustic.