Dir en grey

[Seelentau 884]

They played the new "Wake" today, as well as two entirely new songs. Also, the DSS song got changed.

[Saishu 1589]

5 hours ago, Seelentau said:

Thanks for the constructive criticism and alternate translations, guys. Appreciate it!

 

But now that I have more time, let me revise the names:

• 軽蔑 means "scorn", "disdain" or "contempt". と can mean either "and" or "with". I decided to go with the latter on a whim, maybe because it's the first track and 始まり means "origin" or "beginning". So, "Beginning With Contempt". Could also mean "Contempt and Beginning", but that sounds weird.
• 人間を被る is "Wearing Human", but because of their tour title "Wearing Human Skin", I decided to translate it as that, to keep it more official. 被る also means "to bear a burden", so the title could also be understood as "Bearing the burden of mankind".
• 詩踏み isn't "Poetry Rhyming", but "Poetry Trampling". I forgot to change it on the wiki and copied it from there. The latter kanji possibly refers to 踏み絵, tablets with Christian images, on which Edo-period authorities forced suspected Christians to trample.
• 赫 is a rather rare Kanji, comprised of the Kanji for "red" times two. It's used in a variant of "kagayaku", which means "to shine", and you might know if from Tokyo Ghoul, where it's used in the word "Kagune". But with the reading "aka", it's (apparently) really uncommon.
• 谿壑の欲 comes from a Japanese saying that desires aren't satisfied if they happen one after another. The actual saying is written as 渓壑の欲 and translates to something like "Desire of Ravines".
• 絶縁体 means "Insulator" (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/絶縁体), but I suppose the deeper meaning would be along the lines of someone isolates themselves from humans. Something like that.

 

So, if you guys want to criticise something, please don't do it like those two. That doesn't help anyone.

Chill dawg

[Kelrya 145]

3 hours ago, Seelentau said:

They played the new "Wake" today, as well as two entirely new songs. Also, the DSS song got changed.

Changed how?

What were the new songs like?

[Seelentau 884]

Sorry, I have no answer to that. 😕

[blacktooth 227]

被る was a weird choice because of its connotation. Not nearly as straightforward as 着る, plus it makes me think of hats.

Edited August 3, 2018 by blacktooth

[Kelrya 145]

I think they used 被る because it implies that a person’s skin is being worn as a mask. Look at the end of the music video and it makes sense.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Kelrya

[Rosner 35]

9 hours ago, nullmoon said:

As much as I loved Arche, you can't deny it was bloated due to its length. I think we could do with something a bit sharper and to the point a la Vulgar. 

I totally agree, but to be honest, I feel like almost every Dir en grey album is bloated not only by its length, but also by it's filler. 

[Seelentau 884]

5 hours ago, Kelrya said:

I think they used 被る because it implies that a person’s skin is being worn as a mask. Look at the end of the music video and it makes sense.

It's probably a wordplay on this: http://tangorin.com/dict.php?dict=general&s=猫を被る

 

Also, I asked kyotaku for her take on the title translations and wow, would you look at that:

• 01. 軽蔑と始まり (Keibetsu to Hajimari) - scorn and beginning
• 07. 赫 (Aka (could also be read as ‘kaku’ but English dir site lists it as 'aka’)) - shine, glitter
• 11. 谿壑の欲 (Keigaku no Yoku) - unlimited, insatiable desire
• 12. 絶縁体 (Zetsuentai) - insulator
• (the cap from the merchandise from this tour has 絶縁 (insulation/disconnection) printed on it so I’m assuming that one of the new songs (new or new-new) they play is this song )
• 13. Ranunculus - the language of flowers says 'attractive’ or 'brilliant’

Looks like my translations aren't that wrong at all, huh. Who would've thought.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Seelentau

[nullmoon 784]

2 hours ago, Seelentau said:

Looks like my translations aren't that wrong at all, huh. Who would've thought.

Thanks for looking into this. I'm not sure why you're getting so much slack for trying to be helpful but I appreciate your efforts anyhow

[Seelentau 884]

Thanks, appreciate it. :]

[EvilHippy 142]

8 hours ago, Seelentau said:

• 12. 絶縁体 (Zetsuentai) - insulator
• (the cap from the merchandise from this tour has 絶縁 (insulation/disconnection) printed on it so I’m assuming that one of the new songs (new or new-new) they play is this song )

And album is named "The Insulated World". Is this some kind of a theme for this album?

[RevengeBabyYeah 1]

I'm so happy to see an active Dir en grey community. 

 

Anybody going to the europe tour?

 

Wondering if anyone on here used to be active on Fukkatsu? So many good memories and discussions on there.

 

 

 

[Puriwate 28]

Does anyone have the runtime for the new live songs?

[kuyashii 124]

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.

[Saishu 1589]

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. 

[Ozileras10 371]

Off topic but is Deg vk again? I know for a while they’ve been putting makeup and looking more and more like they’re back on the scene, but this latest look is so vk, especially kyo.

[Rosner 35]

58 minutes ago, kuyashii said:

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.



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...

 

 

[Kelrya 145]

2 hours ago, Ozileras10 said:

Off topic but is Deg vk again? I know for a while they’ve been putting makeup and looking more and more like they’re back on the scene, but this latest look is so vk, especially kyo.

They’ve been pretty overtly VK for the last few years I’d say.

[Kelrya 145]

Imo the mixing has been weird on the post-Arche releases even though I thought the production was mostly good on Arche and the Unraveling and DSS. The harsh vocals seem way too buried in the mix on everything but Utafumi. And speaking of Utafumi, the guitar tone is way too thin and quiet on that song. The acoustic/clean guitar part on Ash is weirdly loud and the distorted guitar tone sounds like plastic or rubber or something and has no grit to it. 

Edited August 13, 2018 by Kelrya

[Manji 卍 743]

back at the mixing topic,if there's a DeG album that deserved to be remixed/re recorded it is MOAB .

the riffs are catchy,but i didn't like the guitar tone choosed 

and  Kyo's voice sounds lower and the scream parts are very unpleasant,feels like he's tearing his own throat 

 

Edited August 13, 2018 by Manji 卍

[Saishu 1589]

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. 

[Kelrya 145]

6 hours ago, Manji 卍 said:

back at the mixing topic,if there's a DeG album that deserved to be remixed/re recorded it is MOAB .

the riffs are catchy,but i didn't like the guitar tone choosed 

and  Kyo's voice sounds lower and the scream parts are very unpleasant,feels like he's tearing his own throat 

 

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

[Saishu 1589]

That screaming is exactly why Kyo fucked his shit up. I mean props for going up there every night and literally just screaming uncontrollably, but harsh vocalists learn proper techniques for a reason. Kyo learned the hard way. 

[blacktooth 227]

Remember the performance of Lotus on the Rinkaku DVD? Ouch.

[Seelentau 884]

4 minutes ago, blacktooth said:

Remember the performance of Lotus on the Rinkaku DVD? Ouch.

Am I the only one who thinks the Rinkaku DVD is their best live ever?