Dir en grey

[Kelrya 145]

1 hour ago, Rosner said:

Finally!!! Ranunculus preview:
 

 

Ok, I wasn't expecting that! I thought it was going to be a mellow ballad, really calm and depressive... This snippets makes it sound like something closer to 'Lotus' or 'Rinkaku', which is amazing! Really digging the visuals of the video, and also really digging the positive vibes of the song. Everything reminds me of a fairytale....

 

Also, maybe it's because I was in the studio all day long and thus I have my ears really fatigued, but... Don't you think the mix sounds way better than on 'Utafumi' and 'Ningen...'?! I like the dynamics between the snare and the drum, and the toms sound more controlled now. The rhythm guitars also sound more pleasant, at least to my (tired) ears. Here's hoping the album has a good or at least bearable sound!

The mixing definitely sounds way better than Ningen. It still has the whole loudness war thing going on but at least it seems EQ’d properly. There is too much stuff going on around the same frequency on Ningen it seems and so it sounds really muddy which is a shame since I like the song itself a lot. My biggest problem with Ningen is the mixing and production on the harsh vocals, particularly the lower growls. They are borderline inaudible in parts of the second verse especially. And they have some bizarre effect on them that makes them sound like wind or something instead of actual vocals. The clean vocals are mixed fine at least.

[Seelentau 884]

On 8/21/2018 at 11:05 PM, Seelentau said:

Hmm, I can try. This is from their live at 川崎CLUB CITTA' in November 2016:
It starts very quiet, with ambient sounds (Glockenspiel or something like that?). They sounds are coming in one by one until ~0:37, when the actual band starts to play.

The song starts off rather hard until at ~01:07, it calms down and vocals begin at ~01:24.

At 01:43, there's a shift in the music and at ~01:55 something like a high-point begins that goes on until ~02:20.

Then another verse with mellow, slower music until ~02:45, where the same shift from 01:43 is repeated (same lyrics "sono toki..." - "watashi no kokoro o").

Unlike at 01:55, this time, the ambient sounds appear again in the form of a piano/keyboard(?), or at least that's what it sounds like. A piano key again and again, like "dun dundun dundun dundun".

Then at ~03:10 "Ranunculus... Ranunculus...". Still ambient and piano thingy, very very mellow, reminds me of Kukoku no Kyoon.

At ~03:29, the ~01:55 part is repeated again, with the last verse following and some more "Ranunculus". It clocks in at ~05:00 total.

 

The version from April 2018 is a little different. Same ambient intro, but vocals start at ~00:35, the band joins him at ~01:00.

"Watashi no kokoro o" at ~01:07, followed by the high-point. Second verse at ~01:35, "watashi no kokoro o" at 02:07.

Ambient sounds again with "Ranunculus... Ranunculus...". The rest is the same as the other version, but they shortened the song by almost one minute, I think. But I can't pinpoint exactly what is missing or has changed, really.

I think it can be described as a ballad, but it's actually more of ballad-rock-ballad-rock. Nothing over-the-top like DECAYED CROW, but as I said, it kinda reminds me of Kukoku no Kyoon.

Or something like that.

 

The teaser matches this part of the song:

Unlike at 01:55, this time, the ambient sounds appear again in the form of a piano/keyboard(?), or at least that's what it sounds like. A piano key again and again, like "dun dundun dundun dundun".

 

You can hear the dun dundun right at the beginning, dunno what instrument that is.

The more recent live version ends after this part btw. So we basically know a little under half of the song now.

Edited September 1, 2018 by Seelentau

[nekkichi 6043]

7 hours ago, Rosner said:

Don't you think the mix sounds way better than on 'Utafumi' and 'Ningen...'?!

idk I def was surprised to hear audible bass lines there, but it's on par with arche in terms of sound mixing for me.

52 minutes ago, Seelentau said:

You can hear the dun dundun right at the beginning, dunno what instrument that is.

it's a dundunrillon x

[Saishu 1589]

ranNnNnNkyUulussSsSs

[Seelentau 884]

1 hour ago, Ro plz said:

Rinkaku is the best DIR song ever

 

what a statement to make

for me it's a draw between original Fukai and DOZING GREEN (Before Construction Ver.)

[Kelrya 145]

For me it’s probably Different Sense because it combines everything I like about the heavier and softer sides of the band.

[LIDL 692]

56 minutes ago, Saishu said:

All I hear is another Kasumi. 

MTE, like.. its yunger sister 

[geist 227]

2 hours ago, Ro plz said:

Rinkaku is the best DIR song ever.

 

This is — objectively speaking — the correct opinion. 

[ghost 2687]

 

3 hours ago, geist said:

This is — objectively speaking — the correct opinion

Mmm nahh. Rinkaku is great, but it ain't no "ain't afraid to die" It's probs my favorite vkei ballad.

Edited September 2, 2018 by ghost

[Kaleidoscope 195]

15 minutes ago, ghost said:

 

Mmm nahh. Rinkaku is great, but it ain't no "ain't afraid to die" It's probs my vkei ballad.

I feel "Inconvenient Ideal" is so underrated compared to all the other ballads!

 

As for the "Ranunculus" preview, I actually really enjoyed it and didn't find it boring at all. Maybe the visuals are distracting me a bit though, it's been a long time since I actually enjoyed the circus theme

[Elazmus 1873]

1 hour ago, ghost said:

Mmm nahh. Rinkaku is great, but it ain't no "ain't afraid to die" It's probs my favorite vkei ballad.

Two of my favorites but this is true^

[mopkins 42]

5 hours ago, Kelrya said:

For me it’s probably Different Sense because it combines everything I like about the heavier and softer sides of the band.

this is a bold pick and I'm into it

[ghost 2687]

2 hours ago, Kaleidoscope said:

I feel "Inconvenient Ideal" is so underrated compared to all the other ballads!

Def agreed! That's another great ballad. "Higeki ha mabuta wo oroshita yasashiki utsu" is also a fine piece of work I think doesn't get talked about enough. It's one of my favorite moments on WTD and I love the visuals for this on the Despair in the Womb tour.

[Saishu 1589]

Behind a Vacant Image is up there for me. 

 

I love Kaishun for the guitar solo alone, Tousei always kills me with Toshiya’s overlooked bass solo. 

[Kaleidoscope 195]

Super hyped to see them live this year, the times they've been here before never worked out for me. I listened to their whole discography again and felt like writing down my thoughts!

 

I can't seem to get into "Macabre" at all, it has some great songs, but overall it feels a bit random to me. Guess I need to give it some more listens.

 

"Cage" is an amazing song.

 

Weirdly enough, I really like "TMOAB" by now, Kyo has huge moments here and especially the calmer songs are among the best material Diru has put out if you ask me.

 

I like "Arche" a bit more now, but I feel like it is the first album that doesn't really push any boundaries, it almost seems like they tried to achieve something similar to sukekiyo, but didn't quite succeed.  Also, Kyo's high notes really don't have the old strength anymore (live he sounds incredible though).

 

I enjoy everything they've shown after "Arche" more than that album, I suppose I just like my Dir En Grey catchy haha

 

 

[Wicked Teletubby 528]

 

the band that ditched visual almost two decades ago looks visual AF.

Edited September 5, 2018 by Wicked Teletubby

[LIDL 692]

Well, life is a rotating wheel, they say....

 

I'll definitley cope Kyo's look here tho

Edited September 5, 2018 by LIDL

[Kelrya 145]

Almost two decades ago? They still looked pretty VK in the clever sleazoid video and that was like 2006. Gauze wasn’t even out two decades ago.

Edited September 5, 2018 by Kelrya

[LIDL 692]

Kaoru looks like one of those Black Butler characters though

[Saishu 1589]

3 hours ago, Kelrya said:

Almost two decades ago? They still looked pretty VK in the clever sleazoid video and that was like 2006. Gauze wasn’t even out two decades ago.

Well, Gauze was 1999. That’s roughly two decades. 

[platy 3018]

Kaoru looks amazing. Kyo is Kyo.

[Kelrya 145]

23 minutes ago, Saishu said:

Well, Gauze was 1999. That’s roughly two decades. 

They quit VK with Gauze?

[Saishu 1589]

7 minutes ago, Kelrya said:

They quit VK with Gauze?

No. But you said Gauze wasn’t out two decades ago. 

[LIDL 692]

4 hours ago, platy said:

Kaoru looks amazing. Kyo is Kyo.

Makes me wish Kyo to wear Punyus line some time amd hang with Naomi and Haruka 

 

[ghost 2687]

Kyo's eyes look like his mouth.