#110: 人間を被る by DIR EN GREY

[Zeus 7997]

 

| dududududuDODODOOOO "Ash"

 

 

Love them or hate them, there's no doubt in my mind that everyone has an opinion on Dir en grey's newest single. They've been more cagey about describing the track or releasing samples ahead of time this time around, but the news came dripping in little by little. I was apprehensive of the new single at first because "詩踏み" as a package was disappointing, but it turns out that this single speaks only good things about the next album.

 

The new single leaves a better impression on me with the first few listens. "詩踏み" was good, but not very memorable for me. "人間を被る" sounds like a mix between "un deux" and "咀嚼", inspired by the same feelings as "詩踏み" with different construction. This is not a bad thing as a fan of ARCHE. "人間を被る" shakes off a lot of the lethargy and awkwardness in the transitions between song sections. The track flows more naturally than "詩踏み" . I appreciate that Kyo is relying more on his mid-range and less on his extreme gutturals and shrieks because it gives the track more body. The ending feels purposefully unfinished and does not work as a substitute for an opening for "ash". 

 

Given Dir en grey's reputation for remakes, I dreaded what "Ash" would become. Luckily, we got a great remake this time. It sounds like the song it's supposed to cover. "Ash" now has four separate recordings - the 1997 version from Behind the Mask Vol. 2, the 1998 version on 「楓」～if trans･･･～, the 2000 B-side on 脈, and now the 2018 re-recording. It hurts that the track is only four and a half minutes long - the shortest version of all by a full minute - but it's a good four tracks. The meat and rhythm of the melody is the same, but I'm indifferent on the new lyrics. I'm too used to hearing the original ones. The constant use of vocal fry as backing vocals is another minor, annoying addition. The acoustic solo in the middle is the highlight of the single because it spices up the pacing of the single and sets the song up nicely for the electric guitar solo. The step-up technique at the end was preserved, but is also my least favorite out of all three versions of "Ash". It could have used more maniacal laughing at the end or more electronic effects to amp up the intensity. I have to say that I still prefer the 2000 version of this song the best, but at least it doesn't completely butcher the feel of the track a la "羅刹国" or "Obscure", so not all is lost.

 

The live version of "詩踏み" is a bonus to give the whole package some weight and to justify the price tag. As small of a comment as it is, Kyo sounds good here. Previous B-side live recordings were the epitome of filler because Kyo sounded terrible, and really left a bad impression on what the band was capable of live. Like I said, I didn't care too much about it upon initial release and I still don't care too much for it now. The track loses a bit of impact in its translation to disk, but for what it's worth the track sounds like it works amazingly well live. It's may even be more true for "人間を被る".

 

 

[Seelentau 884]

> Kyo sounds good here

 

We must've listened to different versions, because that live is as far from good as it could ever be.

[Zeus 7997]

Compared to this live recording and some of the other B-sides we've got in the past, this live version of Utafumi is more than acceptable.
 

 

[yakihiko 1480]

Nice review Zeus, I'm a fan from ARCHE too.

 

That's a cool single, and 人間を被る just came in my DIR season. So this will def improve my interesting on them. Recently the VESTIGE OF SCRATHES' best album got me to know some older songs, and it was a good thing (I do follow them since DSS, but nothing besides a few listen from time to time, so never got to check their older music).

 

If someone recommend me some past to DSS music, I would like. Those are samples for what I like:

Spoiler

"VINUSHKA", "VANITAS", "Chain repulsion", "懷春", "C", "人間を被る", "DIFFERENT SENSE", "THE UNRAVELING", "我、闇とて..." and "アクロの丘".

 

 

 

[ghost 2687]

Solid review as usual Zeus. It was interesting to read your thoughts because I practically had the exact opposite opinions.

 

I felt like this was not a particularly compelling single. "Ningen wo kaboru" is very average and doesn't have any standout moments. The riffs and melodies sound phoned-in and the drumming, as people have noted, are typical for a Dir en grey song and recycle the same rhythms and patterns. The distortion sounds really cool but that's just related to tone. I actually like "Utafami" more as an A-side. It felt tighter and I liked the riffs more, although "Utafumi" didn't really win me over either.

 

The "Ash" remake sounds unfinished and messy. I appreciate that the song remains melodically faithful to the original, but they could have re-worked the guitar parts and added more complexity like in the ending of the song. The added melody (is refrain the correct term?) doesn't really incorporate well into the song and really sticks out as a stitched element. I think same goes for the acoustic passage. It sounds great and is a highlight in the track, but it's so brief that it's more distracting. The shortened length really hurt the song too as some of the sections sound like they should continue on resulting in clunky transitions. I'm also just such a fan of Kyo's original line delivery that his performance here sounds uninspired by comparison. It had so much more character and conviction. Here he just kinda spills out his vocals and they lack any texture or variation.

 

I gotta agree with Zeus here. This sounds like a pretty solid performance. I mean,  I hate live tracks in general but this is definitely far from the worst. That Despair in the Womb live in general had some pretty poor performances as far as Kyo was concerned.

[meat 135]

Thanks Zeus for the constructive review as always. I have been listening to Diru on and off since Macabre but nothing of theirs have really grabbed me as much as the last two singles. I love the latest experimentations and there are parts on both Utafumi and Ningen that are just sublime for me. I can't wait for the next album and see what else they are going to come up with.

 

I'm also digging this version of Ash way more than any of the others but the live version of Utafumi sounds rather flat to me. All in all, it feels like an odds'n'ends collection of songs rather than a fully thought out package.