DIR EN GREY released their 10th album "The Insulated World" on September 26, 2018

[Kelrya 145]

Yeah the pacing is the biggest problem. Idk why they decided to throw all the heaviest songs on the first half.

Edited September 25, 2018 by Kelrya

[Saishu 1589]

It kind of makes the album tiring before it’s halfway over. 

 

Also, Celebrate Empty Howls reminds me of Doukoku no Sarinu. 

[libertine 125]

20 minutes ago, blacktooth said:

I think rearranging the track order could do this album great justice to fix the flow and balance it out better. Got any suggestions? 

The biggest problem for me was the beginning. Maybe my ears are ruined from all the VK instrumental intros, but I like to be eased into a record. And getting two kind of same-y brick-wall tracks that are just loud through out felt wrong. I would start with something like Rubbish Heap or Values of Madness, because they at least have short intros.

[geist 227]

I'm not so sure about rearranging any tracks because the contrast feels deliberate. It's no surprise that the album starts with the heaviest tracks and ends with the softest.

 

Perhaps a tease? A hint as to their direction as a band going forward? idk.

[EvilHippy 142]

At least its pacing is better than Arche, which was all over the place.

Edited September 25, 2018 by EvilHippy

[geist 227]

3 minutes ago, EvilHippy said:

At least it's pacing is better than Arche, which was all over the place.

God, yes. With Arche there were sections of the album I wanted to skip from day 1, I don't feel the same way here.

[Envelion 14]

I can't listen to the whole album until I get off work but holy shit I just heard Zetsuen-tai and I almost pissed myself. That was soooo good. Didn't expect the DSS-esque metal moment in and it was a welcomed surprise. I can't wait to buy the album!!!

[blacktooth 227]

19 minutes ago, Saishu said:

Also, Celebrate Empty Howls reminds me of Doukoku no Sarinu. 

When the 45 second previews first went up that was my initial thought. The opening drum pattern and riff are very very similar.

[EzraEroguro 174]

Uhhh...

 

Have we all read the lyrics?

Is Kyo okay?

 

Did anyone read the PHY interview?

 

Seriously, is Kyo okay?

[Kelrya 145]

Yeah Kyo seems legit suicidal. Not even in his usual edgelord way, but actually truly depressed. It’s kind of concerning. Plus some of his recent Twitter posts.

[Tokage 5930]

Yeah, if those lyrics aren't just a case of him being edgy for the sake of being edgy, those lyrics are rather concerning. I feel like they haven't been this candid for a while, there don't seem to be many instances where the lyrics just tell some sort of story or paint some particular picture, this just seems like straight-up suicidal misery

[Kelrya 145]

There’s also the fact that he chose to re-record a song about suicide (理由).

Edited September 25, 2018 by Kelrya

[Saishu 1589]

Let’s just hope it’s all metaphorical for killing the band, not himself. Not that I want DEG to disband, but I feel like they’ve only got so many years of doing this. 

[Desi 9]

Did they forget to master the album? most of the songs sound really muddy have serve clipping and worse some vocal parts sound like they were just slapped into the mix with no effort to mix them properly at all.

I'm kinda used to diru albums having this heavy reverb and recording in a public toilet sound to them but I feel this is even worse.

I hope the cd sounds somewhat better -__-

Now the positive, most of the songs are great they have a pretty wide variety to them ( I love followers and 谿壑の欲  <3) 

I just wish at this point we could have Яyo Trackmaker master all Japanese metal as he seems to be the only person who has any grasp of audio engineering.

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

mixing ranges from dumb loud but cool to weird to just shit

love the lyrics

kyo's on fire, although not as much as I would have liked him to be. well we have the next sukekiyo for that and this is going to be this

moab comparisons apt i think

 

but the album was ruined for me at least for the time being when the thought passed me that this sounds like muse doing heavy gazette covers

[blacktooth 227]

1 minute ago, Disposable said:

this sounds like muse doing heavy gazette covers

I have a morbid curiosity... can you pinpoint the moment this thought crossed your mind?

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

2 minutes ago, blacktooth said:

I have a morbid curiosity... can you pinpoint the moment this thought crossed your mind?

it must have been one of the dumber heavy alt rock riffs that were featured in the previews with the shit mallcore guitar tone and trying to ignore the shit album cover

 

and my alcoholism 

 

 

edit: the intro riff from rubbish heap could have been straight from NINTH. somehow, gazerock caught up to 

Edited September 25, 2018 by Disposable

[libertine 125]

Just now, Desi said:

Did they forget to master the album? most of the songs sound really muddy have serve clipping and worse some vocal parts sound like they were just slapped into the mix with no effort to mix them properly at all.

I'm kinda used to diru albums having this heavy reverb and recording in a public toilet sound to them but I feel this is even worse.

I hope the cd sounds somewhat better -__-

Now the positive, most of the songs are great they have a pretty wide variety to them ( I love followers and 谿壑の欲  <3) 

I just wish at this point we could have Яyo Trackmaker master all Japanese metal as he seems to be the only person who has any grasp of audio engineering.

Someone did say they pushed very close to the deadline this time. To me that sounds kind of like they were actually reeeally late and had to rush a lot of the production. Hence the pacing, mix, mastering, typos and whatever.

[kuyashii 124]

I'm gonna listen to it right now. I'll give my first impressions in 50 minutes or so. I have the impression this will be my least favorite album by them to date but let's see if I can be surprised.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

the album is nice. i need to listen to it a couple of times to digest it, but its definitely great. 

 

[Saishu 1589]

I also thought Rubbish Heap sounded like Gazette, which is funny given the title of the song and all. 

 

Surprisingly I’m mostly okay with the mix; the ballads sound fine, some of the early heavy tracks are just fucking noisy. I find it a bit worrisome that these fucks waited almost four years and now they’re saying they were putting this shit together at the last minute. We heard the same story with Uroboros, but at least that came out the year after Marrow. 

Edited September 25, 2018 by Saishu

[EzraEroguro 174]

I get it. I see y'all. @Ro plz, i need you to agree here, bro.

[Kelrya 145]

If there was one more ballad in the first half (maybe after Devote My Life) I think the balance would be better. I LOVE the heavy tracks on here but having like 5 in a row at the beginning of the album is kind of bizarre. It’s weird because with Arche I though there were too many ballads and really wanted another track like The Inferno. Still I think the album is more enjoyable to listen to all the way through than Arche, I just wish the production and track order was a bit more polished. Thankfully there’s nothing that I really feel like skipping like Sustain the Untruth or Magayasou or Soshaku (good chorus boring verses) this time. Right now this isn’t topping  DSS or Uroboros for me but it’s up there with their better albums in terms of aligning with my personal taste. Then again I love all of their different eras for different reasons so even my least favorite (Macabre/Kisou/Withering to Death) are still great albums.

[Saishu 1589]

Mah boys that heavy chunky ass riff in 谿壑の欲 is the SHIT!

[blacktooth 227]

Stacked Rubbish, Rubbish Heap... I mean, it makes sense.