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

[Jigsaw9 6783]

whaaaaaaaaaaaa-

 

[Heroin 53]

I find the cover interesting. I like it.
definitely not a DeG cover though

[Shaolan974 6185]

The cover reminds me tool, Lucid Planet, etc. I'm here for that kind of sound ! 

[VESSMIER 873]

I think the cover is very beautiful and intriguing.

 

I will admit though that it is rather unusual for DEG, not only because of their choice of colors but also (and especially) because the more I think about the motif, colors and different design elements, the more I get the feeling that this cover art expresses something radically contrary to what the album title suggests (and contrary to DEG's usual vibe): peace, enlightenment and spirituality.

 

At first I tried to read it from the usual angle: dark, depressive, gloomy, aggressive etc. and the fractal design of the cover came to mind and I thought, well, maybe it signifies something along the lines of a fragmented personality/world (lat. fractus = broken) or that everything repeats itself endlessly. That would mean that nothing can truly change because real change without repetition is not possible resulting in immobility and apathy. That's where the "insulation" from the album title comes in. Plus the funnel-like objects surrounding the pupils have those dark swirls in them which might be a metaphor for all the pain and suffering or generally bad things this person has absorbed etc...

 

BUT then there’s the general expression of that person on the cover which I'm deducing mainly from the mouth and they look quite content, graceful, even dignified. The eyes are certainly wide open, so they seem to be quite perceptive and open to experience. The bindi-like dot on the forehead (the location of the third eye) is associated with spirituality and deeper perception and the color purple is usually associated with wisdom, peace, nobility, power, a higher self and so on. There's also the white fractal surrounding almost the entire head like a halo. Obviously, spiritual elements play a huge role in that image. But there's also the interplay between heaven (the golden area around the head looks like a sunlit sky) and earth (the green-brown area beginning on the neck and stretching further down to the chest) - so there's the heart that grounds you (soma) and the mind that wanders and aspires to that which is located on a higher experiential plane (psyche).

 

And that’s just off the top of my head… I think it’s a really cool cover and certainly lends itself to many interpretations. The spirituality aspect cannot be denied though I think and it makes me wonder if this is to represent a DEG that has shaken off its earthly shackles (like depression and pain) and has ascended to a higher realm of consciousness? 🙉And will that also show in lyrics? Or is it just artistic hybris: "Hey we have a new record, it'll blow your fucking mind". Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it!

 

PS: You guys are unimaginative and boring as shit with your snarky comments - why u sound so butthurt all the time?

Edited August 23, 2018 by VESSMIER

[Saishu 1589]

I still don’t like it. 

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

all this for some shitty japanese nu-metal 

[Kelrya 145]

I’m not getting the same vibes from the art as a lot of people here it seems. It looks like something a band like Deafheaven would use. I personally like it and I definitely think that it would still fit a dark album even if it’s not a generic all black metal album cover.

[Tokage 5930]

It literally looks like something that was slapped together by some intern who learned how to work Photoshop like five minutes ago, idk why y'all are reading so deeply into this as if it has some profound and deep meaning

[emmny 4139]

13 minutes ago, Kelrya said:

I’m not getting the same vibes from the art as a lot of people here it seems. It looks like something a band like Deafheaven would use. I personally like it and I definitely think that it would still fit a dark album even if it’s not a generic all black metal album cover.

deafheaven didn't deserve this post

[Saishu 1589]

1 hour ago, Disposable said:

all this for some shitty japanese nu-metal 

To be fair, you have to have a very high I.Q. to understand DIR EN GREY album art. 

[ShanethVarosa 1209]

I gotta say I love it and it’s way better than most of their other covers. Way less generic, totally unexpected. Really inspired I’d say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[Saishu 1589]

I like how the alternate version is “guy looks right instead of left”.

[jon_jonz 885]

On 8/23/2018 at 12:06 AM, Wicked Teletubby said:

 

 

 

 

 

[nick 10212]

The album arts remind me of this meme, so I made one.

 

Edited August 24, 2018 by nostalgia

[NICKT 147]

Makes me miss Lotus, now that was dope album art.

Been only like, 7 years...

[VESSMIER 873]

13 hours ago, Saishu said:

I still don’t like it. 

See, that's the thing I was hinting at. I think that nobody really cares THAT someone does(n't) like it. That's not interesting, you can't really talk about that (except for that little passive aggressive "DEG SUCKS" circlejerk on every page of this thread). It's far more interesting to talk about WHY someone does(n't) like it.

 

12 hours ago, Tokage said:

It literally looks like something that was slapped together by some intern who learned how to work Photoshop like five minutes ago, idk why y'all are reading so deeply into this as if it has some profound and deep meaning

I don't know how much thought or effort went into this image but it's full of symbols either way. And these symbols can be read and since they are thematically/semantically pretty consistent, they can be combined into a narrative or message. If that message is exactly what the dude(s) who made it had in mind doesn't really matter, does it? Things mean different things to different people. That's kinda the beauty of art, right?

[akiko 260]

These album covers are weird, looking inside your soul by these "eyes"...

[Saishu 1589]

3 hours ago, VESSMIER said:

See, that's the thing I was hinting at. I think that nobody really cares THAT someone does(n't) like it. That's not interesting, you can't really talk about that (except for that little passive aggressive "DEG SUCKS" circlejerk on every page of this thread). It's far more interesting to talk about WHY someone does(n't) like it.

 

I don't know how much thought or effort went into this image but it's full of symbols either way. And these symbols can be read and since they are thematically/semantically pretty consistent, they can be combined into a narrative or message. If that message is exactly what the dude(s) who made it had in mind doesn't really matter, does it? Things mean different things to different people. That's kinda the beauty of art, right?

What do you expect when you drop four paragraphs of pretentious interpretations, then insert an edit insulting everyone for not discussing an album cover more seriously? 

[geist 227]

It's "WOKE: The Album Cover"; but I like it. It's something different for the band and I guess that's pretty cool.

[Seelentau 884]

Good thing they don't know about google DeepDream.

[Puriwate 28]

When/to what extent are they releasing the music video for ranunculus? Is it just gonna get brodcast or are they actually releasing it?

[blacktooth 227]

I wouldn't mind them uploading it to youtube, but I don't think they'd do that just yet with them making a big deal about the reveal at these shows.

[Dudemanguy 122]

18 hours ago, Disposable said:

all this for some shitty japanese nu-metal 

 

It's actually post-progressive avant-garde experimental metal with death metal and j-rock influences.

[Elazmus 1873]

4 minutes ago, Dudemanguy said:

 

It's actually j-rock with post-progressive avant-garde experimental metal and death metal influences.

^ re-ordered / fixed

[Seelentau 884]

I propose to call their genre "dir en kei".