D'espairsRay

[evilcoconut 109]

Aaaand if I may butt into the album-discourse; 

Coll:set is probably their best album, but I think the other albums are judged quite harshly? The reason is probably this: their music did not become worse, they just broadened their style, and it did not suit some of their old fans tastes. 

 

Agree, lol.  Though this could be said about nearly every other "big" VK band out there.  It's always cooler to like either the first or second album of the band.  Personally I can't really decide on a favorite of theirs.  I have the most plays of REDEEMER, but the most loved songs off of MONSTERS.

[SUBLIMINAL 52]

Agree, lol.  Though this could be said about nearly every other "big" VK band out there. 

This tbh. 

You can, however, normally tell the difference between someone who genuinely isn't "into" a new album because it's not their thing and someone who is butthurt about change. 

[Ito 2438]

I just was listening to Monsters and it really was reviewed way too harshly by most people imo. If you take it by itself and aren't expecting the harder and darker tones of Coll:set, it really is a great album.

[evilcoconut 109]

I just was listening to Monsters and it really was reviewed way too harshly by most people imo. If you take it by itself and aren't expecting the harder and darker tones of Coll:set, it really is a great album.

 

Word. I love everything about Monsters.

[Flame-X 441]

DEATH POINT is still my favorite song from them. It's also the best PV I've seen in general.

[evilcoconut 109]

DEATH POINT is still my favorite song from them. It's also the best PV I've seen in general.

 

It was also freaking awesome live.

[Flame-X 441]

It was also freaking awesome live.

Absolutely! I'm glad I was able to go to their concert at least once before the disbandment.

[The Libertine 2]

agree with comments above.  MONSTERS was a great album for how fun it was and how well the songs worked live.  Redeemer had some great tracks amongst their best, just a few filler boring tracks as well that weighed it down.  MIRROR will always be my favorite and coll:set really is one of those perfect raw VK albums.  

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

Hey now there is a difference between Coll:set and Mirrors though, and biggest of which being the almost complete abandonment of the fishnet stockings goff aesthetic present in Coll:set. And to be honest, I haven't seen many people that like Coll:set go and outright bash Mirrors, a large majory seems like it even. Now if someone just likes the first two but dislikes the following Redeemer, I certainly hope it's no mystery to anyone why that is. There's a difference, and I don't see the use of "it's change/evolving/whatever you ungrateful pleb" card warranted in all cases by default.

 

When I was a lil weeaboo and the singles after Mirrors came out, I thought it was betrayal ( not in the sense that I thought I was entitled to something, just bad feeeringss). This super cool band that perfectly suited my hxc 14yo tastes started wimping out hardcore, ditched pretty much everything I thought was rad about them and even the songs on Redeemer that hearkened a bit to the old days sounded fake and contrived. Later on I started liking Redeemer about as much as I like Mirrors, and I accepted it to the Despa canon with no grievances. As for Monsters... I only listened to it twice when it came out and though it was crap/boring/etc. and based on a browsing through of Death Point I did just now, I doubt that would change even if I decided to give it another spin. 

 

As for my favorite release, it's Sexual Beast. It's also the only release of theirs that I like wholly from beginning to end.

[Zeus 7997]

Hey now there is a difference between Coll:set and Mirrors though, and biggest of which being the almost complete abandonment of the fishnet stockings goff aesthetic present in Coll:set. And to be honest, I haven't seen many people that like Coll:set go and outright bash Mirrors, a large majory seems like it even. Now if someone just likes the first two but dislikes the following Redeemer, I certainly hope it's no mystery to anyone why that is. There's a difference, and I don't see the use of "it's change/evolving/whatever you ungrateful pleb" card warranted in all cases by default.

 

When I was a lil weeaboo and the singles after Mirrors came out, I thought it was betrayal ( not in the sense that I thought I was entitled to something, just bad feeeringss). This super cool band that perfectly suited my hxc 14yo tastes started wimping out hardcore, ditched pretty much everything I thought was rad about them and even the songs on Redeemer that hearkened a bit to the old days sounded fake and contrived. Later on I started liking Redeemer about as much as I like Mirrors, and I accepted it to the Despa canon with no grievances. As for Monsters... I only listened to it twice when it came out and though it was crap/boring/etc. and based on a browsing through of Death Point I did just now, I doubt that would change even if I decided to give it another spin. 

 

As for my favorite release, it's Sexual Beast. It's also the only release of theirs that I like wholly from beginning to end.

 

The reason why the idea behind people liking [coll:set] and not MIRRORS exists is that when MIRRORS dropped, people hated it because of "the almost complete abandonment of the fishnet stockings goff aesthetic present in Coll:set". It was (back then) a schism in the fanbase that people only got over when Redeemer was released and the aforementioned shift in style reminded people what a real change in sound is. Then people began to praise the first two albums and call Redeemer their "pop album" because of a few more upbeat tracks. If the reviews still existed, I'd say go look at them but all I have to prove my point is SUBLIMINAL and last.fm.

 

It's the same with MONSTERS now too. I would say this is an interesting phenomenon but it happens all the time with tons of visual kei bands.

Also for the record, for me it's [coll:set] > MIRRORS > Redeemer > Monsters

[sai 868]

Even though Monsters wasn't very exceptional (I liked only Human-clad monster, lol), I still prefer it over Coll:set. Coll:set for me is very hard to get into and it sounds like it tries too hard at being something that it hasn't succeeded in. Monsters is a way more accessible album than Coll:set is, generally. That's why I usually don't understand people recommending Coll:set to people who want to try this band, mainly because I myself would rather recommend MIRRORS. MIRRORS still has something the newer albums don't, but it's more accessible than Coll:set is. Though I guess if the person who is asking for recommendations is into the kind of stuff Coll:set is, I'd understand why you'd recommend it. I myself got recommended Coll:set and I couldn't make it through the first 4 songs because it really REALLY seemed to annoy me because the tracks felt like they weren't going anywhere.

 

I'd have to say MIRRORS > REDEEMER > Monsters > Coll:set

[evilcoconut 109]

Even though Monsters wasn't very exceptional (I liked only Human-clad monster, lol), I still prefer it over Coll:set. Coll:set for me is very hard to get into and it sounds like it tries too hard at being something that it hasn't succeeded in. Monsters is a way more accessible album than Coll:set is, generally. That's why I usually don't understand people recommending Coll:set to people who want to try this band, mainly because I myself would rather recommend MIRRORS. MIRRORS still has something the newer albums don't, but it's more accessible than Coll:set is. Though I guess if the person who is asking for recommendations is into the kind of stuff Coll:set is, I'd understand why you'd recommend it. I myself got recommended Coll:set and I couldn't make it through the first 4 songs because it really REALLY seemed to annoy me because the tracks felt like they weren't going anywhere.

 

I'd have to say MIRRORS > REDEEMER > Monsters > Coll:set

 

I agree with you in recommending Mirrors for someone who has never heard them before, but I personally got into them when Coll:set came out and it didn't dissuade me lol.  But I think that was more because it was along the lines of stuff that I was already listening to at the time.

[Mr Bacon 106]

Even though Monsters wasn't very exceptional (I liked only Human-clad monster, lol), I still prefer it over Coll:set. Coll:set for me is very hard to get into and it sounds like it tries too hard at being something that it hasn't succeeded in. Monsters is a way more accessible album than Coll:set is, generally. That's why I usually don't understand people recommending Coll:set to people who want to try this band, mainly because I myself would rather recommend MIRRORS. MIRRORS still has something the newer albums don't, but it's more accessible than Coll:set is. Though I guess if the person who is asking for recommendations is into the kind of stuff Coll:set is, I'd understand why you'd recommend it. I myself got recommended Coll:set and I couldn't make it through the first 4 songs because it really REALLY seemed to annoy me because the tracks felt like they weren't going anywhere.

 

I'd have to say MIRRORS > REDEEMER > Monsters > Coll:set

People probably recommend Coll:set because it's the release the band is the most recognized for, and is what got them "out there" when the album was released. A lot of D'espairsRay fans also got into the band because of the album, I guess that weighs in as well.

For me it's still one of their best releases(after Born and Sexual Beast), but I think that Mirrors is nearly as good even though it deviated from their previous style, because the band still had plenty fresh ideas. Redeemer was quite boring to me though, and Monsters was just not good at all because it lacked inspiration.

[miyuu 40]

i think people choose Coll:set even if they like it as much as mirror because it has more emotional/sentimental value to them.

i do this with my fav bands when i like the same all albums i end up choosing like this.

maybe i am wrong because it's been a long time since i listened but i don't think those 2 albums have so different sound. mostly their visuals  changed.

i think maybe mirror have indeed a little more mainstream sound for recommendations .Coll:set is more "difficult" sound.

i don't like the other 2 albums especcially the last one.& i don't really remember them

 

 

edit:random why i have it as mirror? not mirrors

[nullmoon 784]

Coll:Set was the first album I listened to by them and to me it's the most cohesive; it flows nicely and just seems much tighter than the later releases which seem a bit aimless. Mirror was similar in that it had a good flow to it.

After that, despite a few good songs, their last two releases are mediocre at best.

[nullmoon 784]

@miyuu - no idea why everyone else is calling it Mirrors when it clearly says Mirror on the album cover

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

rolf seems like it was me who first fucked up and called it Mirrors instead of MIRROR ( and here I first typed it as "MIRROW" god my English is awful) . That's what I get for trusting my intuition. ONEGAI

 

I actually think all of their albums are fairly cohesive, compared to other VK albums at least. Coll:set just has some really powerful moments when you buy into it a little bit, like for example the chorus of FORBIDDEN or the ending of infection. It has some of their most emotional stuff, even though I still think their peak in that regard was 「タトエバ」キミ．．．ガ．．．シンダ．．．ラ. I can think of a moment or two in MIRROR as well, but beyond that I'm hard pressed to find anything up to par

[Ito 2438]

Come on, Coll:set has the song Tainted World on it!

[nullmoon 784]

IN VAIN!!

[MikuKun 83]

Hi I've been told by someone that I should stop posting these and go to the recommendation thread but I'm asking a specific question and I don't think this is truly bothering anyone so if any fans of D'espairsRay are reading this or even casual listener's, I wanted to know what's a good album by them that really show's who they are as a band! Thank's!

[saishuu 3220]

SEXUAL BEAST > MIRROR > Coll:set.

[emmny 4139]

who they really are aka a summary of their sound??!?!?

coll:set tbh

bc it shows off the catchy stuff in their later career and the goth metal of their indies days 

 

 

my fav is redeemer though but no one likes it lol

[saishuu 3220]

my fav is redeemer though but no one likes it lol

 

REDEEMER is good and I don't get the hate it gets, but it's still like a lowbudget MIRROR, let's be real.

[CAT5 9075]

For me it was like [Coll:set] = 凍える夜に咲いた花 single > BORN > REDEEMER > MIRROR. I'd really recommend the first 3, as they probably got the most play from me out of any D'espa material. They kinda lost me in 2007, and although I thought REDEEMER was super solid, 2009 was all about the gazette, haha. ; )

[Crube 585]

I saw an update on this and immediately thought the band is active again.