Saturday, June 04, 2005
Visual Rock Group - Dir~En~Grey
Dir~En~Grey
I'm Gonna Introduce A Visual-Kei Rock Band. They Are Call Dir~En~Grey. All The Introductions I Took It From A Website Of Them.
I will say this right away: Dir en grey is an acquired taste of the extreme kind. Hearing the "wrong" songs first can quickly build preconceptions and qualms if one is not use to such spicy music. Now that this is out of the way, let the praising begin!
Anyone that leaves his or her taboos out the door is bound to fall for the disturbing charm of Dir en grey. Very few songs manage to leave me shaking on the floor in foetal position but many of their creations have that particular effect. Originality is once again the name of the game and even if it is hard to notice it at first, this band splendidly diversifies its repertoire but always keeps the intensity present. That intensity is sometimes pushed to the edge in their more offensive songs such as Zan, yet such an insane pandemonium of sound still rubs me the right way when I feel like letting off some steam or simply bask in a storm.
One of the most versatile instruments in Dir en grey’s arsenal is Kyo’s voice, which ranges from whispering to hysterical, sometimes leaping between the two every few seconds. Raw and hard to endure, his touch has a deep impact on the psychological effect of their songs. Even if a stereo cannot emulate the energy he displays on stage, his voice and words certainly overcompensates for that misfortune.
It is, however, the bass, played by Toshiya, that I tend to prefer in DeG’s music. Habitually fast and always fluctuating, his lines are one of the main reasons his band stands above the crowd, and that his talent remains hardly rivalled. There are of course plenty of other reasons, notably called Shinya, Kaoru and Die.
Shinya's androgynous ways are reminiscent of many famous Japanese musicians and while she... he is far from being able to perform the exploits of his alter-ego and mentor, Yoshiki of X Japan, his drumming is nothing short of amazing. The two guitars have been improving immensely throughout the years and have now reached a peak in excellence. There is no lead or accompanying guitar in their case; both are equally present and skilful. Where Kaoru has the edge, however, is in music composition. He wrote or co-wrote most of Dir en grey’s songs but I must commend the band for their individual participation in music. Many groups’ success rests on the imagination of a single member but every member of this one wrote, at the very least, one song I adore.
It first seems as if DeG appeared out of nowhere. Their popularity surely came briskly but the band was not at its first steps when they reached the top. Formally known as La:Sadies, Dir en grey was officially announced in 1997 when Toshiya joined the group. They then released their first mini-album, Missa, which contained six songs including the now popular Garden and Erode.
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