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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.
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.
I
have said it before and I will say it again: Yoshiki from X
Japan
knows how to spot talent. Taking the band under his wing and out of the
underground touring as he did with GLAY, Dir
en grey was now on the fast track of becoming one of Japan's most
popular bands. Their subsequent albums, Gauze, Macabre and Kisou
reached high positions on Japanese charts and gathered an unprecedented
horde of fans from many different countries.
Everytime these guys spend a little more time than usual coming up with new material I always fear a breakup. Can you blame me, they come up with singles name like "The Final" in 2004. They always come through, though, and will be releasing a new album in February 2007 called The Marrow of a Bone, following the single Agitated Scream of Maggots (ewww).
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Gauze
It
could as well be Kisou or Macabre but I chose Gauze for the
way it flows. Hits aside (since each album has its fair share), Gauze's
mood slowly oscillates to display countless emotions and styles. Lyrics on
this one are simply startling: Mazohyst of Decadence, for example, is a
dark poem of how a child would view his own abortion.
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Why Cage? OK, so I'm a sucker for bass guitar. This song is just Toshiya at his best with insane bass lines and a long, complex solo. You cannot blame a song for being more mainstream when it is that good.
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Official Site: http://www.direngrey.co.jp (Tip: use AltaVista's Babel Fish translator)
English Fan Site: Tattered Cloth: http://www.crysania.com/tattered/
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