Dir en Grey

I don't "love" this band (I have problems with kisou for example... still listening to last singles it seems they finaly left their "going-neo" era behind: there's hope!), but there are lots of stupid stuff about them, and I simply love them. I especialy advise the "mini-comics", I give you some links down this page... and they are highly recommanded!

And musicaly... Well metal first. After... quite dissonant, it's obvious you're listening to a Japanese band (consciously or not, these "dissonances" often remind of Japanese traditional music). There are some quite melodic and really nice songs also. A very very special singer too... I would say he is closer to what we call a "minstrel" ("ménestrel" in French), who interprets texts he tells/declaims, than what we consider as a "singer", who has an impressive voice. I really don't know whom I should advice this band though... they really are very special... To be honest, listening to their albums for the first time, I thought they were ok but no more, while after a second listening I really began to like it (not love though, but that's a beginning, isn't it?). Except for kisou, as I already said (6 Ugly is more a maxi-single... but if you consider it as an album then yes I should say I don't really love it, I quiiiiiite prefer it to kisou, but still... last two songs... over 6...): in kisou, their "dissonance" really begins to become "neo-metal-like": quite difficult for my quite sensitive ears to stand it! But once again their last singles seem to show that they left their "neo-metal-era" behind (considering their technic, which is not exceptional but still, playing this stuff was probably beginning to be boring + neo-metal is getting less and less successful lately... and I'm not going to regret it!), let's hope next album will confirm it. Anyway: Try Gauze first, it is known as their most "melodic" album after all, I really like Macabre also, and don't forget that if you don't like / nearly hate them after a first listening, leave them somewhere for a few days, and try a second time: most of their fans needed two listenings to like/love them after all!

Discography: (albums only once again: if I begin to list all videos/singles/compilations... it will be quite long!)
(+if there is a link on the name of the album, it' s because there is a review!)

Date	Album	Track-list
25/07/1997	Missa	01-kiri to mayu / 02-"S" / 03-Erode / 04-aoi tsuki / 05-Garden / 06-byo [] shin
28/07/1999	Gauze	01-Gauze -mode of adam- / 02-Schwein no isu / 03-yurameki / 04-Raison d'etre / 05-304 goushitsu, hakushi no sakura / 06-Cage / 07-tsumi no bastu / 08. mazohyst of decadence 09. yokan 10. MASK 11. -zan- 12. akuro no oka 13. GAUZE -mode of eve-
20/09/2000	Macabre	01-Deity / 02-myaku / 03-riyuu / 04-egnirys cimredopyh / 05-Hydra / 06-hotarubi / 07-[KR]Cube / 08-Berry / 09-Macabre / 10-Audrey / 11-rasetsu koku / 12-zakuro / 13-taiyou no ao
30/01/2002	kisou	01--kigan- / 02-Zomboid / 03-24ko cylinder / 04-Filth / 05-Bottom of the death Valley / 06-Embryo / 07-[shinsou] / 08-gyakujyou kanou Keloid Milk / 09-The domestic fucker Family / 10-Undecided / 11-Mushi / 12-[shinsou] / 13-Jessica / 14-karasu / 15-Pink Killer / 16-[shinsou]
31/07/2002	Six Ugly	01-Mr. Newsman / 02-Ugly / 03-Hades / 04-Umbrella / 05-Children / 06-Byo [] shin
10/09/2003	Vulgar	01-Audience killer Loop / 02-THE IIIrd Empire / 03-Increase Blue / 04-shokubeni / 05-sajou no uta / 06-Red... [em] / 07-asunaki koufuku, koenaki asu / 08-Marmalade Chainsaw / 09-kasumi / 10-R to the Core / 11-Drain away / 12-New age Culture / 13-Obscure / 14-Child Prey / 15-Amber

(+-kai- remixes (22/08/2001): well remix album... don't even want to exptry it!)