The GazettE -DIVISION- a look at the limited edition... (Very Late)

I wrote this post last year, but I had forgotten that I had drafted it for some reason so here it is (rewritten and amended).
Like the limited edition of 'The Unraveling' by DEG, 'Division' also comes in a book format, but much bigger and bulkier. It's quite an impressive thing; however, most of the content is pictures, which is okay but there are definitely way too many pictures. They could have done member interviews or something.
Picture 1: The front cover, I think it's the same as the cover on the normal CD box.

Picture 2: These are the sort of pictures included. They're very nicely done and most are either pictures of water or the geisha-type girls.

Picture 3: This is the way in which the CDs are encased. (Here it is Fragment[Vein])

Picture 4: Each song has a double page to it. Here it shows 'Ibitsu' with an accompanying picture.

Picture 5: This is the double page for 'Derangement'.

Picture 6: This is perhaps my favourite page of the book, the pages for '[Melt]'. I think the picture captures the sense of the song perfectly.

Picture 7: Various interviews from the band.

DIR EN GREY -THE UNRAVELING- a look at the limited edition

So being a huge DEG fan and all, I bought the limited edition of 'THE UNRAVELING' which finally arrived today! It's really cool and it comes in a nicely packaged book format.

There are three parts to it: a cover box, CD case and a book. The lyrics in the book are in both English and Japanese (here it shows Kasumi). And lastly, most annoyingly, this is the ticket to the special gig on the 24th of May, but because I live in England I can't go!!! :'(

DIR EN GREY -THE UNRAVELING- Album Review

1: Unraveling
2: Karma
3: Kasumi
4: Karasu
5: Bottom of the death valley
6: Unknown.Despair.Lost
7: THE FINAL
                                                        
1: MACABRE
2: Unraveling (Unplugged)
3: THE FINAL (Unplugged)

DIR EN GREY are back with better production, a solid set of songs and a recovered Kyo. 

Now, there's a definite divide amongst fans regarding this album/EP/whatever you want to call it. There are those who love the 'new' remakes, praising the experimentation, and there are of course those who are inevitably shouting 'you shouldn't have changed a perfect song' etc etc. I couldn't care less which camp you might fit into; all I ask for is that you listen to this album forgetting your attachment to the original version of a song. Because with a fresh approach as a listener, this album is definitely one of the best by DIR EN GREY instrumentally as well as structurally.

From the first prog-y, accentuated notes of 'Unraveling', it's clear that this album is not going to be a continuation of the marvellous experimentation that was 'Rinkaku'. The feel of this whole album is akin to that of 'DUM SPIRO SPERO', but with the structural orderliness and brilliance of 'Rinkaku'. For me, although 'DSS' was a brilliant album, the riffs and structure were all over the place and there was a sense that this was a band who were not yet used to their new axes. On this album however, DIR EN GREY have cleverly decided to play it safe and consolidate their 'DSS' sound, whilst adding more elements of their whole discography (something that 'DSS' lacked in). This altogether creates a very mature DIR EN GREY, and showcases a band firmly on their feet.

The first thing that struck me when this album was announced was the track-list  There was a mixture of some their most famous songs (THE FINAL, Kasumi), fan favourites (Bottom of the death valley) and more 'obscure' (if you'll pardon the pun) songs (Karasu, Karma). I was intrigued as to how the band would go about remaking these songs, especially the well known ones. So it actually came as no surprise when I heard that 'THE FINAL' and 'Kasumi' had hardly been changed at all, apart from a few new riffs here and there. 'THE FINAL' is an immense remake, and in my opinion blows the original out of the water. Everything simply sounds better (thanks to modern production), especially the guitars and you can now distinguish between Kaoru and Die's playing...

...Now, onto the guitar work on this album. Given that Kaoru is quite a shoddy guitarist live (sorry, love you really) I feel sorry for when he has to play these songs live, as the guitar work on this album is amazing and is more complex than on 'DSS'. There is a solo on almost every song, some done amazingly (Bottom of the death valley) and some less so (Unknown.Despair.Lost). They have nailed the breakdowns as well on this album and they are easier to headbang to compared to songs on 'DSS', where I felt the breakdowns were lacking somewhat. 'Unknown.Despair.Lost' has an excellent intro, starting with a simple acoustic passage which soon descends into a breakdown almost reminiscent of thrash metal.

Toshiya (bass) is definitely back as a leading member of the band after taking a backseat approach in 'Rinkaku' and his playing here is hard to miss. He leads most of the songs and creates interesting counter-melodies with the guitars; this is most obvious on the lead track. During the bridge, Toshiya plays an almost solo-like run together with Kaoru's acoustic lick, which adds a unique warmth to this ambient section. The bass intro in 'Bottom of the death valley' has also been changed, whilst still managing to retain the sense of the original. Toshiya has certainly matured from his 'play-every-note-possible' approach in the early days.

I'm not a drummer myself and I admit that I know next to nothing about drumming, so I can't really comment on Shinya's playing here (it's definitely good though!). However, what is clear is the production quality is much higher on the drums than on previous records. I knew Shinya was a brilliant drummer, but I always thought that the production quality was holding him back (especially the sound of the snare drum). On 'Different Sense' on 'DSS' for example, amidst the deathcore-esque riffing, all I could hear was Shinya's weak snare which sounded more like a tin can. 'Karasu' exhibits said snare drum most effectively.

Then there's Kyo's singing... Well there really are no words to describe it. You can hear he has much more control over his singing than he did on 'Rinkaku', with every note being hit with force and control. Some of the vocal work, especially on 'Kasumi' is not to be missed.

I'm going to talk about two more things before I wrap up. The first is the song 'Macabre'. This remake is perhaps the best one on the whole album, despite it being found on the bonus disc. The original was a masterpiece anyway, but this one surpasses it in every way. It doesn't just retain hints of the original; it retains the WHOLE sense and feel of the original, so much so that if you listened to the album 'Macabre' and then this new remake instead of the original, you would probably think it was just one whole album. On top of this, there is an extra 6 minutes added.

Lastly I will talk about the tracks that, sadly, did not impress: 'Karma' and 'Kasumi'. Due to the original 'Karma' (the really badly recorded one), I have never been able to like it or really connect to the song, and so I was quite sceptical anyway about the remake. The remake was uninspired and the instrumentation was uninteresting. I have also never really liked 'Kasumi' as a song (Shock! Horror!). I find it to be one of DEG's most boring songs and I don't understand the absolute devotion towards it. The remake was largely unchanged, as was my opinion.

Apart from a very few slip ups in my opinion, this album is a stomper.

9.5/10

Last minute update on -The Unraveling- DIR EN GREY

Right, so I know that it is either already out or nearly out, but I stumbled upon a news article on MSN Japan about 'The Unraveling' which gave snippets of the reviews done by members of the public during the reviewing sessions set up by the band about a week ago. I'll translate:

1. Unraveling - 'I have no idea what just happened, but I feel as though I've been overwhelmed by a confusing and intricate world that [the band] have created' (male, 26)

2. Karma - 'Everywhere there are hints of the original song, but it's impressive how much they have been able to mix old with new' (female, 27)

3. Kasumi - 'The original is one of my favourites and has a special place in my heart, but this [remake] was also special' (female, 28)

4. Karasu - 'I was shocked at how different it was to the original and what I thought it might be' (male, 29)

5. Bottom of the Death Valley - 'It has the same feel to the original, but is more beautiful and mysterious. I would like to see it live' (female, 24)

6. Unknown.Despair.Lost - 'A lot of the feel and groove of the original remained in this remake, and it was emotional to hear Kyo [in the present] singing those old melodies' (male, 29)

7. The Final - 'I feel that this song has changed from a song that conveys life's hardships and strengths to one that inspires courage' (female, 29)

DIR EN GREY -Unraveling- Track Review

*this is a review of the radio rip of the song*
Oh boy. It's that time again. You know, that 'going-absolutely-crazy-and-jumping-up-and-down-when-dir-en-grey-release-something-new' time that comes around about once every year. And in spectacular DIR EN GREY fashion, they have impressed yet again with their newest track 'Unraveling' from their up coming EP of the same name.

'Unraveling' is probably one of the heaviest songs that DIR EN GREY have written in terms of instrumentation. Beginning with a heavily progressive riff, the song descends into almost 'djent' territory, with Kaoru and Die (guitars) making full use of their dropped 7 string guitars. Toshiya (bass) is very much back to his loud slapping after taking a back seat approach in their last single 'Rinkaku'. In fact, the bass leads most of the song, an aspect of DIR EN GREY that drew me to them in the first place. Shinya's (drums) is as solid as ever and the song definitely requires multiple listens to follow the intricate fills and patterns. Kyo (vocals) is perhaps the highlight of this song. He seems to sound better and more full (this may be the production) than he did on 'Rinkaku', and his screams are not as 'western' as they were on 'Kiri To Mayu'.

This song follows a similar style to that of 'Rinkaku'; heavy instrumentation with largely clean singing. I absolutely love this style that they seem to have adopted, and they do it so well. I look forward to the whole EP.

9/10