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

My problems with writing music

So I write music in my spare time. It's probably not going to change the world, but I'm happy with it and I definitely think that some of them are really very good.

It's all in Japanese (except for a few), and it ranges from J-pop to progressive death metal. I've written about 24 songs but now I'm starting to encounter problems...

Problem 1: I'm writing too many slow/soft songs

This was great at first when I had no songs written down. However it seems to be all I can write (the only consolation is that they are all completely different). Don't get me wrong, I'm immensely proud of some of the riffs and melodies I have come up with, but it's stating to become the only thing I can play when I touch a guitar.

Problem 2: When I try to write heavy songs, I can only play deathcore

The title says it all really. Maybe it's because I'm 'trying' and not letting it come naturally. Whenever I kick on the distortion the only things I can play are either the riff from 'The Final' by DIR EN GREY or Nu-metal/Deathcore. I don't even like the last two genres of music. This is really annoying, as so far I have only written one heavy song I am happy with, and that took influence from Kabuki music.

Problem 3: All my lyrics are too similar

All. My. Lyrics. Are. About. Love. All of them. Whether its breakups, falling in love, killing your ex, stalking, ANYTHING to do with love, I've written a song about it. I just can't write anything else! Well actually that's a lie, I've written TWO songs about 'being yourself'. I am happy with these lyrics, and I think they have deep meanings behind them (they're not pop music style lyrics about love, but I want to move away from this...

Well that's it, and this is the end of probably one of the most pointless posts I have ever written. :D

DIR EN GREY Rinkaku Review.

1: Rinkaku

2: Kiri To Mayu (Remake)

3: Rinkaku Remix

Now, I know it's not out yet, but I downloaded the single because I could not wait. Don't worry though, I ALWAYS buy my music afterwards, I own every DIR EN GREY release as of this single. However, I can't really prove it to you, so judge away...

This is probably one of the strongest singles I've heard from DIR EN GREY, on par with my favourite single 'Hageshisa to...'; all three tracks are great. 

Rinkaku

I'm sure most of you have heard the endless previews of the title track 'Rinkaku', but these were only the edited version. The full version has an extra verse and an exquisite piano bridge, as well as extended intros, etc.  'Rinkaku' is an extremely atmospheric song, aided in a large part by Kyo's haunting falsetto singing. This song is very much a cross between 'Wari, Yami Tote' and their 'Dum Spiro Spero' material, mixing heavy instrumentation with clean singing. I have a strong mental image in my head of 'Rinkaku' being akin to a puzzle, with each part slotting in perfectly at the right moment. 

As I said in a previous short review of the preview, the production is immense and Shinya's drumming has never sounded better. The guitars sound amazing in this song and do not sound too overproduced. They successfully create a blissful wall of sound, which isn't too in-your-face either. Toshiya is slapping again, which adds a driving motion to the song which would probably otherwise be static.

If this is the direction DIR EN GREY are going in, I have no complaints.

Kiri To Mayu

Fans wanting to see 'heavy' DIR EN GREY do not despair, as 'Kiri To Mayu' delivers exactly that. However it is a different 'heavy' to that of 'Dum Spiro Spero', and I feel slightly indifferent to it. 

Kyo can obviously still scream. He's actually sounding better than he did. The only problem I have with his 'new' screaming (I don't know if this is because of his accident or the production), is that it is very much like Suicide Silence and other contemporary American deathcore bands. It's hard to describe without listening to the song, but I've always thought American deathcore singers have a very 'cloudy' scream, and this is the sound I'm getting from Kyo. 

I think a few more clean vocals would have been nice, the only part using cleans being the chorus (I think it's the chorus?). This song is very in-your-face, but less so than say, remakes of 'Zan' and 'Rasetsukoku'; the atmosphere from 'Rinkaku' continues very much into this song and is reminiscent of the inside of a church (for me). 

You can tell the song is 'Kiri To Mayu', as it uses the same intro riff, just heavier. It's very much like the remake of 'Zan'; HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY. Each riff ends on a note that threatens to change into a breakdown, which is sort of frustrating, but also a reminder of how full of surprises DIR EN GREY are. The solo mid-song is VERY Americanized, but also strangely very DIR EN GREY, making for an interesting listen. I was disappointed with this song at first listen, but with every listen I am becoming more and more attached to it. 

Rinkaku Remix

This remix screams out 'DOOM DOOM DOOM'. It conjured up many emotions at first listen, even more the second time round, emotions such as despair, grief, sadness, anger, etc. It sounds like it wouldn't go amiss on a Silent Hill soundtrack. It's darker than anything DIR EN GREY could ever do (no hating!). This remix adds an interesting twist to the song in general. Whilst the original is actually quite hope inspiring (for me), the remix is the complete opposite, and compelled me to interpret the lyrics differently as well.

Overall I am very happy with this single and happy that DIR EN GREY are very much back. It's just a shame that more people don't listen to this utterly original, mesmerising, brilliant band.

10/10

DIR EN GREY -THE UNRAVELING- tracklist revealed

Wow. What a surprise. I thought this mini album was going to be 7 new songs; instead it seems as though it's going to be 1 new song followed by 6 remakes. And I'm not upset in the slightest.

As a musician myself, it has always amazed me how a band such as DIR EN GREY, who already churn out classic songs, can remake their own songs so easily and yet retain the overall original feeling of the song. Apart from their remake of 'undecided', I have loved every single one.

Although I understand that they are taking songs from their whole discography, the choice of songs has baffled me a little, as some are not that well known. Also the fact that the songs only go up to the 'WTD' era says to me that a second remake album is a possibility.

The tracklist is as follows:

Disc 1:
1. Unraveling
2. Karma (from 'Kaede -if trans-')
3. Kasumi (from 'Vulgar')
4. Karasu (from 'Kisou')
5. Bottom of the death valley (from 'Kisou')
6. Unknown.Despair.Lost (from 'Jealous' single)
7. THE FINAL (from 'Withering to death')

Disc 2 (bonus):
1: MACABRE (from 'Macabre')
2. Unraveling (Unplugged Ver.)
3. THE FINAL (Unplugged Ver.)

Disc 3 (DVD):
1. THE UNRAVELING (Scenes From Recording)
2. Interview & Documentary Footage

I have ordered the VERY limited edition, which comes with disc 2. I am not a fan of the 'unplugged' version of songs that DIR EN GREY do, but it's DIR EN GREY, so I'm not complaining!

I just hope that they don't mess up 'THE FINAL'...

DIR EN GREY ANNOUNCE NEW MINI ALBUM

This band just do not stop, do they? They'd already made my year with the announcements of 'Rinkaku' and their ESP signature guitars; I'm not complaining though, and with the announcement of their new mini album, my year is definitely completed. (At this rate they'll probably announce something on New Years Eve) :P


The new mini album will be called 'THE UNRAVELING' and promises to show the 'evolution/depth/genuineness of DIR EN GREY). When I read their description of the mini album, I instantly thought that this could mean either a sort-of-return to their old sound (like Withering to death) or a new sound taking ideas from their whole discography (which is probably more likely given that this is what the band is famous for). Regardless of the final outcome, this is very exciting news. 


It's quite a pricey album, with three different versions on offer: a limited deluxe version, a limited version and a normal version ranging from ￥7,350, ￥3,150, ￥2,625 respectively. I will probably buy the limited 
deluxe version, as it comes with two CDs and one DVD, so I'm guessing the extra CD will be either a live album or bonus tracks, which is always exciting. 

The album is out next year 2013/4/3