Dir En Grey

Dir En Grey(stylized asDIR EN GREYand previously asDir en grey) is a Japaneseheavy metalband formed in February 1997and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division ofFree-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitaristsKaoruandDie, vocalistKyo, drummerShinyaand bassistToshiya, they have released eleven full-length albums. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally avisual keiband, the members later opted for more subtle attire,but have continued to maintain a dramatic image on stage.
Dir En Grey was preceded by theindependentrock band La:Sadie's, which was formed by vocalistKyoand bassistKisakiin November 1995. They were joined by guitarists Die and Shio, as well as drummer Shinya and made their live debut on January 14, 1996. Shio seceded after three shows and Kaoru joined them in April 1996. After a very successful independent career and over 80 shows in one year of activity, La:Sadie's disbanded on January 15, 1997.The reasons for the disbandment are unknown, but later statements made by the individual members hint at disagreements between bassist Kisaki and the other members in regards to their status as an independent band. Kisaki said he was asked to leave the band and that he failed to take care of the other members, "I thought doing lots of good live shows would please the members, but I was wrong. By not giving them time to rest and deciding on recording schedules in between, I must have put a lot of stress and burden on them."After parting ways with Kisaki, members Kaoru, Kyo, Die and Shinya recruited bassist Toshiya and regrouped as a new band. After playing one show as aKuroyumecover-band called "Deathmask" at the live houseNaganoJ on January 24, they officially formed Dir En Grey on February 2, 1997.
The band name is a combination of German "dir", French "en" and English "grey" and was thought to mean "Grey Silver Coin"(灰色の銀貨,Haiiro no Ginka);the Japanese translation was used as the name of their fanclub's magazine. They wanted to convey a musical image that was neither black nor white, so they picked grey. In an early interview,vocalist Kyo explained that he knew the name before the band was formed. During the WOWOW Special in 2020, Kaoru elaborates that they took the name from another band that was famous around that time. This band wasLareine, who had released a song called "Dir en gray" in 1995. The song starts with the line"Haiiro no anata ni dir en gray"(灰色のあなたに dir en gray), with the Latin part being a correct translation of the Japanese part. Both mean "to you in grey". In a later interview, Kaoru explained that "at the time we chose the band name, it had some meaning but right now it doesn't express the band anymore, so it has come to not mean anything specific. We chose the band name because it sounded right, and it also reflects an image that probably doesn't exist elsewhere."
They released their firstEP,Missa, a few months later and attracted mainstream attention in 1998, by entering the top ten on theOriconmusic charts with the still independently produced songs "Jealous" and "-I'll-".Five subsequent singles, arranged and produced byX Japanco-founderYoshiki Hayashi, were published during the first half of 1999. The band's first full-length record,Gauze, followed. One of the shows in support for the album (filmed at theOsaka-jo Hall) would later become the first of several live concerts to be released onVHSandDVD.
In 2000, vocalist Kyo was hospitalized with hearing trouble and several dates of the tour in support of Dir En Grey's then-upcoming album,Macabre, had to be postponed. Tour 00 >> 01 Macabre eventually took off later the same year and was concluded atNippon Budokanshortly after the release of the single "Ain't Afraid to Die" in April 2001.
In the following year, along with the release of a third full-length album,Kisō, Dir En Grey gave their first performances abroad, touring China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Back in Japan, the last dates of the lengthy Rettou Gekishin Angya tour were already in support for the band's second EP,Six Ugly. In the same year, they released the single "Child Prey", which was featured as the second opening theme of theBaki the Grappleranime series, and also the beginning of their fourth album calledVulgar. In summer 2003, Dir En Grey performed atAkasaka Blitzfor five evenings in a single week, with each show (except the first) themed after a certain album, the last featuring songs from the then yet to be releasedVulgar. A DVD set, titledBlitz 5 Days, was later released exclusively for members of the band's official fan club, titled "A Knot".Vulgarwas released in September 2003 and tours in support for the record would last well into 2004.
In 2005, Dir En Grey performed in Europe for the first time. Their concerts inBerlinandParis(as part of the It Withers and Withers tour) sold out without promotion save for newsletters by import record stores and internet-based word of mouth.
The band also performed at two major festivals,Rock am Ringand Rock im Park. Becoming more involved with the international music scene, French bandEthsopened for them at the Paris concert and Dir En Grey invited American musicianWednesday 13and his band to play at a show in Japan. Dir En Grey also appeared at the Japanese leg of that year'sTaste of Chaostour.
2005 saw the group's first official European releases as well, beginning withWithering to Death. The band's music had previously been available through means ofimportand Internetfile-sharingonly for European fans. The album achieved Dir En Grey's first non-Asian chart position, reaching No. 31 in the Finnish album charts. The subsequent single, "Clever Sleazoid", later climbed to No. 15 on the singles charts in the same country.Several Dir En Grey songs were also featured in thesoundtrackof the 2005 filmDeath Trance.
In early 2006 touring expanded to the United States. The band performed inAustin, Texas, at theSouth by Southwestfestival,New York Cityat the Avalon Club andLos Angeles, California, at theWiltern Theatre, followed by the North American release ofWithering to Death.Again, all shows sold out within days.After more concerts and festival appearances in Germany during the summer, singer Kyo was again hospitalized due to inflamed vocal cords. While two concert dates in Japan had to be postponed, Dir En Grey was still able to joinKorn'sFamily Values Tour 2006.In October, the band was back in Japan to perform at theLoudpark Festival, along with bands such asMegadeth,SlayerandChildren of Bodom.Their 22nd single "Agitated Screams of Maggots" was released on 15 November during the Japanese leg of the Inward Scream tour. On 30 December, themusic videofor-Saku-was voted the No. 1 video of the year on theMTV2showHeadbangers Ball.
In February, Dir En Grey went on its first North American headlining tour, visiting sixteen citiesas its sixth full-length albumThe Marrow of a Bonewas released on February 7 in Japan and in the United States and Europe in the following months. It saw a change incapitalizationof the band name, from a sentence case capitalization ("Dir en grey") to an all caps variant ("DIR EN GREY"). From May to July, the group opened for theDeftoneson their United States tourand afterwards did another European tour, which included their debut shows in Denmark, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as several festival performances across the continent, includingAnkkarock,M'era Luna FestivalandWacken Open Air.
The group went on another international tour in September named after their most recent single "Dozing Green", beginning in Japan and continuing in Europe, including their first performance in the Netherlands and Switzerland. In late November, Dir En Grey opened two shows forLinkin ParkatSaitama Super Arenaand in December performed another Japan tour with10 Yearsas a supporting act. Commemorating Dir En Grey's tenth anniversary as a band, two greatest hits compilations, titledDecade 1998–2002andDecade 2003–2007respectively, were released on December 19.
At the beginning of 2008, Dir En Grey announced plans to begin recording a new studio album.Their first touring of the year in May was another Japan tour with a conclusion of three shows atShinkiba Studio Coast, titled Death over Blindness. Between touring, Dir En Grey performed at one night of the two-nighthidememorial summit on May 4, alongsideX Japan,Luna Sea, and others.A second Japanese tour, titled Tour 08 The Rose Trims Again began on September 10, the same day as the release of their single "Glass Skin".
On August 1, Dir En Grey announced the release of their seventh studio album,Uroboros, which was released on November 11, 2008, in the United States. The band also toured the United States and Canada in support of the album,with dates scheduled for November and December (overlapping the release ofUroboros) with opening actThe Human Abstract. Touring that fall included a series of four shows titled Bajra, two being fan-club exclusive, and a single show on December 29 under the moniker Uroboros -Breathing- at the famousOsaka-jo Hallwhere Dir En Grey had not performed since December 18, 1999 (as seen on1999.12.18 Osakajo Hall).
Beginning in 2009, Dir En Grey made their first thorough tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland withKerrang!'s "Relentless Tour '09" alongsideMindless Self Indulgence,Bring Me the Horizon,Black TideandIn Case of Fire. In February, the band announced the public release of the live DVD,Tour 08 The Rose Trims Again, as well as switching European record labels to the newly foundedOkami Records, a sister label of their former European representation,Gan-Shin.
During spring of 2009, the band began to fully promoteUroboroswith a series of nationwide tours under the title Tour 09 Feast of V Senses. The tour was interrupted briefly while inSapporoandSendai, with an announcement on the band's official website, explaining that Kyo had been diagnosed withedemaof the larynx, and would require the postponement of three shows, which were rescheduled for early May.
Dir En Grey continued their Feast of V Senses tour in Europe, with a mixture of festival performances, headlining shows, and one co-headlining show withKillswitch Engage. The festival performances included their third appearances at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, as well as their initial concerts atDownload Festival,Nova Rock, andMetaltown. Among the headlining shows, Dir En Grey were also making debut concerts in Italy and the Czech Republic.
After several shows of their late-summer tour, All Visible Things, Dir En Grey announced their next single for December, "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami", as well as a North American and South American tour also under the title All Visible Things. Their new single was released on December 2, 2009, and reached number 2 on the Oricon Weekly Chart: the highest position to date for the band. Their 2009 tour season ended with a three-live tour titled Dorje. They finally ended their longUroboroscentered tour by doing two back to back performances at theNippon Budokan, titled Uroboros: with the proof in the name of living..., where tickets sold out in 15 minutes.
It was announced on April 7, 2010, that the band would be returning to the United Kingdom in August on the lineup for theSonisphere Festivalin Knebworth, playing on a bill headlined byIron MaidenandRammstein. According to the festival website, this was to be their only UK festival performance during the year. Regarding the announcement, Kaoru (on the Sonisphere UK website) is quoted as saying:"I'd never have thought that we would play a festival of this caliber! It is like a dream come true to be playing with such great bands at Sonisphere. Although we're not back in the UK for a tour, we wanted to play this festival to give something back to the fans who were disappointed last year from our cancelled finale in London."
It was announced on April 28, 2010, that Dir En Grey would be playing an exclusive club date at London'sKokovenue on August 3 as part of The Unwavering Fact of Tomorrow Tour 2010.Dir En Grey announced later on that they also would do their debut performances in Russia by adding one show in Moscow at Tochka Club on August 5 and one show in St Petersburg at Glav Club on August 6.Dir En Grey also toured North America on a co-headlining tour with the Finnish bandApocalypticawith a special guest ofKyointerpreting the song "Bring Them to Light", one of the tracks of the cello-metalers latest record.
In September 2010 the band confirmed in an interview withKerrang!magazine that they were in the process of writing new material for the follow-up toUroboros.In addition to "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami" appearing on the soundtrack of the American movieSaw 3D, they also participated on December 1, 2010'sRomantist - The Stalin, Michiro Endo Tribute Albumby covering "Warushawa no Gensō" in celebration of the 60th birthday ofThe Stalin's frontmanMichiro Endo. The album also featured bands such asBuck-Tick,Group Tamashii,Merry,Jun Togawa, andWagdug Futuristic Unity.
The single "Lotus" was released on January 26, 2011, along with a new fan-club only tour named The Decomposition of the Moon, scheduled to run from May 14 to 26.The band released "Different Sense" on June 22.On August 1, 2011, Dir En Grey released an open letter on their officialFacebookthat accused the Japanese government of lying to its people and hiding the true danger of theradiationlevels after thenuclear accidentscaused by the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In October, the band launched a campaign called Scream for the Truth, complete with a website and a billboard hanging inTimes Squarein New York City, in hopes of stopping the alleged misinformation and getting correct numbers.Their eighth studio album,Dum Spiro Spero, was released on August 3. Material from this album was showcased on the band's South and North American tour Age Quod Agis in November and December 2011.
In February 2012, following a doctor's visit, vocalist Kyo was diagnosed with vocal noduledysphonia,leading to Dir En Grey pulling out of the North American The Still Reckless Tour consisting ofAsking Alexandria,Trivium,Motionless in White, andI See Stars. Although Kyo had been hospitalized before in 2006 and 2009 for vocal inflammation, he had not required surgery until this time.Kyo later stated that his condition was treated with medication.
On August 11, 2012, Dir En Grey won the Extreme Metal Olympics organized byLoudwire, beatingDeathin the final.The band released the single "Rinkaku" on December 19after their one-year and a half hiatus since their previous single release. Also, a tour titled In Situ began on December 25 in Tokyo.
On April 3, 2013, they released their third EP, titledThe Unraveling, with one new song and six re-recordings.Just a couple of days later on April 5, the band started their supporting tour Tabula Rasa for the new EP.In June 2013, the band participated in a short European tour.
In September 2013, the band started their Ghoul tour, which ran from September 18 until October 23 in Japanand continued on November 3 in North America.The band also announced two back-to-back shows at the Nippon Budokan for March 2014 titled "Dum Spiro Spero" along with a new single, "Sustain the Untruth", which was released in January 2014.
During the month of August in 2014, the band celebrated the 15th anniversary of their debut album,Gauze. During this time, they embarked on a Japanese tour titledTour14 Psychonnect: Mode of "Gauze"?, similarly named after the tour they held back in 1999 in support of the album.
On August 5, 2014, it was announced that Dir En Grey's ninth album,Arche,would be released on December 10, 2014. After its release, the album was accompanied by the 2014–2015 tourBy the Grace of God.The tour was followed by another one calledThe Unstoppable Life, in April and May 2015. On 27 June 2015, Dir En Grey performed atLuna Sea's Lunatic Fest atMakuhari Messe.On 5–6 February 2016, Dir En Grey performed their albumArcheatNippon Budokanwith a June 2016 release date of Blu-ray & DVD.
The band released a single, "Utafumi", in July 2016.They also embarked on various tours based around previous albums calledTour16-17 From Depression To ________ [mode of Vulgar],Tour16-17 From Depression To ________ [mode of Dum Spiro Spero], andTour16-17 From Depression to ________ [mode of 鬼葬]from June to November 2016.
In 2017, the band did further tours themed around previous albumsThey also covered "Easy Make, Easy Mark" byD'erlangerfor theD'erlanger Tribute Album ~Stairway to Heaven~.
Their compilation album,Vestige of Scratches, was released on January 2, 2018. Dir En Grey's twenty-ninth single "Ningen wo Kaburu" was released on April 25, 2018. One of its B-sides is a remake of "Ash", a song with origins as far back as 1997.
On June 29, 2018, Dir En Grey announced that their tenth studio albumThe Insulated Worldwas to be released on September 26, 2018.The band also announced a European tour to start in October 2018, under the title "Wearing Human Skin".They followed this tour with a North American tour in December 2019and another European tour in January and February 2020.
Their 30th single, "The World of Mercy", released on September 18, 2019.They provided a cover of "National Media Boys" for the January 29, 2020Buck-Ticktribute albumParade III ~Respective Tracks of Buck-Tick~
Their 31st single, "Ochita Koto no Aru Sora" was released digitally on August 3, 2020.
On April 28, 2021, they released their 32nd single, "Oboro".
Their 11th studio album,Phalaris, was released on June 15, 2022.For the 25th anniversary of their singlesAkuro no Oka,Yurameki, and-Zan-, the single 19990120 was released on January 17, 2024.
On April 24, 2024, the band released their thirty-fourth single "The Devil In Me".
Dir En Grey has been categorized in many genres such asextreme metal,alternative,experimental,avant-gardeand various others. Dir En Grey's format has been subject to change throughout their career, initially being a rather experimental form ofalternative rock. Some tracks of their debut albumGauzealso demonstrated a distinctpopappeal, which was largely dropped in favor of a moreprogressivesound on the following albums,MacabreandKisou. While up to that point some songs had already been more fast-paced, raw and aggressive than others, the band's music took a decisive turn with the release of the EPSix Ugly, from then on sporting moremetalinfluences in general. Dir En Grey's style gravitated towardsriffsandsong structuresmore along the lines of contemporary North American fusion genres, such asnu metalandmetalcore, until 2007'sThe Marrow of a Bone. In a review of their sixth full-length album,The Marrow of a Bone,AllMusic's Thom Jurek comments on their evolution and diversity, saying:
Since the release of their albumUroborosin 2008, Dir En Grey have been repeatedly described asprogressive metal. Uroboros and their 2011 albumDum Spiro Sperorepresent a particular musical departure from previous albums, with critics noting that their sound on these albums bears almost nothing in common to their earliest work.With Uroboros, and particularly onDum Spiro Spero, the band have moved away from their alternative rock roots towards a heavier metal sound.These albums feature complex song structures and guitarwork, longer track lengths, and a broader variety of particularly western influences, such asdeath metal,deathcoreandgroove metal.
Kyo's singing is considered a pivotal aspect of the band, and he has gained recognition for his distinctive vocal work and for his large range and versatility, being able to "howl,croon, emote cleanly,scream, shriek,growl, bellow, and make nearly inhuman sounds."Jurek has compared him favorably to experimental and avant-garde vocalistsMike PattonandDiamanda Galas.Loudwirewrote "Sporting incredibly low death metalgutturals, Kyo can also turn a complete 180 as one of metal's highest shriekers."Dane Prokofiev ofPopMatterssaid that his "natural ease at and inclination towards striking such a stark contrast between the two opposite ends of the human vocal spectrum can be obtained as only a kind of pre-birth winning lottery ticket—you know, that much coveted prize we call "talent"."
Commentators have noted how Dir En Grey have gained a significant international fanbase with vocals in Japanese.Kaoru said "when I was growing up, I listened to American bands. They were all singing in English and I had no idea what they were saying. But I still remember the excitement that I experienced. I know as a listener that our fans can connect to our music in the same way — even with the language barrier." When asked why they almost always use Japanese instead of English, which would give them more broad international appeal, he said that "We consider our music [to be] a piece of art. [...] The language is part of that artwork." The guitarist explained that Kyo, who writes all of the lyrics, prefers "the sensitivities that Japanese language offers. There are expressions and nuances that can only be conveyed in Japanese; he values that." However, he noted that likewise there are some expressions that are only able to be shown in English, so they also plan to use English when they feel the need.The lyrics deal with subjects such as society and mass media, as well as sexual obsessions and love, usually with negative implications. The vocabulary varies from subtle to explicit (though the use ofprofanityhas greatly decreased as the band matured, last featuring onUroboros), and several songs rely heavily ondouble entendresand other wordplay, often involving the multiple meanings of akanjicharacter.
Although they got their start as avisual keiband, the members of Dir En Grey seem to be irked being associated with the term in some later interviews.Speaking of the change in their appearance, Kaoru said "Eventually, we felt that dressing like we used to onstage put up a wall between us and the audience, so we stopped wearing the kind of makeup we did before." However, he said they still occasionally wear makeup, just not as much.Toshiya explained "To be honest, when we first started and we were wearing a lot of makeup on stage and stuff, there were a lot of bands doing that at the time in Japan, and people thought it was cool. But not anymore, ha ha."Die said "They saw us as idols but we aren't idols. We are a band, we play music and want to be known for it. So we decided to change our style slowly."Kyo stated that for Dir En Grey it was always about the music and when wearing lots of makeup became popular, "we didn't want to be associated with a lot of the poor quality bands in that scene."
Dir En Grey have created some controversy in Japan as some of their music videos have been banned from television for "abrasive visuals including baby-eating, murder, [and] gore." Similarly, stations refused to play the video for 2008's "Vinushka" which included stock footage ofWorld War IIand newspaper headlines following theatomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Kyo citedBauhaus'sPress the Eject and Give Me the TapeandDavid Sylvian'sSecrets of the Beehiveas his favorite albums.Kaoru listedX'sBlue Blood,Pantera'sVulgar Display of Power,Nine Inch Nails'The Downward Spiral,The Beatles'1962–1966and1967–1970in his favorite albums list.Die's inspirations includedD'erlanger'sLa Vie En Roseand Ziggy'sKool Kizz.Toshiya hailedAlice in Chains'DirtandRadiohead'sOK Computer.Shinya citedAion'sAbsoluteandGargoyle'sFurebumias his influences.
Studio albums