DIR EN GREY - PHALARIS

I think I’m obsessed with “Otogi” lol

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Handful of listens in to disc 1, definitely got some new opinions -

Not a huge fan of Perfume of Sins. I wanted to like it more than I do, and I’m sure it’ll be fun live, but some of it just feels too disconnected from itself.

Schadenfreude took a bit to grow on me, and at first it also felt disconnected from itself, but now I think I understand it. Very fun song

At first I preferred the single version of Ochita, but now I’m album-version all the way

Eddie is by no means bad, it’s just not my favorite track overall. It does a good job of changing pace between Hibiki and Otogi, which are both good songs but if the album went Hibiki - Otogi - Kamui without anything to break up the mood SOMEWHERE in there, it would just drag way too much at the back end.

I’ll have to wait until my physical copy arrives later today to dive into the remakes and the live Blu-Ray, but so far I’m very happy with this record.
Favorite tracks after a number of listens: 13, Ochita, and Hibiki

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I just listened CD 2 and it’s maybe the only thing disappointing here, it’s a bonus but…

I prefer original ain’t with the « raw » vocals and children choir, more painful and emotional. Not bad either but I don’t think this remake was really worth or needed, just a clean vocal version.

And mazohyst this version is maybe better but I did’nt care about the original that much, I think they have better in this style. Not bad too but boring.

Folks were saying the Musical hit in Ochita…'s bridge sounded off, so I mashed up the single version and the album version and put it up on YouTube. I don’t think I can link here, but it’s on the DEG Reddit. Lemme know what you think if you listen to it.
I’m kinda on the fence.

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the live dvd is epic :face_holding_back_tears:

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Ochita sounds quieter than everything else on the album, but I feel like there’s more definition in the all the instruments. I’m hearing more guitar nuances that I didn’t hear before.

Detailed production credits:

grafik
grafik

And band pics from the interview booklet here:

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One listen in and I think it might be my new favorite album (not just Dir en grey). Whole thing oozes creativity, you can tell they had fun with this one.

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Is there anyone who is disappointed by the album?

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Did any of you order and received the bluray version of phalaris? I wonder if it is zoned or not, because if it is zoned for japan its wouldn’ be read by europeans bluray player/game consols. Can’t find the info anywhere, sorry :frowning:

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They’ve never been region locked before so I’m sure it’s not the case this time either

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thank you :slight_smile: I just found a picture and it is indeed region ABC, meaning all zones

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PHALARIS = the bull album aka MOO MOO confirmed

CD 2 was completely useless and now that CD 1 had been given some time, I think Schadenfreude and Kamuy need to be switched.

usually i would give a more +3 days to listen album.
now i like 13.
this album, the sound of a drum thrown like inside a cow stomach is cool

thank DEGwiki very much for lyrics

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After a few listens, here are my thoughts (which somehow grew into an essay)!

Track by Track

  • Schadenfreude is a great opener, dense but rewarding. The deathcore-y riffing, the perfect blend of DSS and Arche song structure and sound, the ebb and flow between violent and beautiful. Yes please.
  • sounds great but I still feel it needs an extra verse and chorus thrown in there. I find the placement really weird too. I think it would act better as a mid-album breather, or an end of album palate cleanser a la Ranunculus.
  • The Perfume of Sins is fucking cool and really channels into that DSS menace. Those blastbeats really took me by surprise. Wow.
  • 13 wouldn’t sound out of place on Arche. Solid song with some of the best vocals on the album.
  • 現、忘我を喰らう feels like Chain Repulsion and 滴る朦朧 had a baby. It’s decent but not one of the standouts for me.
  • Prior to what I’ve said in this thread 落ちた事のある空 sounds brilliant on the album and the drums are punchy as hell. I’m not a fan of the extra bit of ‘mufflyness’ after the bridge though. I feel like the original recording had a better impact.
  • 盲愛に処す is fun and most likely a blast live, but not one of my favourites.
  • is gorgeous and really balances the heavy/pretty sounds well. Very reminiscent of 懐春 for that reason.
  • Eddie is the ‘token meant-for-lives song that sticks out like a sore thumb’. With that said it’s a solid song and a nice breather in between ballads.
  • 御伽 is similar to 響 and 13, in that it really dials into that Arche soundscape. The riffs are nice and chonky and Kyo gives a brilliant performance here. Easily one of the standout tracks of the album. It would have made for a solid closing track.
  • カムイ really reminds me of Macabre with the sprinkling of acoustic guitar, and is a strong track overall. However the strings sound fake and tacked on to me? I feel that more could have been done to mesh them with everything else.
  • mazohyst of decadence sounds great and despite loving the original in its entirety, I feel they kept all of the best parts here. It’s sludgy and has a lot more heft but also remains true to the unique sound of the original; I love it.
  • ain’t afraid to die is OK. I’ve never been a massive fan of it but from what I can hear it’s a decent (albeit unnecessary) refresh. The changes to the piano really work.
  • Favourite Tracks - Schadenfreude, 御伽, 落ちた事のある空, The Perfume of Sins

Other Thoughts

  • Schadenfreude and カムイ (and The World Of Mercy for that matter) show that DEG can write amazing longer songs again. They’ve seemingly done away with the inferior Vinushka clones at last!
  • The album flow is a bit weird. I’d probably put カムイ somewhere in the middle to break things up and 朧 towards the end, with 御伽 closing the album.
  • Shinya has really stepped things up. He’s a fantastic technical drummer but hadn’t really found his groove with DEG’s post-Uroboros sound. He feels much more like a ‘heavy’ drummer on this album.
  • DSS was a bit too dense for me, Arche was great but bloated, and TIW was mostly a wall of noise. Phalaris is Arche and DSS having a lovely Squid-Tree Cow baby. It’s an easy 4/5 for me and quickly growing to be one of my favourites post-Uroboros.
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After multiple listens i can say that i enjoyed this album a lot more than TIW. None of the tracks make me want to skip them except Eddie sometimes. Its clear that song is meant to be enjoyed live but since its short it doesn’t bother me much.

Disc 2 is a different story though.

mazohyst is fine but that crying baby is missed and i feel like it helped build up the song a lot more but overall the rest of the song is fine and im glad to finally have it a studio version of the update.

ain’t afraid to die should’ve been afraid. the removal of the children choir leaves the song feeling empty for me and although the updated piano track works well, the guitar solo was butchered and it sounds horrible in this version.

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Id be surprised; its the tightest they have been in years.

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I feel like the guitars aren’t “crunchy” enough on Phalaris. Like they sound really buzzy with no real weight. And speaking of weight, Toshiya’s bass tone sounds like it gets buried a lot. The drums are the loudest thing on the album it seems.

Kyo sounds buried too. After several listens I can only recall a handful of his vocal melodies, but when I do focus on him it sounds like he’s sort of just meandering around (for example the verses on Perfume of Sins).

Regardless, the songwriting here is REALLY strong, I’m just frustrated with the way it was mixed as is par the course for DEG albums. As it stands I haven’t really fully grasped this one yet.

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So many ARCHE comparisons although people do forget that ARCHE was quite inconsistent (just like Kisou and also questionable mixing, PHALARIS is no exception as mentioned) and served no other purpose than being another nostalgia album after turning old fans away with DSS. PHALARIS had much more sensible approach to song ordering this time imho.

Too early to put it up above others though.

Sorry to ask again my question was drawn in a previous post but do we know how they will release the full MV since this time they sadly did’nt included it in Bluray/DVD ? :confused: