Dir en grey - THE UNRAVELING [10 YEARS LATER]

I was recently reminded this album exists, and I can’t believe it’s already been ten years since Dir en grey gave us THE UNRAVELING! If you’re not too familiar with the band, this is an “EP” where the band did retakes of some of their older songs. In theory, this sounds like an easy sell! Soould you believe that I’ve only listened to this album about three times since it’s inception, and almost never in full? And that’s right, I called it an album because 60 minutes is too long for me to consider it an extended play. What gives? Let’s get into it.

At release, THE UNRAVELING debuted to mixed but overall positive reviews. I gave it a 3.5 and noted that while it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be, the release definitely left me wanting for melody. Here’s the old review so you don’t have to dive into MH for yourself:

Summary

The fandom is very averse to Dir en grey remakes. Either they nail them perfectly like they did with the acoustic rearrangement of undecided, or they butcher it beyond all salvation as they did with OBSCURE. So when Dir en grey announced that they were unleashing a whole mini-album full of remakes and one new song, I immediately grabbed my riot gear for fear of the oncoming shitstorm.

It’s really not as bad as I was expecting it to be, with Unraveling kicking off the mini sounding like a DSS leftover. It stays away from the maddenly introspective “I write for me and I’m so progressive so let’s place together sections of song that don’t work at all to be artistic and experimental” songwriting that made the last album such an insufferable cocktail of inventive but poorly executed ideas to listen to. Karma isn’t new at all, but the original sounded like it was recorded on tape a monkey wiped their ass with, so it feels like a new song too. However deep they ventured into their back catalog to pull this out of some dark orifice doesn’t change the simple, repetitive structure of the song. Considering what they limited themselves to working with, it’s a wonder it even turned out this decent. So is that good or bad? You decide.

The main portion missing for some of the remakes is melody. A good portion of the songs they’ve chosen to remake are melodic in their original incarnations, yet here Dir en grey seem fit to turn up the crunch on their guitars. This leaves us at a crossroads with some very awkward sounding song segments since the tone doesn’t match the intent. One could say that this was accidental, except the remake of MACABRE and the two unplugged tracks keeps all the melodic sensibilities intact (and in some cases add some). Therefore, what are songs like Unknown.Despair.Lost doing with thinly disguised chugs and a needless breakdown over Kyo’s much improved English?

Other songs like Karasu and Bottom of the death valley are barely recognizable in their new incarnations. My biggest disappointment was the atmosphere of the latter track - what I loved most about the original track was how the bass created a nice “Western” atmosphere - which has been replaced with more of a “Borderlands-styled deserted planet what am I doing here?” feel. Karasu erred on the forgettable side (but is still better than the original) but Bottom of the death valley stuck out in a good way and is a worthy remake, with the bluesy solo easily being my favorite part of the song. Before I move on, I must point out Kasumi here for them upping the cheese factor. The original was perfect. All the reverb, wah-wah pedal and Kyo-crooning takes away from the somber atmosphere. Sometimes it’s good to leave something the way it is and re-record it without having to put it through the Dirufier.

Now on to the good things - I am so pleased by the lack of tacked on, awkwardly sandwiched MIDI synthesizer garbage on this release. Amon was done terribly. LOTUS was done terribly. No song on this release is as bad as those two, or OBSCURE, or whatever AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS was supposed to be. The unplugged version of Unraveling strays close to it but it stops short with piano and some flutes, which hints that maybe they realize that over the top style symphonic arrangements do not suit them. Plus points for that.

The new version of MACABRE is amazing. The first ten minutes are an almost straight rendition of the original version found on the album featuring the same name. This is all positive, since they took one look at it and realized that it is perfect the way it is and needs absolutely no tweaking. Then the last six minutes feels like a natural extension to the song, featuring some of the greatest songwriting I’ve heard from them ever. It trumps the original in every single way. Likewise, the unplugged version of THE FINAL sounds almost theatrical, which is a new for this band. I can detect no semblance of the original melody in the instruments, and if you removed Kyo’s lyrics I would not be able to tell at all that this is the same song. However, the reinterpretation of this song is so excellent I simply don’t care.

A step up from their last full-length, Dir en grey are finally learning that questioning everything doesn’t always mean the end result is immediately good. Now if we could do something about their badly placed deathcore influences and persistent THE MARROW OF A BONE-esque “turn up the crunch and get metal” attitude, we could have a winner on our hands.

Also Shinya, tune your fucking drums.

Considering that I haven’t listened to THE UNRAVELING since I wrote that on April 2, 2013, there’s clearly something about it that I don’t like. It took several years and a few more Dir en grey remakes before I was able to safely conclude that their remakes miss more than they hit. I still maintain that Unraveling is a DSS leftover, probably the song I vibe with the most because I’m not immediately compelled to compare it to a different version of itself.

And then it hit me like a sack of bricks that this was the reason. None of the remakes make it into my regular rotation because they do not encapsulate any of the parts of the originals I find iconic. If you call a song a remake, enough of it has to be recognizable. Either change the lyrics and keep the melody or change the melody and keep the lyrics. Changing both leaves me looking for something to cling to, and wondering if I would have received these songs better if they were new songs.

業 keeps the main riff, but has 100% less 奇形児 and Moon Light Past, so while this remake is undoubtedly the better constructed version, the dumb simplicity and energy of the original wins out for me. I was recently turned on to this version of 業, which I was honestly hoping to get recorded. But instead, we got this.

かすみ is probably the remake closest to the original, but I’ll just take the original when I feel like listening to this song. The overdubbed guitar solo, oohs and aahs, and the scream are just unnecessary, but I guess they felt they had to add something. Sometimes less is more, but hey, they didn’t destroy this song.

I spent like two seconds discussing 鴉 in the original review because I had nothing to say about it. Ten years later, I guess I’ll throw in that it’s a clever reimagining of the song from 鬼葬, and one of the few songs where Kyo’s inhuman range is applied correctly (at certain parts). The original was a bit threadbare production wise, and this one definitely wins over, but the end of new 鴉 around 4:18 completely loses me. The original end of 鴉 was what made the song, so to see it go saddens me. 4:18 also gives rise to what I’m going to call the “Kyo chord progression” because I swear he’s recycled that progression a dozen of times over different choruses, except they end differently. I also wish he’d shut up at the end and let the guitars do their thing.

I have nothing new to say about Bottom of the death valley except that the original is just better. Still. The intensity and atmosphere cannot be matched. Kyo sounds so bored here. I barely even noticed there was a chorus the second time through this song, and the chorus is what makes the original song. Would have preferred to keep the vocal fry for the ending like the original.

I did not claim Unknown.Despair.Lost when it came out ten years ago and I do not claim it now. Give me the original any day. This song frustrates me because it lays bare the worst of Dir en grey’s habits. Unnecessary screams, muting the most random notes in the main riff and breakdown to ~change~ it, etc. There are entire sections of this song that are completely unnecessary - you can cut the acoustic opening and everything between 3:07 and 3:56. Deadass.

I just realized that I cleverly dodged mentioning THE FINAL in the original review, and that’s because I didn’t like it. They tried to make THE FINAL more grandiose and didn’t hit the mark. I actually put most of the blame on the solo that’s not supposed to be there. You know what’s supposed to be there? That scream. The one time I want Kyo to let loose and he doesn’t lmfao. It’s not bad, but once again, give me the original.

I don’t have time for MACABRE, but when I do I want the ten minute version. Thank whatever deity you believe in that they didn’t butcher the first ten minutes too badly, but I’ve come around on thinking the last six minutes are also unnecessary. MACABRE doesn’t need gutturals. It needs atmosphere.

Two unplugged tracks round out this album - have you come around to accepting it’s an album yet - and this is probably where I get nice. Unraveling -unplugged- takes cues from ASOM Unplugged in that they inject The World’s Most Dramatic piano, but thankfully Kyo doesn’t ooga-booga his way through the whole song. I prefer the original.

THE FINAL -unplugged- feels like a trip through a Disney forest on acid. It reserves the distinction of being the only track here I enjoy now about as much as I did ten years ago. It’s about as far away as you can get from the original while still maintaining all the melodic sensibilities. This is even better than the other remake here. This should have just been the remake. Shame being tucked away at the end of this release means everyone forgets about it.

So yeah, ten years later and I’ll have to knock off a whole point. This is a solid 2.5 at best, and even then perhaps I’m being too nice. What do you think?

9 Likes

Agreed on many points. 2.5 is a bit harsh. Here’s my take:

Unraveling is cool. Not sure if it’s worth being the focus track of an album. I like it, though. Shame they never play it live. The remix is also good.

I enjoy 業 and Unknown.Despair.Lost for what they are. My biggest gripe is that they sound almost nothing like the originals. They could’ve called them something completely different and gotten away with it. They do suffer (or benefit, depending on your point of view) from the DSS “everything and the kitchen sink” manifesto where the songs are just insanely complicated for no reason, as though the band wrote 50 songs and plastered them all together into one splintered Frankenstein’s monster.

かすみ and THE FINAL are inferior recordings. Redundant and pointless, especially the latter which should’ve been replaced with the unplugged version as you suggested.

鴉 is crap. Sorry, I don’t like this at all. The original was one of my favourites. They ruined it. That new chorus is a disaster.

Bottom of the death valley is almost perfect here. Seen a lot of hate for this remake; it surpasses the original for me! It’s so pretty. The chorus is lovely. My favourite thing on here by far.

Slightly disappointing that the industrial aesthetic is gone from MACABRE. What they’ve done here is fine, though. The extended ending took a little getting used to. It still doesn’t feel entirely necessary, although it does elevate the song when it resolves. I do like long-form music, so possibly I’m in a minority here.
Unrelated: starting a live show with this song probably tested a lot of people’s patience.

One thing to note is THE FINAL -unplugged- is only on the bonus disc of the limited edition, so it’s likely many missed out on it despite its Disney-esque fairy-tale awesomeness.

Verdict:
I’d give the regular edition a 2.5/5 as I only like about half the tracks.
However, the bonus disc alone is 4.5/5, easily.
For the full limited package, my final score is a high 3.5/5.

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Death Education

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Fuck now I can’t unhear it.

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great ep

I come out on The Unraveling less harshly than you at points in that I enjoy Unraveling a lot, and I absolutely love the Karasu and Unknown.Despair.Lost remakes as much as the originals. They’re not the same song to me at all, and I thoroughly enjoy both versions and revisit both often, and frequently alongside each other. However, the Karma and Macabre remakes bore me so I never listen to them, and I think the Kasumi, The Final, and Bottom of the death valley remakes are actively bad and wish they would unexist. Especially Bottom of the death valley. I have an almost physical reaction to it.

3 Likes

i really liked the title track, but i never listen to the covers anymore. with the exception of hydra 666 their retakes range from boring to awful. one thing that separates remakes from this CD from their single fluff is really good mastering, compared to TDFF and the plain, sterile phalaris covers.

here’s a quick tip how to upgrade/ruin bottom of the death valley forever, it works for both new and old versions :sparkling_heart:

kyo sings/growls “my shitter” every time the chorus comes up. look at the track title again, and listen to it one more time to confirm. :sparkling_heart::sparkling_heart::sparkling_heart:

6 Likes

I do have to agree Kyo in general overdoes it a bit sometimes. In the sense of he just does a bit too much at certain points where it would be better for him to keep quiet and let the other lads do their thing. On the whole though I like this release, can’t say i have any particular beefs with it. I try not to make too many comparisons to the original versions of songs (though obviously this is impossible) and try to enjoy them for what they are. Not what they were or should have been. Sometimes there are things that niggle me, like Hydra basically being a totally different song and some weird changes in others (for example the deeper vileness) that just dont seem necessary and actually i feel make them inferior to the original versions. On the flip side some additional parts i prefer compared to the originals so yeah, mixed bag i guess.

Coming back over a year later to confirm that, indeed, this is the way Karma should have always sounded.

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Late to the party, but I simply ADORE the Final unplugged. It’s so fucking good. Epic, hopeful, victorious. They sould do more hopecore songs

And thats the reason why I used an snipped of it on my graduation ceremony. 4:04 fowards to be exact. And it hit like a bomb when I finally grabed my diploma lol

3 Likes

The Unraveling is just over 30 minutes long, as Macabre and the two “unplugged” tracks were on the second disc of the limited edition.

I prefer when DEG completely shakes things up when they do remakes, but most of the songs on here just sound like the old tracks played straight with superfluous shit thrown on top. Or they make changes that sound like they were done just for the hell of it.

The tension that builds throughout Karasu never fully releases because the new ending is so flat, no thanks to Shinya taking the air out of the sails by choosing to play in half time.

Kasumi is fine. I thought the original was too barebones to begin with, so the addition of the guitar solo is fine. Kyo throwing his wordless crooning all over the place, however, adds nothing.

I’ve never had much admiration for The Final, so I was looking forward to what they would do different. It’s mostly fine, but the original way Kyo sang “motomerarenai uta” was clearly impossible to recreate, and therefore the emotional impact of that moment is gone in the remake.

I love the Macabre remake, I just wish they had bridged the transition to the new section instead of just bringing things to a halt. The part in 6/8 with the alternating guitar solos is glorious. The way the song ends with that grand Bara no Seidou era Malice Mizer pipe organ is so over the top it makes me laugh, but I love it.

Bottom of the Death Valley is probably better than the original. I just know I don’t like the original as much as I used to. The rest of the songs are mostly fine except for the unnecessary unplugged tracks.

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I fully agree with the points about The Final -unplugged-. It gave Kingdom Hearts vibes the very second I heard it

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I often forget this EP exists. For me the title track was easily the best song and the remakes I never listen to

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I find the album very homogeneous personally, among their best remixes (ok it’s not difficult since it’s not their strong point :smirk:). I particularly like Macabre, Unknown.Despair.Lost and Karma, i prefer them to the originals. Finally the tracks that i like the least are The Unraveling (not really striking) and above all Kasumi (useless).

‘The Unraveling’ is such an interesting release to me. As others have mentioned it is very flat in a lot of places, not just the performances but the production as well. @Hayabusa, you say it feels very homogeneous - I agree, and I think part of it is that it’s a collection of old songs “updated” all at the same time in a very specific way. The song choices in particular add to this, as does the production and performances. I honestly never listen to the studio versions of any of these remakes, and rarely listen to the studio version of the title track

Live, however? Entirely different story. The Final, Kasumi, Macabre, and Bottom of the Death Valley are prime examples for me, but in many cases I prefer these arrangements in live performances compared to their originals. In The Final, I especially love how Die always extends the solo a little bit compared to the recording on The Unraveling, and improvises a little bit dancing around Kyo’s melody as the vocals come back in.

Overall, I think the biggest downfall of The Unraveling as an EP is the lack of energy and excitement in the songs at multiple levels, but primarily in the performances. The whole band sounds bored, especially Kyo, and for some reason (likely the nature of it being both an EP and a release mostly of remakes), there’s even less care than the usual “almost none” taken in the sample replacement/layering done with Shinya’s drum performances. But hearing the live recordings of these songs, well-placed in a setlist’s sequencing and with the energy the band brings to their best shows, these new arrangements are really able to shine, at least to me.

5 Likes

Unraveling - good song
Karma - better than original
Kasumi - about the same
Karasu - massively better than original
Bottom of Death Valley - better than original probably
Unknown.Despair.Lost - better than original
The Final - better than original live
Macabre - masterpiece than original
Unplugged The Final and Unraveling - fun

3 Likes

I like the Karma remake but prefer the original, and The Final on Ice is a pretty version of the song. UDL is dece. Everything else on here? They could’ve kept. That redone Karasu ending is so flat and anticlimactic, Bottom of the Death Valley is nonsense, and new Macabre sounds alright + 7 minutes of bloat - the production gives the original a more appropriate aesthetic though. This release is a huge wash for me and I’m glad they stopped feeding into their worst impulses after this.

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Imma say it. Macabre remake is kinda just aight.

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The new section in itself is great stuff, but I don’t feel like it fits in organically with the original song. They just fade out the original part of the song and fade the new part in.

Musically it’s so far different than the original. It’s much heavier and Kyo’s singing is in a completely different range. Melodically, there isn’t any resemblance to the original song so you could literally take it out, fade it into a different track, and similar effect.

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The transition that way is one of the best parts. It’s unique and sells the transformation even more. It sound like the same track just more haunting.

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I cant say i know how these guys write exactly but for me i feel like it pays to remember most somgs are written/rehearsed in a rehearsal room so the band will hear it from more of a live sounding perspective before putting it to record. Hence for me being the obvious reason a lot of songs sound better live than their studio versions. Just a whole different vibe man.