One of my first Japanese bands, I’ve encountered and I’m still a huge fan of! And mostl likely, so we are everyone here.
Going on strong since 1997, Dir En Grey really managed to become one of the strongest and most influential J-rock bands, with very interesting evolution of the sound over the years. From their early VK days, to recognition worldwide to their recent heavier stuff.
My personal favourites are Vulgar and Withering to Death, mostly due to nostalgia. But I actually love everything they’ve made. And along with Loudness, they’re a Japanese band, that I saw live twice.
Looking forward to the discussion about our J-rock titans!
One of the first Japanese bands I listened to, too.
Got into them in 2006 so it’s been Vulgar and Withering to Death and I barely listened to anything before that (just single songs).
My favorite album is The Marrow of a Bone though. Maybe because its rough and harsh type’s been what I needed when it got released or I don’t know.
I’m one of the rare people who therefore can’t get into Dum Spiro Spero at all but I really loved Arche and half of The Insulated World.
And while I know that lots of people aren’t too fond of The World of Mercy that song made it pushing The Final from the top of my favorite of their songs.
Hearing Saku for the first time in 2006 was my introduction to both heavier music and Japanese music. Once I heard Uroboros, I recognized how far they had come in their career. It’s an album I could talk about endlessly.
I appreciate the current releases enough to still follow them, and I’ve never missed the opportunity to see them live.
My first encounter with them was on some kind of … honestly American compilation album. The Final. I had resisted them for a long time as one of the “everybody loves this band” bands and then I really appreciated their artistry and now Kyo is one of my all times. I have seen them so many times and have a Shinya drumstick in my office
Cage might’ve been the first song I heard by them. I found out about them on this mega old Japanese music blog-like site looking for more info on The Pillows. I had just finished FLCL and became very interested in jrock.
I wasn’t super into Cage at the time but liked Child Prey and Audience Killer Loop. Ended up listening to all their music and loving them. Macabre has the most sentimental value to me because it’s the first Japanese CD I ever bought but I think Vulgar or Uroboros is my favorite album.
I don’t keep up with them too much these days but I’ll still revisit their old work once in a while.
My first song from them was Kodou, and it’s still my favorite song ever, because of the lyrics and the song itself. I saw them live back in 2008 and when they played Kodou, I just lost my mind haha. They are the only VK band I saw live and I still have their hoodie that I wear daily haha. My first album was Withering to Death, around 2006, and I think it’s still my favorite. I love how they evolve from each albums. and I remember watching lots of subbed songs from them and knowing the subs by heart and the song itself haha. I remember buying their Blitz 5 days dvd box set at around 85$ at the time, still have it. It was the band that got most of my friends into VK. Even now, one of them still remembers them and like them haha. I’m not a big fan like I used to, but I’m always excited when they release something new!
My first DeG song was likely The Final or mazohyst of decadebce and at first I thought they were cool but flashier vkei had my attention until Psycho le Cému broke up bc of the vocalist going to jail and I clung to DeG and haven’t let go since lmao.
They’ve been an extremely important band to me ever since, probably even my favorite band not just of vkei but in general because I’ve closely followed their releases since 2005. Even when I wasn’t really keeping up with the scene, my collection of DeG was the first thing I put inn any new media playing device I got because being without it isn’t even a thought. During the height of figuring myself out, I wore a DeG band shirt I found through pure luck until it fell apart lmao. It was my most prized possession, and I felt like the coolest of the cool when I wore it. Hell, even my first con experience is DeG adjacent because TMOAB had come out a week before and a booth was selling it so naturally $50 later it was mine and it’s still sealed because I didn’t want to ruin it by opening it.
These days I listen to them on spotify although I wish some of their older albums were there ;;
I slept on them for years. The late 2000’s stuff was what was going around so I listened to DSS as my first encounter and well… I didn’t like it all. I still don’t. That was back in 2016 and until 2020(!) I was under the impression that Diru just wasn’t for me. That was until my old friend Cantavanda uploaded an HQ PV of Yokan and I was like, “Oh, haven’t heard this one in a while” and listened to it again. Oh my God. It’s still I woke up and began listening to more of them and DAMN. I was missing out. I’m more on the casual side but other than DSS and Uroboros I’ve checked every album out and I quite like the span of their career, though I’m personally more biased to their earlier/mid-way sound.
My favourite album is Gauze, I still pop open my CD and spin it sometimes I’m also very fond of VULGAR, Missa, and Kisou.
Gauze is one of those albums that doesn’t have a skippable song imo. Every song on it is a banger.
Several DEG albums have one song I often skip.
GAUZE: MASK
Macabre: Audrey
Withering to death.: Jesus Christ R 'n R
UROBOROS original: English GLASS SKIN
DUM SPIRO SPERO: Akatsuki (demo version rocks, though)
The Insulated World: Celebrate Empty Howls
oh lord I have a classic cringe moment involving Jesus Christ R’n’R because my uncle was staying with us like a few weeks after I started listening to them in 9th grade and he was looking through the media player and was like “Let’s listen to some Jesus Christ R’n’R!” and i was mortified as he listened to it After it was over he said “I like my rock with screaming lead guitars” and that was it. Not a mention of it being in Japanese but a memory that still ruined that song because I was so mortified that I wanted to die on the spot.
Easy. It’s just one button.
In all seriousness, it’s a bouncy little pop song that breaks the flow of the album. MACABRE - Rasetsukoku works much better. While I do like Audrey’s lyrics, the repetitive/formulaic structure turns me off.
Diru were my first j-rock/j-metal band ever, so it’s kinda weird to listen to An Cafe and others after being used to ooga-booga stuff.
Thank god for randomly downloading Grief and Mushi. Can’t imagine my life without this band.
Dude right?? I was spoiled with Diru so the lighter bands didn’t catch my interest until much later lmao. I mean imagine listening to SuG right after CLEVER SLEAZOID like it just isn’t going to sound as cool as it could have u kno?
Personally I’d count Vulgar in too!
Also Six Ugly EP doesn’t get enough love. I do really feel like it’s unseen breaking point for Diru when they got heavier.
Dir en grey is the band that got me into VK. Prior to them, I watched Pillows videos in the early days of YouTube. One of the recommended videos was Kodou from Dir en grey, and after that I became a fan.
The first CD I purchased from them was Withering to Death, and the first show I went to was in February 2007 during their Marrow of a Bone US Tour. Who knew I’d still be listening to them over 13 years later.
true kvlt vk DeG > metal DeG
Their old sonic identity/personality as a band still occasionally shines through when they’re not doing bad reddit metal chug stuff, which is maddeningly frustrating because it means I can’t totally write their new era off (despite how much of their new material I don’t like)
let’s not turn this thread into a 100000 page discussion on the finer points of mastering and production
I woke up and began listening to more of them and DAMN. I was missing out. I’m more on the casual side but other than DSS and Uroboros I’ve checked every album out and I quite like the span of their career, though I’m personally more biased to their earlier/mid-way sound.
I’m also very fond of VULGAR, Missa, and Kisou.