DIR EN GREY

Artists
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1557

This sort of came up in the “Least favorite DEG song” thread and I’ll try and paraphrase what I said there

Dir en Grey are my favorite band. Purely on a songwriting and performance level, they’re the band that has emotionally resonated with me the most in my life. I think most people are likely to have the deepest critiques of the things they love most, similar to how we may have the worst arguments with those we love and cherish the most in our lives. For me at least, when there’s something I don’t like about Diru, the level to which it bothers me is partially a result of how emotionally attached I am to their music

I’m also an audio engineer myself, so naturally a lot of my thoughts about any given band’s music will inevitably cover that. And I would actually not split mix decisions from artistic decisions - mixing IS part of the art! Both because the mix is informed by artistic decisions done in tracking and because mixing itself involves many creative decisions

Like I said, I love this band. I even posted in the thread for the single release that I ended up loving the Yurameki remake. But I think people are still allowed to critique things they love :slight_smile:

(And for what it’s worth, my “The issue is Dir en Grey themselves” line was specifically about things we pick out in their mixes, not the songwriting :wink: )

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1558

Big opportunity to make a Dir en grey version of this.

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1559

I was not refering to you as someone who hates them. But let’s put it that way. There are some people here who never seem to have to say anything good about any band and I keep wondering what they are doing here.

I get that. If you’d hear me talk about diru with my close friends and didn’t knew I was a fan you’d probably assume I hate their guts. But trash talking them is my way of showing love :sweat_smile: And on the other hand I get defensiv if someone dares to say something bad about them (only I am allowed to do that :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:) We all have diffrent ways to show our love.

Of course! It just sometimes feels like there is more complaining here than joy.
Tbh I was kind of happy to find other people who love diru and vk after the scene here nearly completely vanished so it makes me a bit sad when I am exited about lots of stuff but not so many people seems to share it. Haaaa did that make any sense? :confused:

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1560

I think it’s because a lot of us are jaded old farts who’ve been around this same group of users since like the early 2000’s. And we talked smack about the band back then too.

Dir en grey are also so far into their career and it’s felt like it’s been a while since they dropped any huge surprises whether it’s a major shift in musical style, a lineup change, or some other big project.

For me at least, the last 3 album cycles have been pretty straightforward. Musically, I feel like not much has really changed since Arche. Dum Spiro Spero was the last interesting thing the band put out in my book. And that was nearly 13 years ago. Remakes and rerecordings are fun, but they’ve been doing those for a while now. I’m personally in the camp of wanting to just see new music.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the band is phoning it in, but they feel like they’re in a comfortable place. And from that comfortability I’ve felt that the band isn’t experimenting as much as they used to. They still put out good stuff, but it’s not grabbing my ears and demanding attention because it’s stuff we expect to hear.

They probably won’t ever put out something like Marrow of a Bone again which was so divisive. I really liked it back then for how different it was despite it being sort of just ok musically. But they experimented with it and it led them to making Uroboros which was a huge evolution in their sound. And for me at least, that was the peak of their career.

I expect their career to continue to play out in a fairly tame fashion. And I think that’s ok with where they’re at. But that might be why you see a lot of members here showing just a lukewarm interest to the band’s current activities. It’s like if your favorite ice cream brand released a new flavor, but it’s just an old flavor with one new element added/changed out. Give us something new! We can handle it!

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1561

This hits on a point I’ve made before:

Dir en grey is one of the most popular VK bands in the world second only to X Japan – maybe. On this site, the total engagement across all Dir en grey threads vastly outweighs any other artist – including X Japan.

With that level of popularity, and the fact they’ve been around for over 25 years, means there’s a lot of history there, and a lot of people with an opinion about them.

There are fans of Dir en grey that have loved them since the beginning, there are fans who only like their old stuff, there are fans who only like their new stuff, there are people who love to hate the band, there are fans who are emotionally invested in the band, there are people who don’t like their music that are still emotionally invested in the band, etc. etc. etc.

The fact is, there are a ton of people who like Visual Kei music that have an opinion on Dir en grey, which is a testament to just how popular they are.

Speaking personally, they’re my favorite band. I have spent endless amounts of time and money listening to them, traveling to see them, looking up news about them, shitposting about them on the internet. I have spent nearly 2/3 of my LIFE doing this. That is one hell of an investment.

And with that long term appreciation, there also comes expectations. Just because they’re my favorite doesn’t mean we have to blindly love everything they do. Sometimes they do stuff I’m not a fan of. Sometimes they write songs or parts in songs I’m like “God, this is terrible!” (I’m looking at you, intro to Midwife).

But at the end of the day, we’ve all got an opinion about them, which is what makes them so special.

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1562

I get the above sentiment though and have had the same feelings myself. Obviously when you love something that much and it isnt how YOU wanted it to be its easy to be disappointed but when people constantly complain about it, does make me wonder why some people still love it. Fair enough, enjoy the stuff up to the point you fell out of love with it but a lot of bands change and if you dont enjoy their sound anymore just stop listening to it. As for me, ive not any major problems with any DeG releases, still listen to their stuff fairly often and still watch the dvd collection relatively frequently. I think people need to let go of what things used to be and either try to enjoy things for what they are now or just enjoy something else. Its not really that complicated. Haha.

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1563

Sometimes an artist’s biggest haters are their fans.

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1564

to hate is to love
to love is to hate

1565

It’s clear that Dir en grey holds a significant place in your life, and your passion for the band is evident. It’s not uncommon for long-term fans to have a range of opinions on a band’s evolution, especially when they have been around for as long as Dir en grey. With a history spanning over 25 years, the band has likely gone through various musical phases, influencing fans differently along the way.

Having a critical perspective on a band you love is a natural part of being a dedicated fan. It shows a deep engagement with the music and an expectation for the band to continue evolving and delivering content that resonates with its audience. Every fan’s journey with a band is unique, and it’s interesting to see how fans can have different preferences for specific eras or aspects of the band’s discography.

The diversity of opinions within the fan base only adds to the richness of the experience. It’s not uncommon for a band’s evolution to be met with both praise and criticism, as different fans connect with various aspects of the music and artistic expression.

In the end, the emotional investment and the time spent as a fan highlight the profound impact that Dir en grey has had on your life. Music has a remarkable way of forming connections and shaping experiences, and it’s evident that Dir en grey has played a significant role in your personal journey.

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1566

Impressions of the Osaka show from someone who’s seen them over one hundred times.

1567

I hope we’ll somehow get the full transcript of Die’s MC from this show. It seems he talked a lot, and made many people cry going by the reports

1568

I have loved DeG for 15+ years now, they are a part of my life and i dont hesitate a second to shit on them when they for example are lazy, like this time with this single and that lazy ass merch.

1569

I’m actually really surprised y’all don’t love this single - i’ve heard every track they’ve put out and listened to all the remakes, these are far and away the best imho save for the acoustic re-interpretations

They actually feel pretty loose and recontrxtualized - it’s not just swapping out the metaphorical soundfont for 2020s voicing like some of the remakes have been. But it’s also not completely different like the grumble Zan.

Maybe i just know Gauze really well but i could pick out so many moments where the guitar arpeggiates in a way that it didn’t before - ofc all the new instruments i felt brought a new lens onto what’s mixed and arranged to hit all the most important parts of the same familiar story. And speaking of mix - that moment after yurameki’s solo where the one guitar note gets held and then the full band SLAPS in?? I think the effect was actually stronger here than the original, plus the tone of that solo was so nice. Kyo’s new part in Akuro was actually perfect, and legit i was shocked how emotional it got me to hear Kyo sing in that kote kei accent again.

Nothing’s ever gonna top the original ofc, everyone knows that, but i think this single was very focused and targeted; it knew exactly what it was and the mix/master complemented the writing so well. It wasn’t flat and coasty all the way through - Kyo’s voice was so buried in the beginning of Akuro and lifted by the chorus, just one example. But i think it was mixed with all the intention and novelty saved for new tracks, not just phoned in and standardized like i expect remakes to be.

TL;DR i think this single came out at the exact right time in their career for them to do something like this, was masterfully executed all around by Diru & staff both, and i would slap down full price for a full Gauze remake the minute it’s announced - and it’d better be - just off the strength of these three.

…only thing i’ll criticize is those pointless-ass shirts lmao

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Out of the three songs from the single I liked Yurameki best. I think I even liked it a bit better than the original. Like one of my friends said, it sounds a bit less like a children’s birthday song now.

I never really cared for ZAN and feel neutral aout the new version.

I am still on the fence about akuro no oka. I think I need to listen to it a few more times to tell which version is my fav.

Ok, this one I give you all. This merch is terribly uninspired. Honestly, nothing is uglier than just printering a squar picture on a shirt instead of a borderless design. Boooo!

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Just had a ganders at Mercari seeing what random Dir goods are going on there atm and saw this. Thinking you can probably find it cheaper if you shop around. Haha. :laughing:

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1572

I have it and would sell it for half of thst price to you :joy:

1573

I think half that price may still be a little steep for that one lol. Maybe if it was the Kai vinyl

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1574

Just your everyday Average Flipper here. Anything more than like 15$ is too much for this lol

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1575

I SAW THIS TOO

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1576

That …uhm was the joke :sweat_smile: