Dir en Grey Single Review

Dir en Grey “Hageshi Sato, Kono Mune no Naka de Karami Tsui ta Shakunetsu no Yami." 2009.12.02 Release

After a mind-blowing tour that shook the very soil of North America, Dir en Grey comes back full circle with the release of their new single, "Hageshi Sato, Kono Mune no Naka de Karami Tsui ta Shakunetsu no Yami." Having the privilege to attend one of their shows this past tour, I noticed that something had changed about the band I've known since I was ten years old, but I didn't dwell on it and I eventually forgot about it. That is, until I was able to get my hands on this single. I was simply astonished! It was like someone had turned back the clock and I was that little girl again, sitting in the corner with "Gauze" turned all the way up on my walkman. The maxi single as a whole rocked me to my core.

...

Title Track: Hageshi Sato, Kono Mune no Naka de Karami Tsui ta Shakunetsu no Yami

The track starts off strong, with rhythmic guitar "bounces" leading to Kyo singing the title lyrics as the beginning of the chorus. Then, you're suddenly hit with ripping metal riffs by Die and Kaoru and powerful drum beats from Shinya. Toshiya's bass resounds in your ear, pulsing in time with each drum beat, and carrying both guitars throughout the song. Kyo growls, screams, and does his manic chatter through most of the song, but still makes the track melodic by raising the pitch of the chorus.

2nd Track: -Zan- (Remaster)

This is really where my nostalgia kicked in. For those of you who have knowledge of Dir en Grey's Visual Kei years, then you should know this song right off the bat. The guitar tones are deeper, the bass has more plucking, and Kyo has, as expected, added deep throated screams rather than singing the lyrics. We can't deny that Zan itself already was composed as a crazy head banger song, thus, the changes fit perfectly and flow well with the whole scheme of the single.

Final Track: Shokubeni (Shot in One Take)

Again, I was hit with another blast of nostalgia. Shokubeni was one of my favorites off of their Vulgar album, and to hear it raw, played in the studio, was a special treat. The emotion that was put into this recording washed over my senses and made me feel like I was back at the Fillmore, front row, singing and swaying along with the music.

Through this single, I have realized that Dir en Grey didn’t really “change” like I thought in the beginning, but instead, they seemed to pull themselves back to their roots. Making this by far one of Dir en Grey’s most intriguing releases in the past few years. I believe this maxi single to be so well done and polished, that it is something that every Dir en Grey fan, young and old alike, should definitely enjoy.