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Dir En Grey

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Dir En Grey

Dir en grey is a Japanese band formed in 1997. As of 2007, it has released six full-length records and is among the handful of Japanese bands to have enjoyed notable success in Europe and North America.[1] While the group's lineup has remained consistent since its inception, numerous stylistic changes have made its music's genre difficult to determine (though it's generally considered to be a form of rock music). Originally part of Japan's visual kei movement, Dir en grey has opted for less flamboyant attire in recent years.

History

1997–1999: Early career

Dir en grey was preceded by the independent band La:Sadie's which included four of Dir en grey's later members before it disbanded. After parting ways with La:Sadie's bassist Kisaki, Kyo, Kaoru, Die and Shinya along with newly recruited bassist Toshiya regrouped in February 1997[2] and released a first EP, Missa, a few months later. The name "Dir en grey" was chosen because it "sounded right" and is comprised of words from several languages, so that people would not be able to attach a specific meaning to it other than that the band's name itself.[3]

They first attracted attention in 1998, by entering the top ten on the Oricon music charts with the still independently produced songs "Jealous" and "-I'll-".[1][4] Five subsequent singles, arranged and produced by X Japan co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi, were published during the first half of 1999, the band's first full-length record, Gauze, followed. One of the shows in support for the album (filmed at the Osaka-jo Hall) would later become the first of several live concerts to be released on VHS and DVD.

2000–2004: 3 albums in 3 years

In 2000 vocalist Kyo was hospitalized with hearing trouble and several dates of the tour in support of Dir en grey's then upcoming album, Macabre, had to be postponed. "Tour 00 >> 01 Macabre" eventually took off later the same year and was concluded at Nippon Budokan, shortly after the release of the single "Ain't Afraid to Die" in April 2001.

In the following year, along with the release of a third full-length album, Kisou, Dir en grey gave their first performances abroad, touring China, Taiwan, and South Korea.[5] Back in Japan, the last dates of the lengthy Rettou Gekishin Angya tour were already in support for the band's second EP, Six Ugly. A few months later, Dir en grey performed at Akasaka Blitz for five evenings in one week. Each show (except the first) was themed after a certain album, the last featuring songs from the then not yet released Vulgar. A Blitz 5 Days DVD set was later released exclusively for members of the band's official fan club, A Knot.

2005–2006: Early non-Asian touring

File:Direngrey.jpg
Live in Detroit, 2006

In 2005, Dir en grey performed in Europe for the first time. Their concerts in Berlin and Paris (as part of the It Withers and Withers tour) sold out without promotion, save for newsletters by import record stores and internet-based word of mouth. The band also appeared at two major festivals, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park. Becoming more involved with the international music scene, they had French band Eths open up for them at the Paris concert and invited American musician Wednesday 13 and his band to play at a show in Japan. Dir en grey also performed at the Japanese leg of the Taste of Chaos tour.

2005 saw the first official European releases as well, in the form of that year's album Withering to Death. The band's music had previously been available to fans not living in Asia through means of import and illegal file-sharing only. The album also managed to achieve Dir en grey's first non-Asian chart position, reaching #31 in the Finnish album charts. The subsequent single, "Clever Sleazoid", later climbed to #15 on the singles charts in the same country. Several Dir en grey songs were also featured in the soundtrack of the 2005 film Death Trance.[6]

In early 2006 touring was expanded to the United States. The band performed in Austin, Texas (South by Southwest festival), New York City (Avalon Club) and Los Angeles, California (Wiltern Theatre), followed by the North American release of Withering to Death. Again, all shows sold out within days.[7] After more concerts and festival appearances in Germany during the summer, singer Kyo was again hospitalized, due to inflamed vocal cords. While two concert dates in Japan had to be postponed, Dir en grey was still able to join Korn's Family Values Tour.[8] In October, the band was back in Japan to perform at the Loud Park festival, along with bands such as Megadeth, Slayer and Children of Bodom.[9] Their 22nd single, "Agitated Screams of Maggots" was released on November 15, during the Japanese leg of the Inward Scream tour. On December 30, the music video for "Saku" was voted the #1 video of the year on the MTV2 show Headbanger's Ball.[10]

2007: The Marrow of a Bone

The band finished their first headlining tour in North America, which started February 1, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and ended on February 25 in San Francisco, California. Support bands were Bleed the Dream and Fair to Midland.[11][12] Dir en grey's sixth LP, The Marrow of a Bone, was released on February 7 in Japan, on February 20 in the United States and on March 2 in Europe. This summer, Dir en grey will open during the Deftones U.S. tour[13][14] and will then go on a short Europe tour, which includes their debut UK show at the Carling Academy Islington as well as several local festival appearances across Europe. [15][16][17][18]

Style and subject matter

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Dir en grey's format has been subject to change throughout their career, initially being a rather experimental form of hard rock. Some tracks of their debut album Gauze also demonstrated a distinct pop appeal, which was largely dropped in favor of a more progressive sound on the following albums, Macabre and Kisou. While up to that point some songs had already been more fast-paced, raw and aggressive than others, the band's music took a decisive turn with the release of the EP Six Ugly, from then on sporting more metal influences in general. Dir en grey's style has since been gravitating towards riffs and song structures more along the lines of contemporary North American fusion genres, such as nu metal and metalcore.

All lyrics are written by vocalist Kyo and deal with subjects such as society, mass media as well as sexual obsessions and love, usually with negative implications. The vocabulary varies from subtle to explicit and several songs rely heavily on double entendres and other wordplay, often involving the multiple meanings of a kanji character.[19]

Lineup

As with numerous other Japanese bands, the members of Dir en grey are usually credited with their first or stage name, the names of Kyo (京) and Kaoru (薫) usually being written in kanji. While there has been speculation among fans, the artists' full names are not a matter of public knowledge.

Discography

Main article: Dir en grey discography

References

  1. ^ a b "The Marrow of a Bone review". allmusic.com.
  2. ^ "1997 timeline". direngrey.co.jp.
  3. ^ Interview on Steven's Untitled Rock Show, February 27, 2007, Fuse TV.
  4. ^ "Single charts positions". oricon.co.jp.
  5. ^ "2002 timeline". direngrey.co.jp.
  6. ^ "Full cast and crew for Death Trance". imdb.com.
  7. ^ ""Japanese Invasion" (article about the first U.S. shows)". wired.com.
  8. ^ "Family Values Tour 2006 lineup". blabbermouth.net.
  9. ^ "Loud Park 2006 lineup". loudpark.com.
  10. ^ "The Marrow of a Bone review". about.com.
  11. ^ "Inward Scream U.S. leg announcement". warconrecords.com.
  12. ^ "Bleed the Dream to support during 2007 U.S. tour". warconrecords.com.
  13. ^ "Deftones plus special guests Dir en grey / The Fall of Troy". livenation.com.
  14. ^ "Deftones headlining tour dates on official website". deftones.com.
  15. ^ "Wacken 2007 lineup". wacken.com.
  16. ^ "Ankkarock 2007 announcement". ankkarock.fi.
  17. ^ "M'era Luna 2007 lineup". fkpscorpio.com.
  18. ^ "European tour dates 2007". jmusiceuropa.com.
  19. ^ "Lyrics translations with notes". centigrade-j.com.
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