Review Summary: Disturbingly Wonderful.
It's somewhat of a sweeping generalization to say, but non-North American/Western European music today has a tendency to sound like cheap, generic brand knock-offs of whatever the main craze was in the West five or ten years prior. After all, what was it that made such sensations as the Macarena or the infamous Numa Numa (whatever it's real name is) so popular? Catchiness could play a part, but it certainly wasn't the great songwriting tact or originality involved. If anything perhaps it was the hooky nostalgic vibe these songs gave off in seeing that other than the language barriers these tunes could have easily come out stateside in the late 80's. One of the greatest players in such a trend is without a doubt Japan. If you're curious as to how so many 80's hair metal bands still make a living they have none other than Japan to thank. While there are plenty of Japan-o-philes in the U.S. it's nothing compared to the utter American obsession that is so prevalent in the East. So many of the current J-rock and J-pop bands today fit this idea to a T, rehashing whatever the last big fad was in the states albeit with silly, botched Engrish.
With this in mind, Dir en grey is quite an anomaly; they play into none of the Eastern music stereotypes and instead create an unclassifiable rock melting-pot that is still distinctly Japanese. While their most recent album, “Marrow of a Bone,” is perhaps a bit safer than some of their past works they have maintained their individuality, originality, and ever evolving sense of creativity on each release. In fact they posses such a cutting-edge sound that it really dates many current American and European rock and metal bands. I also struggle to think of many group's other than Dir en grey that are able to so seamlessly leap over stylistic boundaries without stumbling into the humorous “genre cluster-f**k” pitfall that group's like Mr. Bungle and Between the Buried and Me frequently fall victim to. While many have hemmed and hawed over the band beginning the trend of becoming more “Amerikan” and streamlined on their fourth proper album, “Vulgar,” that simply isn't the case. If anything Vulgar is the finest representation yet of the band's forward-thinking attitude and multifaceted bag of talents.
Dir en grey is a band that makes some pretty sinister and demented music and Vulgar takes this dark aura that always encircled the group and amplifies it a thousand-fold. Vulgar is a bumpy, ugly ride down to the deepest pits of hell that every so often flashes it's condemned captives a glimpse of the pearly gates as if to sneeringly say “Pretty ain't it? Too bad you aren't goin' there!” The listener instantly finds himself plunged headfirst into such an abyss with the chaotic opener, “Audience Killer Loop,” which sneaks up with some sinister electronic ambience before going full throttle into a ferocious metal riff backed by a forlorn piano melody and an absolutely demonic growl courtesy of vocalist, Kyo. The song itself mutates capriciously between hopeless sounding soft sections and positively destructive heavy parts. It's a perfect representation of the disorienting and unsettling feeling the whole record exudes. The following three tracks hammer in such a mood with a carnival of different and disturbing vocal theatrics that would have Mr. Patton's mouth agape, rapid, unpredictable guitar riffs, and spazzy drumming.
These songs are tight and gripping, however, they are only a single phase of the twisted journey as pensive, oasis like tracks such as “Sajou no uta,” “Red...[em],” and “Kasumi” prove. These are the heavenly detours I spoke of which despite their more restrained and melodic sound still seethe with the shadowy energy that drives the whole album as if to show the futility of escape- you've already begun your descent and there is no way out. The psychosis continues with the perturbing sounds of “Asunaki Koufuku, Koenaki Asu” and “Marmalade Chainsaw” which spin and sputter with out-of-no-where punk runs, jazzy beats, disco breakdowns, and destructive riffs. Hearing the band so non-chalantly switch from one extreme to the next is hardly pleasing to the ear and even a bit unnerving, but it all seems to somehow work quite beautifully in the grand scheme of things.
One of Vulgar's most acclaimed and even controversial pieces(given the video that accompanies it) is “Obscure,” a track that functions as the late, hell-spawned album climax. The single captures the band's heaven/hell duality with disquieting clarity as a repulsive stew of chunky, down-tuned riffs, jerky thrash parts, industrial touches, and vocals that shift from virtually inhuman sounding screeches and falsettos to beautiful and even mildy disturbing singing in the chorus. The PV that I mentioned for the song could also be the most disgusting and downright terrifying Japanese horror film to ever created, captured in the confines of a five minute time frame. I really can't describe it; it's vile, totally f**ked up, and pretty darn artistic all at the same time, much like the group's music as a whole- you've really got see it for yourself (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG4L3_rrQjo). Amber brings the wicked ride to an end with a melancholic acceptance of the passengers' doom; much like the quieter tracks mentioned before, it's a very pretty song that still emanates the monolithic dark of the full album with perhaps a hint heart-wrenching romance.
While the compositional ability of the group definitely stands out and perhaps makes the album work as a whole the band's individual performances all demand attention. Kyo has been given the rather unfair tag by many as the Japanese equivalent of Marilyn Manson, which simply couldn't be further from the truth. He certainly has his own bag of shock rock theatrics, but he actually has the talent to back it up. He's pretty hard to compare to anyone, but perhaps one could say he sounds a little like Chino Moreno on crack, ecstasy and shrooms all at the same time (and of course singing in Japanese). Throughout the course of the record he takes on a head-spinning variety of vocal styles and handles them all flawlessly, be they growls, mumbles, impossibly high croons, or just plain emotive singing- the man can do it all. As with all other Dir en grey albums, the lyrics are ninety-five percent in Japanese, something that I've always found to be a very wise decision on the band's part, but just because they aren't in the safe and friendly English everyone expects, it's no reason not to appreciate them. I highly recommend looking them up, they're very well written and shed a great deal of light on the album's theme and title, portraying the darker aspects of mankind, like our obsession with violence (Audience Killer Loop), government corruption (The III D Empire) and sexual irresponsibility (Obscure), unsurprisingly it's pretty grim stuff.
Kyo may be the star of the show, but he wouldn't shine nearly as brightly if not for Die and Kaoru's excellent guitar work. While I wouldn't go so far as to call them virtuosos they have a way of enhancing the atmosphere and epicness of whatever is going on in a song, they're the band's sort of secret weapon if you will. There is also some pretty tasty lead work and unusual riffing throughout the album that furthers the mood. Toshiya and Shinya also hold up one hell of a solid rhythm section with Toshiya's rubbery popped bass licks and Shinya's all-over-the-place antics. Again these guys aren't musical geniuses, but what they do, they do very well.
People talk about certain bands being “kinda out there,” Dir en grey isn't one of those bands; they're so far out there they're practically off the map. There is a certain mentality that has dominated the modern art world that goes something like “If it makes you uncomfortable, it's art.” Vulgar goes far beyond uncomfortable, it's dark, demented, and at times even kind of evil sounding, but it is absolutely art in the truest form.
