Artist:
Dir en grey

BACKGROUND

Dir en grey is a Japanese rock band that is widely recognized, both in Japan and worldwide, for their unique and raw rock sound as well as their tragic and pain-filled lyrics. In their early years, they were firmly visual kei, which is a term that is used for a band with a flashy – sometimes even downright crazy – fashion sense that is meant to shock the audience and enhance live performances. Over the years, their visual kei style morphed into a more standard-looking, but harder, rock style. Throughout the years and visual transitions, though, the focus of their songs has always been upon the ugly side of life, with topics of songs ranging from depression and suicide to abortion and rape. The lyricist himself declared that he would never write a happy song, and for nine years hope has not been present in their lyrics. But fans of Dir en grey aren’t looking for hope; in fact, it is the group’s ability to exquisitely express pain through raw melodies and passionate vocals that has led to their success.

Dir en grey formed in February of 1997 out of the ashes of the indie band La:Sadie’s, which had the current Dir en grey lineup except for the bassist Toshiya. With the addition of Toshiya to the group, Dir en grey was born. Their first mini-album, MISSA, was released only seven months later. The flashy visual kei stylings they adopted at that time, as well as their unique music potential, quickly caught the eye of talent-spotter and former X Japan member Hayashi Yoshiki. Yoshiki took over production of their music, and almost overnight, Dir en grey became a success.

Under Yoshiki‘s musical guidance, they released Gauze and a number of singles. With dark lyrics and impressive complexity to their music, they rose to a high position on Japanese music charts. Macabre, their second album, was released only shortly afterwards, and built off of the style they had developed in Gauze. By their third album Kisou, though, their sound had begun its evolution into one that was harder and more raw. By Vulgar, Dir en grey had completed the transformation from visual kei band into metal/hard rock, and they continued the trend with Withering to death. This constant re-invention of their style allows them to stay fresh and unique, with each album clearly different from the one before it.

Throughout all the stylistic changes, however, their focus has always remained the same. The lyrics to songs from any of their albums are always shocking and moving, and the imagery can be gut-wrenching. They discuss abortion from a fetus’s point of view (“Mazohyst of Decadence”), and child abuse from the eyes of a girl who, carrying the child from her father’s assaults, cracks and kills him (“Embryo”). They don’t shy from talking about suicide (“The Final”); they passionately sing of the tragedy of losing people who can never be replaced (“ain’t afraid to die”). Dir en grey doesn’t linger merely on gruesome ideas, nor do they play such songs merely to entice the morbid. Instead, as they run the gamut of negative human emotion, it is a catharsis of sorts for them as well as for their audience. It is a way for them to express emotions that are normally hidden from our attention, emotions that are ignored because they can hurt too much to contemplate.

While they have yet to achieve mainstream success in Japan, Dir en grey are definitely a major cult phenomenon and their fanbase continues to grow. Since 2001, Dir en grey has expanded beyond Japan. They’ve played concerts across Asia, in places like Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Korea, as well as in Europe at the renowned German music festival Rock Am Ring. In 2006, they moved into the US, performing showcase concerts across the country and selling out halls with seating in the thousands in mere hours, a major achievement for a band with absolutely no US radio airtime or advertisement. Their performances caught the eyes of other US bands, and they were quickly scheduled to perform on the main stage with KoRn on the Family Values Tour 2006. Their official website declares that they intend to take the world by storm, and they seem poised to do just that. With an upcoming release of a new single, they show no signs of slacking any time soon.