Review: Over the course of the last six years,
musical act Dir en grey has evolved from a band of
androgynous bad boys to a j-rock super group. The
decadent, riff laden road to the top has been paved
with gold for these hit makers, and with the successful
Japanese release of their most recent endeavor “Vulgar”,
the yellow brick road appears to stretch far into
the horizon.
Beginning their career in the extremely theatrical,
image oriented vein of contemporary rock known as
“visual kei”, these fellows have since
undergone a slight change in both appearance and sound,
developing from a more gothic look and pop driven
beat, to a quasi-glam/punk sense of fashion that accommodates
their more recent, aggressive sound. All in all, they
have maintained the magic and the charisma that will
please older fans while creating a new monster for
fledgling devotees to embrace.
The beginning of 2003 ushered in the conclusion
of Dir en grey’s tour schedule for the year
long promotion of their mini cd SIX UGLY. With the
desire to make a grand finale, the band arranged an
extravagant ending at the famous Yokohama arena. Filled
to maximum capacity, the venue was bursting at the
seams with ravenous fans anticipating the performance
of their favorite act.
The dvd begins with the near deafening sound of silence
as the congregation grows restless. Suddenly the squealing,
screeching noise of the bands intro piece begins to
play, and the electricity in the crowd transcends
space and time as the exuberance of the multitudes
rips from the arena, out of the television, and into
the hearts of all those who see this dvd.
The frightful chant of “Kill, Kill, Kill,
Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill” being belted from
the p.a., and in turn the crowd, is not so much directed
towards one or the other as it is a playfully shock
tactic used to whip concert goers into a frenzy. One
by one, the enormous video screens located on the
right and left sides of the stage begin to glow with
a video montage announcing each member of the band.
Like models on a catwalk, each member parades out,
addresses the crowd (or not in the case of guitarist
Die), and proceeds to gather up their particular instruments
in preparation of the conclusion to the intro piece.
With the final approach of lead singer Kyo, a wall
of distortion begins to rumble as the band breaks
in with its opening number, Mr. Newsman. Fire balls
burst forth from the front of the stage igniting the
occasion.
Truly a display of masters performing at the top
of their game, the boys genuinely play to the crowd,
feeding off of every scream and shout in the building.
Throughout, each member (excluding the drummer Shinya
of course) manages to venture out into the aisles
to bring the show just that much closer to the fans
that made them what they are today. Kyo, with his
unique approach to the position of “front man”
has reinvented himself to the point of embodying both
beauty and the beast. His savage, guttural growls,
coupled with his amazing vocal range, set him head
and shoulders above the competition in the category
of originality. Not quite as “beastly”
looking as he has appeared in the past, Kyo has opted
for a low key, glam look this time around. Casting
aside the days of jet black hair, evil contact lenses,
and layer upon layer of make-up, he has since embraced
a certain aura that is not quite as standoffish as
he was once known for. Even with his make over, this
little goblin is still animalistic enough to toss
out a barrage of middle fingers amongst the fits of
self mutilation.
As the concert progresses, the selected songs fluctuate
from newer, more assaulting tunes, to an eventual
melodic power ballad sequence (can a song about dieing
be a ballad?), and then back up to the head banging
sing-a-long anthems we all know and love. The entire
concert ends up totaling somewhere around an impressive
two hours in length, showing that the band truly gives
the fans all they can handle.
Chapter List: Disc 1
01 Mr.NEWSMAN
02 HADES
03 umbrella
04 ZOMBOID
05 children
06 Bottom of the death valley
07 24??????
08 ? -karasu-
09 Ugly
10 ???????????
11 ? -mushi-
12 DRAIN AWAY
13 ?? -kigan-
14 The Domestic Fucker Family
15 JESSICA
16 ????
17 ain't afraid to die
18 FILTH
19 ?
20 [KR]cube
21 Child prey
22 ???
