2020. 3. 3. 18:59ㆍ카테고리 없음
1: Unraveling2: Karma3: Kasumi4: Karasu5: Bottom of the death valley6: Unknown.Despair.Lost7: THE FINAL1: MACABRE2: Unraveling (Unplugged)3: THE FINAL (Unplugged)DIR EN GREY are back with better production, a solid set of songs and a recovered Kyo.Now, there's a definite divide amongst fans regarding this album/EP/whatever you want to call it. There are those who love the 'new' remakes, praising the experimentation, and there are of course those who are inevitably shouting 'you shouldn't have changed a perfect song' etc etc. I couldn't care less which camp you might fit into; all I ask for is that you listen to this album forgetting your attachment to the original version of a song.
Because with a fresh approach as a listener, this album is definitely one of the best by DIR EN GREY instrumentally as well as structurally.From the first prog-y, accentuated notes of 'Unraveling', it's clear that this album is not going to be a continuation of the marvellous experimentation that was 'Rinkaku'. The feel of this whole album is akin to that of 'DUM SPIRO SPERO', but with the structural orderliness and brilliance of 'Rinkaku'.
For me, although 'DSS' was a brilliant album, the riffs and structure were all over the place and there was a sense that this was a band who were not yet used to their new axes. On this album however, DIR EN GREY have cleverly decided to play it safe and consolidate their 'DSS' sound, whilst adding more elements of their whole discography (something that 'DSS' lacked in). This altogether creates a very mature DIR EN GREY, and showcases a band firmly on their feet.The first thing that struck me when this album was announced was the track-list There was a mixture of some their most famous songs (THE FINAL, Kasumi), fan favourites (Bottom of the death valley) and more 'obscure' (if you'll pardon the pun) songs (Karasu, Karma). I was intrigued as to how the band would go about remaking these songs, especially the well known ones. So it actually came as no surprise when I heard that 'THE FINAL' and 'Kasumi' had hardly been changed at all, apart from a few new riffs here and there. 'THE FINAL' is an immense remake, and in my opinion blows the original out of the water.
Everything simply sounds better (thanks to modern production), especially the guitars and you can now distinguish between Kaoru and Die's playing.Now, onto the guitar work on this album. Given that Kaoru is quite a shoddy guitarist live (sorry, love you really) I feel sorry for when he has to play these songs live, as the guitar work on this album is amazing and is more complex than on 'DSS'. There is a solo on almost every song, some done amazingly (Bottom of the death valley) and some less so (Unknown.Despair.Lost). They have nailed the breakdowns as well on this album and they are easier to headbang to compared to songs on 'DSS', where I felt the breakdowns were lacking somewhat.
'Unknown.Despair.Lost' has an excellent intro, starting with a simple acoustic passage which soon descends into a breakdown almost reminiscent of thrash metal.Toshiya (bass) is definitely back as a leading member of the band after taking a backseat approach in 'Rinkaku' and his playing here is hard to miss. He leads most of the songs and creates interesting counter-melodies with the guitars; this is most obvious on the lead track. During the bridge, Toshiya plays an almost solo-like run together with Kaoru's acoustic lick, which adds a unique warmth to this ambient section.
The bass intro in 'Bottom of the death valley' has also been changed, whilst still managing to retain the sense of the original. Toshiya has certainly matured from his 'play-every-note-possible' approach in the early days.I'm not a drummer myself and I admit that I know next to nothing about drumming, so I can't really comment on Shinya's playing here (it's definitely good though!).
However, what is clear is the production quality is much higher on the drums than on previous records. I knew Shinya was a brilliant drummer, but I always thought that the production quality was holding him back (especially the sound of the snare drum). On 'Different Sense' on 'DSS' for example, amidst the deathcore-esque riffing, all I could hear was Shinya's weak snare which sounded more like a tin can. 'Karasu' exhibits said snare drum most effectively.Then there's Kyo's singing. Well there really are no words to describe it. You can hear he has much more control over his singing than he did on 'Rinkaku', with every note being hit with force and control. Some of the vocal work, especially on 'Kasumi' is not to be missed.I'm going to talk about two more things before I wrap up.
The first is the song 'Macabre'. This remake is perhaps the best one on the whole album, despite it being found on the bonus disc.
The original was a masterpiece anyway, but this one surpasses it in every way. It doesn't just retain hints of the original; it retains the WHOLE sense and feel of the original, so much so that if you listened to the album 'Macabre' and then this new remake instead of the original, you would probably think it was just one whole album. On top of this, there is an extra 6 minutes added.Lastly I will talk about the tracks that, sadly, did not impress: 'Karma' and 'Kasumi'. Due to the original 'Karma' (the really badly recorded one), I have never been able to like it or really connect to the song, and so I was quite sceptical anyway about the remake. The remake was uninspired and the instrumentation was uninteresting.
Dir En Grey Unraveling Pvp
I have also never really liked 'Kasumi' as a song (Shock! I find it to be one of DEG's most boring songs and I don't understand the absolute devotion towards it. The remake was largely unchanged, as was my opinion.Apart from a very few slip ups in my opinion, this album is a stomper.9.5/10.
Dir En Grey Cage
Added by:Kaera nai omae o se ni shiyakusoku o omoikaesufurikakaru zanpan sae mo daiya to muku na shizukuTou kaze ni noseshidoromodoro awase kagamimujin no noah heUn de plusomoidasu tabiwakiagaru zetsubou nifurete itaimou. Added by:I turn my back on you because you won't hatchI go back and remember our promiseEven the scraps are like diamonds and pure dropletsRiding the wind and wavesIncoherent to the opposite mirrorsOnto the uninhabited NoahUn de plusEvery time I rememberDespair overflowsI want to keep feeling youLet's.