Review Summary: DIR EN GREY return to top form with their most focused effort in years, while delivering a more tame, but infinitely more listenable record.
Marking well over three years since the release of the highly experimental yet flawed DUM SPIRO SPERO, DIR EN GREY is back just in time to celebrate their 15th anniversary with a brand new LP. Titled ARCHE (translating to "origin" in Greek, for curious folk) and portraying a centralized theme of human pain, its sixteen songs will take you on a journey ranging from the beautiful, bizarre, and everything in-between.
You would be immediately mistaken for coming into this album expecting another "DSS"; DIR EN GREY is notorious for altering their sound album in and album out. Venture far enough back into their storied catalogue and you'll question whether or not you're even listening to the same band. One thing that has been abundantly clear for quite some time now, however, is the bands tendency towards writing heavier material, while instilling a dose of progressive elements and experimentation.
Their recent progressive elements take a back seat this time around, however, in favor of far more generic song writing. This is certainly not a bad thing -- one of my primary complaints about "DSS" was its lack of cohesiveness -- and is immediately apparent upon listening to the first two songs, 'Un deux' and 'Soshaku'. The former is a fairly straight forward rock number that unfortunately feels out of place due to the bands previous insistence on utilizing instrumental tracks as openers. 'Soshaku' follows suit, but contains a far more memorable chorus, thanks to Kyo's soaring melodies. 'Uroko' provides a welcome change of pace, as Kyo displays his amazingly varied vocals ranging from low gutturals to high-pitched screeches. My personal favorite drops at number six, as 'Tousei' begins with a drawn-out guitar intro leading into Kyo's soft vocal melodies. This is not a one-man show either, as the entirety of the band demonstrates mature songwriting. The compositions are simple, but nothing is overdone and they do an excellent job in creating a deep and dark atmosphere. It's been a while since Shinya sounded this good on drums, and gone is Toshiya's clicky, metallic-sounding bass.
While it seems DIR EN GREY distanced themselves from their previous sound in DUM SPIRO SPERO, there are times where past elements and ideas resurface. Such is the case with tracks such as 'Phenomenon' and the album closer, 'Revelation of mankind'. 'Phenomenon' takes on one of the more interesting structures on the album, as it begins with soft grooves and slowly builds into an atmospheric closing minute. It has a refined sense of progression that I can really get onboard with. If I didn't know any better, I would assume that 'Revelation of mankind' is recycled material from their previous era. This isn't a bad thing, but it leaves me with an unsettled feeling and odd taste in my mouth. Again, it's not a bad song by any stretch of the imagination... it's actually quite good. It's one of the more diverse tracks with it's hard hitting riffs, time changes, and frantic ending. I just find it to be an unusual song to close the album with.
This record is not without faults, though. While the overall sound and mixing of the album is improved over previous efforts, album single 'Sustain the untruth' gets absolutely butchered. The verses are muddled, distorted, and sound wrong in comparison to the single version of the song.
It's understandable that a whopping 16 song tracklist will pave the way to some "fillers", but tracks such as 'Midwife' and 'The inferno' feel out of place and unnecessary amongst an album that feels more tame and mild than past LP's. And at 16 songs and over an hour of playtime, ARCHE is not an album for the faint of heart.
ARCHE is DIR EN GREY's most focused effort in quite a while. Fans wanting the heavier and more experimental side of DIR EN GREY may come out a tad disappointed, but even then it's difficult to not be impressed by a band who continually reinvents themselves. The moments of utter insanity are still there, along with the shrieks, growls, and screams that fans have come to adore. Everything is just more tightly wound, with a fresh coat of polish over the top. Gone are the sprawling and experimental ideas set forth in DUM SPIRO SPERO, as they've been replaced by an immeasurable sense of cohesiveness and maturity that just wasn't there last time out.
