Review Summary: I'm gonna blow your head off like raspberry jam.
It has been said that the scent of the dead is generally believed to have an unpleasant odor. However, unbeknownst to the people whom were ignorant enough to not follow the tale, the disgusting aroma has a hidden power to make the onlookers let bygones be bygones. Crying over spilled milk is warranted, but in the end, it's also rather unacceptable. By constantly moving forward in life, a human being is bound to become a winner. Perseverance and mercy are the two names of the game here, and this applies to
Dir En Grey as well. Originating from Osaka, this Japanese experimental metal ensemble have been going strong ever since the year 1997, and despite facing a couple hardships during their time – such as the departure of initial leader and bassist Kisaki, and a fan asking Kyo what the best method of committing suicide was – they've managed to stick it out real well, all things considered. Diru are undoubtedly the kings of the second generation of visual kei, having inspired newer bands who try to replicate what they and many older VK acts did, but fewer groups are capable of garnering the right amount of success in the long run. The five-piece band possess a convention-breaking sound, which the consensus believes to be some form of metal; throughout the years, Diru have tinkered with prog, nu-metal, death metal, alternative, and even metalcore. Heck, the band's debut offering
Gauze featured a distinctive pop appeal that was actually a part of the album's charm. Diru's first LP had lots going for it: probably the most noteworthy thing about
Gauze was that the legendary Yoshiki of
X Japan fame was involved in its production, handling five tracks on there previously released as singles.
A year then passed following
Gauze, and Dir En Grey wanted to see if they could top this serpent of an album with a sophomore affair. Enter studio album #2,
Macabre, a release packing 13 songs and lasting for well over an hour. The somewhat poppy atmosphere of its predecessor has all but vanished, and in its place is a zesty progressive flavor – best demonstrated on the 10-minute title track. Even though it's not nearly as approachable as
Gauze ended up being, the second record still does have its comparatively lighter moments in terms of style; now few and far between, may the reviewer add. Be forewarned, this is one of those music releases that can and will leave the listener sort of confused in the beginning – and if the folks want to take Diru's catalog into account, that's saying quite a bit. Look no further than
Macabre's opener in the form of “Deity”: an ominous, yet calming tune that shifts to a heavier, gritty manner nearly two minutes in while sporting nuanced electronics. And why stop there? “Audrey” is undeniably one of the catchiest songs that
Macabre has to offer, positively speaking, and the overall vibe of it all is too memorable to pass up. Fortunately with great confusion comes great acceptance, as
Macabre is the solid equivalent of a grower.
From a songwriting standpoint, the recording delivers on that, at least for the most part. As a quintet, Diru know how to balance aggressive and soft sounds pretty darn well. “Myaku” starts off with crunchy, driving guitar work and includes Kyo's voracious screams and dreamy singing vocals; the latter technique dominates “Myaku”'s choruses akin to a mountain lion owning a school of crows. While this group is passable whenever it comes to tackling heaviness, it's when they showcase their melodic side which greatly benefits
Macabre. “Hotarubi” is phenomenal in that regard, because not only is the rhythm section coupled with Kyo's beautiful vocal performance at an all-time high, the violins employed by Chieko Kinbara drive this emotional point home. The final two songs, “Zakuro” and “Taiyou no Ao”, bear an extraordinarily sentimental air about them thanks to the build-up, Kyo's soulful voice, and the otherwise uneven production values suiting these ditties perfectly. The large marks I've given to
Macabre's composition notwithstanding, “Macabre” itself is bad due to an underwhelming arrangement. This prog-tinged number kicks off at a salvageable pace only to meander and meander until said track gets to the point where the buildup was for naught.
On the topic of instrumentation, Diru's sequel to
Gauze is swift and catatonic, befitting the threatening character of this record. Guitarists Kaoru and Die provide fierce, angry leads on “Rasetsukoku” and the aforementioned “Myaku” whilst not being toothless. The guitar playing is practically treated as an afterthought on tunes like “[KR]cube”, though bassist Toshiya more than makes up for that by supplying a funk-influenced melody during said song's introduction. His contributions on bass guitar are not only audible, but the man's dictionary doesn't contain the phrase "pulling punches"; “Wake” reinforces this claim to a T, what with the harmony on the track cooperating alongside Toshiya's work ultimately fine. Even if it's not as recognizable as “Audrey” and suffers from shallow songwriting, “Berry”'s punk rock-esque musicianship is appreciated, and the ditty proper has a ton of energy behind it – and yes, before anyone says their peace, the samples
do reek of cheese. To be fair, on the bright side of things, the corny nature of these clips are mitigated by the subject matter itself (“Berry” was written and sung from the viewpoint of an abused child). Vocally, Kyo's range on
Macabre isn't so versatile in comparison to what he did during a majority of Diru's debut (and the post-
Withering to Death. LPs), although he's highly adept at working with what he's got on standby. His singing on the predominately sedated songs is up to snuff and the harsh vocals are tolerable enough not to go unnoticed. Rarely does Kyo ruin a song here, but whenever there's an opportunity, he ends up coming off as either unenthusiastic or almost grating. “Deity” is a robust beast of an intro, and yet it should've stayed instrumental due to the singer's performance virtually killing the atmosphere.
To summarize the album,
Macabre isn't flawless by any stretch of the imagination. Self-produced by Dir En Grey themselves with additional help from Tatsuya Sakamoto and Hoppy Kamiyama, the second studio release by these guys maintains inconsistency in the audio quality (a problem rectified after the original edition of
Uroboros) and isn't the best starting point if you have a desire to get into this band. Its nature might even baffle first-time victims up until they decide to give the album another chance. Be that as it may, once the time arrives, the customer will deem
Macabre an enjoyable, attractive chimera and a nice addition to Diru's discography to boot.
Stylish.
Angel recommends
- Myaku
- Wake
- Hotarubi
- Zakuro
- Taiyou no Ao
