To start Japanese Artist Month off, I turn your attention to the band Dir en Grey. Dir en Grey is almost impossible to categorize under a genre because over the years they have changed their musical styles numerous times. The band began as a sort of alternative rock with some pop influences but slowly started to adopt some heavier rock tones. Their third and fourth studio albums became almost entirely a style of nu metal but during the years after these recordings they began becoming more experimental with their presentation. Their fifth and sixth studio albums are very inventive compositions that were heavily influenced by American nu metal bands like KoRn and Deftones (who they also toured with during the releases of these two albums).
This now brings us to their seventh and most recent, studio album which will also be the one I’ll be reviewing for you today. Uroboros is nothing less than a masterpiece recording. It’s as if Dir en Grey combined the best qualities of all their previous styles and molded them together with progressive metal, resulting in an album that I consider one of favorites of all time. My favorite description of the album is by a Japanese writer, You Masuda, who stated “If you put it in a strange way, it's close to something like, 'What happens if Thom Yorke does metal?'”
Before I begin to describe the album itself, let me discuss Dir en Grey’s lead singer, Kyo. Kyo’s vocal abilities are a pivotal part of the bands presentation. When I tell people to listen to Japanese music, the first retaliation I normally get is along the lines that you can’t understand the lyrics. This is only partly correct when it comes to Dir en Grey. Sure, you can’t understand the actual words, but when it comes to the emotions portrayed through Kyo’s voice, you don’t need words to know what is coming from his soul. On top of the immense amount of emotion Kyo puts into his singing, his voice practically acts as another instrument in the band. In a review for their sixth studio album “Marrow of a Bone,” they listed his versatility as being able to “howl, croon, emote cleanly, scream, shriek, growl, bellow, and make nearly inhuman sounds.” With one of the most extensive ranges of any vocalist in the world, Kyo’s talents are simply breathtaking.
Now onto the album itself...
Uroboros starts off with an eerie, slightly oriental introduction, entitled “Sa Bir.” Backed by distant shrieks from Kyo, this song really puts the listener into a state of suspense, not knowing what to expect. The following track “Vinushka” is the staple track of the entire album. Running at almost ten minutes, this song takes the listener through many styles, time signatures, tempo changes and emotions. Kyo’s vocal range is stretched throughout the entire song, from subtle and quietly emotional, to brutal, heavy and in your face. On top of that, the instrumentals provide excellent backing behind the vocals all the way.
The next track “Red Soil” sways back and forth between a slight industrial pop style to a brutal driving rock sound. The song’s bridge houses an excellent example of some Kyo’s “inhuman” sounds. “Doukoku To Sarinu” contains brutally belted verses in between ever intensifying soulful refrains. Each refrain adds more harmonies and backing vocals to give the listener a sense of build. “Toguro” holds some of the same elements as “Doukoku To Sarinu,” but instead uses a more experimental minor pop feel making for a great composition.
The album begins to quiet down with the industrial rock ballad “Glass Skin.” The vocals are delivered with great ecstasy during the entire song as the monstrous bass and driving drums build Kyo’s voice indefinitely. The next two songs, “Stuck Man” and “Reiketsu Nariseba” really play well against each other. “Stuck Man” is a no holds bar garbage/funk fandango with intense vocal instrumentation by Kyo, and “Reiketsu Nariseba” is a continuation of the same elements, incorporating brutal/thrash metal with a reverb heavy acoustic break. Both songs contain strong progressive aspects over incredibly difficult styles, yet it is executed brilliantly.
The second ballad on the album “Ware, Yami Tote...” is by far the most beautiful composition on the entire album. Kyo puts his entire soul into this seven minute acoustic ballad, stretching his falsetto range to the max. If this song doesn’t make you want to break into tears or at least give you goose bumps, then you probably don’t have a pulse.
The album continues with “Bugaboo” and “Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro.” These two songs take the cake for scariest presentation on the album. Kyo reaches deep into his bag of tricks to pull out some of the craziest vocalizations that will leave your heart pounding. “Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro” is a well composed, intensified revamp of “Doukoku To Sarinu,” and if you thought it couldn’t get more intense than that, then you were sorely mistaken.
After these two fearful songs, “Dozing Green” throws many ruthless instrumental riffs and callous verses at the listener letting them know that the end is near. This finally brings us to the albums closing track “Inconvenient Ideal.” This song is the third ballad on the album and it does nothing but build from start to finish. The only drop in intensity within the song is the bridge which only brings the listener more suspense until the final refrain, where the band doesn’t hold back. Rising to the top of Kyo’s vocal range, the band hits its peak and fades into nothingness.
There is so much more to this album that I couldn’t possibly put it all into this review. In this description I only took a look at the exoskeleton of Uroboros. Beyond this frame of a description, the lyrics to all the songs contain amazingly powerful messages; messages that to this day I am still soaking in and analyzing. The way all the songs piece together so well; how the first two ballads act as eyes to the storm of the surrounding songs, and the way the closing ballad acts as the aftermath. I could seriously go on about this album forever.
Like I said, Dir en Grey recorded a masterpiece that I encourage all of you to listen to. If you aren’t into the progressive scene, than you could get away with leaving this alone, but if you in any way enjoy a good prog album, give this one a try. If you like what you hear, than I guarantee you will find joy in listening to Dir en Grey’s pre-Uroboros work as well. Their earlier works aren’t heavy in the progressive department, but they hold some amazing talent that can’t be passed up.
Here is a link to the album on Napster:
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