Dir en Grey: Uroboros

Many moons ago a now-absent AUKN forum-goer sent me an mp3 of the Dir en Grey album track Garbage. I was hooked on their sound from that point on, soon realising they’re one of the most innovative hard rock acts that the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer. I use the term ‘hard rock’ quite tentatively though because while Diru consider themselves to be an experimental metal band and have their roots in the visual kei movement they purposefully avoid pigeonholing themselves in those neat little boxes that the contemporary music industry is so fond of. They instead pride themselves on creating a dark, heavy and uncompromising sound and opting to express themselves through the music itself, rather than their image.

After working back from Withering to Death and their Western breakthrough LP Vulgar I was mildly disappointed with The Marrow of a Bone. It was abrasive, powerful and carried a brutal sincerity that begged to be taken seriously (I have a real problem these days with taking heavy metal seriously…put it down to old age or something) but it felt like they had gone too far in their embracing of their European and Stateside peers. I respect their drive to evolve but it didn’t exploit the full range of their musicianship and influences; 2008′s Uroboros, which takes its name from a mythical concept of re-creation and unity, remedies this by drawing from their past works while creating something new and really quite exciting.

Introducing the album with an atmospheric instrumental track, followed by a long (nine and a half minutes!) vocal number indicates that this is a record that requires patience and an open mind: while there are singles that fit the self-contained format this is something that is intended to be appreciated as a complete whole, on its own terms. Sa Bir is hard to pin down; like the dance-inspired GDS that introduces their live shows it’s a bit of a non-sequitur but so is Vinushka: an intimidating, sprawling, epic of a tune that repeatedly takes the listener through gloomy atmospherics, all-out angst and back again.

The mind-boggling range of Kyo’s voice never ceases to amaze me: on this record however there’s more than the inhuman screaming and bellowing that made Marrow… and Withering… so striking. If anyone thought of his contributions as a gimmick Uroboros demonstrates how he has one hell of a dynamic range. There’s plenty of throaty microphone-shredding growling and yelping but there’s also some very melodic vocal acrobatics that leads me to conclude that Kyo is one of the most versatile and expressive frontmen in the industry today. Toguro and Red Soil remind me a bit of Gackt and the late-and-great X Japan in delivering a rich, occasionally 80s-inspired croon that delivers the emotion while sounding mature and tuneful.

This variety extends to the solid bass of Toshiya, the percussion of Shinya and the double headed beast of the guitar section made up of Kaoru and Die: the arrangements in this album come across as more intricate and more layered, which makes it quite a grower in that it stands up well to repeated listening. While their two previous records were nu-metallish sledgehammers Urorobos is more subtle, more brooding; it doesn’t so much as assault the senses as creep under your skin and take root. Glass Skin is one of their softest songs in recent years but still carries a great amount of feeling; they now seem to have the confidence to show restraint and choose when to unleash the full force of their fury.

Stuck Man demonstrates the musical ability that is often overlooked in the frantic beats, distorted chords and desperate screaming: it has some moments of bluesy, almost funky, breaks in between the episodes of metallic mayhem. I have to frequently remind myself that all of this stuff is performed by the same group of five people because I feel they want to simultaneously lull me to sleep, quietly creep me out and scare the crap out of me! This unlikely blend of styles and influences is aided by a more varied range of instrumentation: pianos, mandolins and even an electric sitar make occasional appearances to give an album of tender ballads like Ware Yame Tote… alongside the likes of the fast-paced Bugaboo.

If you’re a listener who is averse to the heavier and more angst-ridden end of the rock spectrum this is most definitely not for you. As a fan of heavy rock and metal from the oldies like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple to the latest Metallica (which, by the way, is excellent because it harks back to their Cliff Burton-era glory days), I can appreciate the tunefulness amongst the chugging power chords and frenzied percussion pummelling but I don’t see it getting much mainstream chart attention.

One of my favourite tracks is the single Dozing Green, presented as Glass Skin is on the European edition with Japanese and English vocals. Personally I prefer bands to perform their songs in their native language because the lyrics flow better (regardless of whether I understand their meaning) but it’s one of their all-time best. Quavering arpeggiated chords and whispered vocals leap into soulful rock ballad territory and after a short breakdown Kyo gives a falsetto scream and anguished squeal backed by a full-on guitar, bass and drum assault with some choir boy operatics to round it off.

The running order proper is concluded by the stunning Inconvenient Ideal, another track that exhibits the surprising restraint and enviable musical ability shown by the whole band at this point in their career. It carries the same feeling and passion of the rest of the album but with a more self-assured grasp of how to create an immersive soundscape; while their electrifying live presence and frenetic lurching between disparate styles on record are earning them a well-deserved international cult following, this album is the most effective demonstration yet that this remarkable band have once again achieved the most important thing: Diru sound like Diru, and no one else.

In summary

If there’s one thing you have to give Dir en Grey credit for, its the fact that no two of their records sound the same. Uroboros builds on the hard-edged recent material while acknowledging the eclectic nature of their back catalogue, bringing things in a full circle as its title suggests. Even so, it still feels as though they are still exploring new territory rather than recycling old ideas; most importantly the risks they have taken in writing and recording have paid off to give a challenging yet rewarding piece of work.

Track listing (European release)

1. Sa Bir
2. Vinushka
3. Red Soil
4. 慟哭と去りぬ (Doukokou to Sarinu)
5. 蜷局 (Toguro)
6. Glass Skin
7. Stuck Man
8. 冷血なりせば (Reiketsu Nariseba)
9. 我、闇とて･･･ (Ware, Yami, Tote…)
10. Bugaboo
11. 凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃 (Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro)
12. Dozing Green
13. Inconvenient Ideal
14. Glass Skin (Japanese vers.)*
15. Dozing Green (Japanese vers.)*
16. Agitated Screams of Maggots (acoustic)*

*bonus tracks