Pretsy 1343 Posted September 30, 2015 Double-post! http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=dir+en+grey&album= Impressive how Kisou Vulgar sorta beats other albums in terms of dynamic range (audiophiles might be able to decipher the main point behind this) Also: it was a huge mistake from them not to SACD Uroboros (i.e. remaster it normally like say, Gackt with his 2006 re-releases that sound totes cool) but to "DSS-ify" it instead (LOUDNESS WARRRR) Arche is basically their Death Magnetic though, ouch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted September 30, 2015 Uroboros remaster still ended up sounding better than the original (except for Toguro). There were things in the original that I just straight up never noticed. DSS sounds too dry and mechanical, almost like it wasn't played by humans. The Unraveling and Arche are the worst because they sound like they're being played thru an old school amp with the "hall" setting turned on. DEG needs to listen to a Tesseract album to get a better idea of how a heavy band should have dynamic range. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nullmoon 784 Posted September 30, 2015 I listened to Macabre for the first time in ages today. Such an amazing album Also, I like how Arche sounds. I think it has a lot of punch to it which gives it a sense of immediacy to me. This is probably why the tracks transferred so well to live performances in comparison to tracks from DSS. 1 kyoselflove reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DogManX 179 Posted September 30, 2015 Arche doesn't sound bad. It sounds pretty generous, most metal bands nowadays pull of that kind of production. Looking back at their history, they rarely had an album with good production. Like, almost not at all. Where are some fans nowadays whining at? They still may not have a perfect sound, but it's way better than the utter shitload of fuck that were pretty much all records from 2002 to 2008. Give me a break man. It's like a spoiled child that moves from a train wreck into a noble residence, and complains about the floor plates not fitting colourly to the walls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted October 1, 2015 To be fair, almost every album sounds like shit these days. There's no dynamics anymore. Quiet parts of songs should not be as loud as the loud parts, but that's how it is now. Everything is recorded at the same level. In all honesty, I think their worst sounding album is probably Kisou. It's like they moved every dial on the soundboard all the way up and called it a day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted October 1, 2015 I listened to Macabre for the first time in ages today. Such an amazing album Also, I like how Arche sounds. I think it has a lot of punch to it which gives it a sense of immediacy to me. This is probably why the tracks transferred so well to live performances in comparison to tracks from DSS. Arche songs sound better live compared to DSS songs because the band actually played the songs together, live in the same room, during the recording of the album. DSS was just all of them sitting in a room and sending parts to each other via computer, then they didn't work out how to play any of it live until it was time to tour. Then they hit a wall: these songs have tons of guitar parts and vocal layers, how do we do this shit with only five people? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crube 585 Posted October 1, 2015 Arche is basically their Death Magnetic though, ouch. I can actually listen to ARCHE though. 2 nullmoon and nekkichi reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DogManX 179 Posted October 1, 2015 To be fair, almost every album sounds like shit these days. There's no dynamics anymore. Quiet parts of songs should not be as loud as the loud parts, but that's how it is now. Everything is recorded at the same level. In all honesty, I think their worst sounding album is probably Kisou. It's like they moved every dial on the soundboard all the way up and called it a day. I don't think that's true at all. It's that old "back in the days when everything was better" talks. Sure, in terms of naturality, the trend went downwards ever since the early 2000s. Comparing Kisou and Arche especially. But in terms of volume, it depends on the band, the genre, the songs, the choice in instrumentals in how distinct the differences are made. Are certain paarts even supposed to sound more quiet? It mostly comes down to personal perferences. I mean listen to Opeth's Pale Communion. That's a perfect example of volume variety. Done in 2014. Speaking of Arche it's also not that kind of "all in your face even when it shouldn't". And I keep my statement, some people make things way worse than they are. 1 Crube reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted October 1, 2015 Pale Communion and Heritage were both going for that old school sound, though. They went for a more natural, analog sound. I'm not saying everything sounds bad, but there's definitely a trend in just making things loud. Most remasters these days are just the original recording with a higher volume (DEG's DECADE collections being a prime example). And, you know, sometimes things were just better in the old days. It actually is a legit point sometimes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wicked Teletubby 528 Posted October 6, 2015 so the hashtag says this is Nobuyoshi Araki. not sure who he is though. off here via soshaku @tumblr: http://spice.eplus.jp/articles/16773 1 Chi reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
emmny 4139 Posted October 6, 2015 i never noticed the shitty production, which i usually pick up on with western metal lol i think vk ruined my ears? playing DSS in the car is fun because the album is really punchy and not necessarily obnoxious. whenever i think of shitty production i think of lynch, i've never heard a worse sounding album in all my years listening to music seriously than inferiority complex like what the fuck is wrong with that muddy ass mess Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DogManX 179 Posted October 6, 2015 Hah. VK production. I really don't want to pin down on one here, but in terms of produciton quality western metal has been ahead for like forever. Not only actually. Poprock productions from the early 90s (like arc en ciel or others) sound like western stuff from the 70s. If you don't see a problem with WtD production, you gotta see a doctor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nullmoon 784 Posted October 6, 2015 Totally off topic (sorry) but can you name any pre-WtD songs that you don't like? I say pre-WtD as that's the album which seemed to initiate conflicting opinions. One song I can never get into is Taiyou no Ao. I just find it boring and out of character. I say out of character yet I have no problem with Jessica I just feel it is the only blight on an otherwise immaculate album. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pretsy 1343 Posted October 6, 2015 I shall repeat myself again: I still won't get into "S" (annoying riff). But then again, that was the boon and bane of pre-WtD era: strong standalone songs, very effed up orderings (Macabre gets nonsensical ordering-wise near the end, I tell you). Furthermore: comparing DEG production to western-tier glory is just pure bullshit - why do we have to blow things out of context anyway? Who knows if that was the Japanese recording standard back then - except for a few oddities like Pink Killer (god knows whether that was intentional or not). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted October 6, 2015 Peep Show, M.E.R.R.Y., and Underworld all sounded like shit. Like the sonic equivalent of eating a ball of tin foil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YuyoDrift 1540 Posted October 7, 2015 For those of us in the USA: Any idea what their tracklisting is yet for the tour? My guess is that they'll play most of the ARCHE album, but some oldies here and there would be nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
emmny 4139 Posted October 7, 2015 ^^from what i've heard on here, its usually a repeat of the europe setlist +/- a few songs i really hope its a continuation of the setlists they're playing for their current tour, its a really cool mix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YuyoDrift 1540 Posted October 7, 2015 Well, reading their IG and FB posts, it seems like they'll play music similar to that of 2 years ago. Throw in a few ARCHE tracks and KISOU tracks , and I'll be happy. Edit: Albeit, those aren't my favorite albums, but asking for them to play anything from GAUZE era is a dream. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted October 7, 2015 They played Akuro no Oka in NYC back in 2009, I believe. They were playing old stuff as encores for that tour, and I think they were in New York for a few nights. When I saw them that tour they played Ugly and Amber. 1 nullmoon reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
emmny 4139 Posted October 8, 2015 they've played zakuro in recent years too, i would have sold my soul to hear it. who am i kidding i'd be crying hysterically LOL whoops Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pretsy 1343 Posted October 9, 2015 Another poll-like thing for the sake of...just having fun: What are your top 3 singles per era* (say, "Dir en grey vs. DIR EN GREY" - you can go with just one of them if you want to though), guys? This time you have to take b-sides into account too (since most fans usually tend to idgaf about remixes or live versions anyway) *technically top 3 but for separate eras, see below. In my case: DIR EN GREY (2006 ->) 1. Hageshisa to... (2009) - All these three songs were quite effective when it comes to bridging and paving their way from Uroboros (A-side still has some remnants from that album) to DSS (b-side #1) and maybe even ARCHE spoilers too (b-side #2 and weird choice for remaking). Also: you could sense that live rawness even from sorta overproduced tracks (see: Hageshisa again, but it's forgivable). 2. GLASS SKIN (2008) - As a long-time fan I can tell you I had a real hard, but worthy time while trying to get my shit together: after witnessing their post-MOAB ventures along with DOZING GREEN touring, this really came out of nowhere. Very "soft" A-side yet it still feels very mature (even lyricism isn't that "deep" for a while, thankfully). B-side #1 was something I always wanted to hear when it comes to this lil' Kisou favorite of mine - very laid-back ,yet something exotic at the same time (Uroboros spoiler!). B-side #2 on the other hand was a good, reminding wake-up call: Dir is, and will be always weird - no matter what kind of a-side venture they are leading. What about that live recording everyone forgets about? I have a very soft spot for "Ryojoku no Ame" - no matter what kind of performance is in question, I always felt like they managed to pull it off 95% of those times. Kudos to them. 3. DOZING GREEN (2007) - Very hard pick. To ease my pain - I will quote one of our most loved MH members from his '09 review! A-side It’s a slower moving piece with solid vocals that explodes with 40 seconds to go. It shows traces of older, more musical Dir en grey with the more metallic, rougher edge and combines it in a package so beautiful and brutally melodic no one could resist listening to it once. On first listen it may sound generic but it will grow on you with time. B-side #1 A br00tal reimagining of the classic off of Macabre that manages to slow down enough in the right places to make it listenable. The points where Kyo sounds deranged and insane are balanced by musical death and eardrum splitting noise and it all comes together. Somewhat. This could have easily fit in on The Marrow of a Bone with its dark, violent atmosphere but this has more direction than half the tracks on that album. It isn’t as good as the original but it’s still a solid try. B-side #2 (I will not quote him because of bias): - Inward Scream that segues very heavily into this huge, favorite Dir banger (that most fans dig actually). And at this point Kyo's MOAB-era approach shines - you couldn't imagine this song being as good if he were too lax and more able to control himself. One of my favorite (guilty pleasure-based) live recs! Dir en grey (<--2006): 1. Ain't Afraid to Die (2001) - While I can see that why they ditched this during Macabre sessions in favor of Zakuro, this dirgy epic needs more attention from newer folks as well - there are moments where you feel like they intended to emulate very rock opera-ish frills on A-side, while leaving certain member-specific, innocent playfulness for b-sides: willing to enjoy some Jobim-ness with Die? Listen to the B-side#1 for elevator music goodness! What about Shinya and his love for new age? B-side #2 is for you! I can see FF fangirls/boys tearing up a bit while listening to this gem. 2. [KR] Cube (2000) - I've always had a little bit of bias for the way both A-side and B-side #1 interconnect. Weird-ish, yet very fun and "para-para-y" a-side somehow segues nicely into very calm, yet very nostalgic and emotion-ridden piano version (maybe it's that behind-the-scenes band session weirdness you hear during Jealous' pregap and during the outro. Very fun remix in the end too. 3. Myaku (2000) - One of my all-time favorite a-sides from their (old skwl) VK era. Generally speaking, I like how all Macabre singles had this intentional "flow" considered while a-sides and b-sides were totally different from each other style-wise. So the same comment from above goes for this one too. What about you folks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DogManX 179 Posted October 10, 2015 Some Dir en grey songs are good in my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puriwate 28 Posted October 11, 2015 I like most dir en grey songs, around 80% of them i suppose. I only really really like around 20% though. Phenomenon, Uroko, un deux, and rinkaku are my current favorites And tefutefu Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wicked Teletubby 528 Posted October 11, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcBqlMw0taw 1 Chi reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saishu 1589 Posted October 11, 2015 DVD/Blu-ray release to follow Summer 2016. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
