Musical style and visuals Dir En Grey

dir en grey has been categorized in many genres such extreme metal, alternative, experimental, avant-garde , various others. dir en grey s format has been subject change throughout career, being rather experimental form of alternative rock. tracks of debut album gauze demonstrated distinct pop appeal, largely dropped in favor of more progressive sound on following albums, macabre , kisou. while point songs had been more fast-paced, raw , aggressive others, band s music took decisive turn release of ep 6 ugly, on sporting more metal influences in general. dir en grey s style gravitated towards riffs , song structures more along lines of contemporary north american fusion genres, such nu metal , metalcore, until 2007 s marrow of bone. in review of sixth full-length album, marrow of bone, allmusic s thom jurek comments on evolution , diversity, saying:

the band s sound has embraced tendencies of american metal , nu metal (they participated in korn s family values tour in america), , dir en grey bring many other sonic , musical elements mix extend not reach of own music, boundaries of music happen incorporate sound.

since release of album uroboros in 2008, dir en grey have been repeatedly described progressive metal. uroboros , 2011 album dum spiro spero represent particular musical departure previous albums, critics noting sound on these albums bears nothing in common earliest work. uroboros, , particularly on dum spiro spero, band have moved away alternative rock roots towards heavier metal sound. these albums feature complex song structures , guitarwork, longer track lengths, , broader variety of particularly western influences, such death metal, deathcore , groove metal.

kyo s singing considered pivotal aspect of band, , has gained recognition distinctive vocal work , large range , versatility, being able howl, croon, emote cleanly, scream, shriek, growl, bellow, , make inhuman sounds. jurek has compared him favorably experimental , avant-garde vocalists mike patton , diamanda galas. loudwire wrote sporting incredibly low death metal gutturals, kyo can turn complete 180 1 of metal s highest shriekers. dane prokofiev of popmatters said natural ease @ , inclination towards striking such stark contrast between 2 opposite ends of human vocal spectrum can obtained kind of pre-birth winning lottery ticket—you know, coveted prize call “talent”.

commentators have noted how dir en grey have gained significant international fanbase vocals in japanese. kaoru said when growing up, listened american bands. singing in english , had no idea saying. still remember excitement experienced. know listener our fans can connect our music in same way — language barrier. when asked why use japanese instead of english, give them more broad international appeal, said consider our music [to be] piece of art. [...] language part of artwork. guitarist explained kyo, writes of lyrics, prefers sensitivities japanese language offers. there expressions , nuances can conveyed in japanese; values that. however, noted likewise there expressions able shown in english, , use if feel need. lyrics deal subjects such society , mass media, sexual obsessions , love, negative implications. vocabulary varies subtle explicit (though use of profanity has decreased band matured, last featuring on uroboros), , several songs rely heavily on double entendres , other wordplay, involving multiple meanings of kanji character.

although got start visual kei band, members of dir en grey seem irked being associated term in interviews. speaking of change in appearance, kaoru said eventually, felt dressing used onstage put wall between , audience, stopped wearing kind of makeup did before. however, said still wear makeup, not much. toshiya explained honest, when first started , wearing lot of makeup on stage , stuff, there lot of bands doing @ time in japan, , people thought cool. not anymore, ha ha. die said saw idols aren t idols. band, play music , want known it. decided change our style slowly. kyo stated dir en grey music , when wearing lots of makeup became popular, didn t want associated lot of poor quality bands in scene.

dir en grey have created controversy in japan of music videos have been banned television abrasive visuals including baby-eating, murder,[and] gore. similarly, stations refused play video 2008 s vinushka included stock footage of world war ii , newspaper headlines following atomic bombings of hiroshima , nagasaki.