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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Why can't I be pehlfect", May 2, 2006
Vulgar was my first Dir En Grey CD. I popped it in my CD player, (having not ripped it to my PC yet) and was overwhelmed by the brilliant minimalism of the song Audience Killer Loop. Toshiya's thunderous bass, plodding sitar, and Kyo's haunting vocal melodies; Somehow it just worked, and created a mesmerizing aural soundscape. It was a captivating listen for all 14 tracks, alot more than I can say about most bands. It's hard to pinpoint Diru's appeal. They're nothing more than four musicians with a flamboyant image playing vivid and eclectic rock, and they don't pretend to be anything else. I, for one, am most impressed with the stout Kyo's singing voice. From his deranged mutters, fragile whispers to hysterical screams, he can go all out while remaining coherent, delivering inhuman vocal hooks.
Since there are 14 tracks, the album is very hit-or-miss. But similarly, since it explores a broad variety of musical styles and sweeps though spectrums of emotion, there's probably an album's worth of good stuff, regardless of your tastes- Despite being a rather bloated album. My person favorites? The already mentioned Audience Killer Loop is genius. Syokubeni is a metallic, bass-driven track that's beyond incredible live. (Look for it on Youtube.) The creepy cello/organ interlude at the end builds tension appropriately and propels the climax to visceral and memorable heights. Sajou No Uta's jangly guitar tone and piano bring to mind Diru's older visual kei stuff. Red [em] has a strong emphasis in instrumental subtlety, further pronouncing the powerful riffs and jazzy bass lines slithering in and out of the song. Kyo's vocals reach an incredible falsetto at the end. Obscure is a deeply disturbing and poignant tidal wave of surging emotions that seems to envelop the listener's mind in black flames. The album's highlight, for sure.
Some purists feel this album (and beyond) is weak, because it draws heavy influence from Western music, mainly metal. Oh well. If you're one of those people, you're not gonna find distinctly Japanese rock music when their industry is so inherently derivative, get over it. It's a shame this band's American fanbase will be composed of weird otakus and Hot Topic scenesters soon. That doesn't make the music any worse though, so listen to it.
- Thus says the Pellington
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definatly a great CD!, August 1, 2005
I'm a loyal Dir en grey fan, so I'm going to tell you this album isn't for everyone. In fact, it made a number of Deg's fans angry because it was so different from their other albums. Despite this the fact of the matter is this is an excellent album.
While I like almost every song on this album my song picks:
3- INCREASE BLUE - This song is more fun then I could ever explain. You can't listen to it and not get drawn into the great beat and weird vocals. Hearing Kyo scream "Ladies and Gentlemen... it's Showtime!" alone makes this song extremely fun. A great song. Listen to it live if you get the chance, it is even better. ^^
9 - Kasumi - Easily one of Diru's best slow songs. Dark and painfully powerful, you don't even need to know what it's about to feel the anguish in this song. I can't even explain the beauty of this song, just listen to it! Again, it's also great live.
10 - R to the Core - Another fun song. Short and surprisingly upbeat (sounding, the lyrics aren't. *laughs*) it is just a nice song to listen to.
13 - Obscure - There is no describing this song... its name suits it remarkably well. I can almost assure you that the first time you here this song you will hate it. ^^ Listen to it again, it really is a very interesting song.
14 - Child Prey - This song is different, bizarre and way too much fun not to listen to over and over again. Definitely sing along with it too if not just for fun then because, though it doesn't sound like it, the song is almost entirely in English.
All in all I highly recommend this CD. The only reason I gave it a 4/5 star is to encourage you all to look at other Diru CDs too. This one is good, but there are others to be had too!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable listen to Dir en grey, December 11, 2004
I've been an avid listener, and huge fan of Dir en grey for about five years (don't worry though, I'm not a rabid fangirl). I've stuck by them ever since I heard them, so you can tell how much I love this band. I'll be blunt about this- their newest album Vulgar, while it is a solid album, is far from their best.
With their increasing popularity with western countries, Dir en grey has opted to take a more westernized style with their music; hence we have Vulgar and its nu-metal type of jrock. Dir en grey is a band that is loved because of its diversity, but unfortunately Vulgar is not [diverse]. Most of the songs sound alike.
Dir en grey was a band that could actually make me cry with the sheer emotion held within Kyo's powerful voice as he sings his heartfelt and controversial lyrics, be it while he's crooning softly, wailing, screaming and even puking. Vulgar's songs are devoid from the emotional outbursts that made (for me) Dir en grey's so powerful. Yes, Kyo still screams in the songs contained within Vulgar, but something precious that made the songs in Macabre, Kisou and Gauze shine is missing, and this really detracts from the album.
You might be wondering at this point why I gave this album five stars despite having all these complaints. I'll state it again, this album is solid; Kyo's singing has never been better, the rest of the band plays their respective instruments powerfully, and the sound of the songs is polished and crisp. This album is certainly not weak- most first-time or recent lovers of Dir en grey will probably like this album, with its melodic sound and catchy riffs. My friend, who just recently started liking Dir en grey, loved Vulgar actually. My favorite songs on the album are the following: Audience KILLER LOOP, Red...[em], Amber and Kasumi. I must add that Obscure is one of my favorite Dir en grey PVs, though the song is not really to my liking. If you can get your hands on it (I saw both the regular and the uncensored version, and both were equally powerful) be sure to watch because it's very interesting and creepy. I wish I could give 4 1/2 stars to this album, since its missing the flair that Dir en grey's other albums have, but I'll give it five stars just because it's Dir en grey.
All in all, this is an enjoyable album that has a few very nice songs. If you are a first timer to Dir en grey, I'd highly recommend Macabre, which in my opinion is their best, over this album. I pray that with their next release, Dir en grey returns to their unique style and thought-provoking lyrics.
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