Customer Reviews

Withering to Death

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought about giving a four star review. Then I listened to 'Machiavellism' one more time. No four-star album boasts a song like that.

I've heard complaints from Dir en grey fans who don't like where the band's sound has gone since Vulgar, but if you ask me, this is what they've been heading for all along. Too much 'Zakuro'-like moping makes albums droop. Here, the band has achieved a perfect yin-yang balance between soulful melody and brain-crushing weirdness. Kyo's vocals do the best job of illustrating the dichotomy, particularly on tracks like 'Saku', which begins with throaty screaming, moves into moaning and mumbling, and alternates into a chorus of gorgeous falsetto. It's over before you know what hit you. Wham. Next song.

I mentioned 'Machiavellism' earlier, and I shall do so again. The riff is nothing less than addictive, and the rock-out bridge could get a whole stadium screaming whether they know the language or not. But Diru never dwells for too long on one style. The harpish chords of 'THE FINAL' make me want to cry. 'Spilled Milk' is a hearty headbanger. 'Kodou' is almost industrial.

I always admire a band that can seriously weird me out, and listening to Dir en grey is the ultimate 'WTF?' experience. Mind-screwing lyrics [even disregarding the awkward translations in the American edition] cap off Withering to death as a bizarre, wonderfully explicit masterpiece.

Withering to Death is Dir en grey's 5th full-length release (and if these import prices gall you, WtD will be released by an American label in March 2006 so you'll hopefully be able to purchase it for a more reasonable price -plus it comes with a DVD!)

Dir en grey changes with every album, something that some fans love while others hate. There seems to be a constant war waging between the "old-school" fans who long for everything Kisou (3rd album) and prior and "newer" fans who have continued to embrace Dir en grey even as they have made some drastic changes in musical and visual style.

WtD is by far the most brutal, gritty, and dark sounding of Diru's albums. The tone of the album is oppressive, with songs full of thick, thunderous riffs instead of the minute-long, wailing solos of previous albums. (which i also love, by the way) It is probably the least varied of Diru's albums, but still delivers a great performance.

Vocalist Kyo does a lot of screaming like the tortured maniac he is(the poor boy cuts himself onstage for god's sake!) but still treats us to his low, throaty croon and his spine-tingling falsetto. Kyo's voice is probably one of the most distinct aspects of Diru's music. He can do amazing things with his voice; words can't even begin to describe the heart-wrenching emotion he can make you feel. The guy's emotionally disturbed, no doubts there, and the force of his demented feeling can knock the wind out of you and have you writhing on the floor.

While many complain that WtD falls short of what has come to be expected from a legendary rock band like Dir en grey, I feel that it is still a very solid release that is listenable all the way through. Saku and Garbage are real screamers, and the latter especially sounds like kids with pans and a spatula upon first listening. Dir en grey is like coffee, it's an aquired taste, and requires a second, third, even a fifth chance to be truly appreciated. The jewels of this album are Itoshisa Ha Fuhai..., Jesus Christ R'nR, the FINAL, Kodou, and Dead Tree. Itoshisa... is a slower song, dark and melodious, it nonetheless makes you want to tear your lungs out and step on them (in a good way). Jesus...is more cheery (if Diru ever is) with a great beat and fun chorus. the FINAL and Kodou are both lovely songs, what I consider to be "straight Diren". There's no sloppy messin' around or unique-but-freaky experiments with these songs; both are emotional, solid, and great to listen to over and over. Dead Tree features a haunting guitar melody and the most glorious falsetto of all time.

The bottom line is, buy this album.
or if this one doesn't appeal to you, try an earlier release. Gauze is diverse, with more pop-sensibility than any other Diru album, it's follow-up, Macabre, is Gauze's older, rougher, and more gloomy sister. Kisou is the turning point in Diru's career and is thus varied and unique. Vulgar stands out on it's own, and was the first Diru record I listened to. It has some of my favorite songs (Red...[em], Marmalade Chainsaw, and Audience Killer) and is a very solid album.

In my opinion this album is their best album to date. I find that many bands grow jaded and lackluster with age but this band has gotten better. They've left their earlier visual kei days of which many bands still cling to and have really concentrated on making an even more awesome rock sound. The bass lines and guitar riffs on this album truly show growth in talent and artistic expression. Their singles saku, the final, and kodou truly reflect the quality of the cd and the growth of the band. The other songs are just as good if not better. The cd jacket contains the lyrics in japanese and also translates them into english, which is a very nice feature. The cd art is very pretty unliek the image on the site it is a black cover with a white dead tree and the cd is like the cover except the tree is purple. The jacket contains a lot of purple and looks very nice. I think this cd was worth the fifty dollars.

I have not been able to put down Withering To Death. I've had it for almost a month now, and it still domanates my cd player. alot of people i know have gone against Dir en grey because the sound has changed. and i know that a few people hated Withering To Death. But what has to be understood is that Dir en grey has to change to become better. In a non bais fan way. i think Withering To Death is brutal and very interesting to the ear. What Vulgar lacked...Withering To Death made up for. The harshness in Kyo's voice, the dirtiness of the guitar and bass, the intesne drumming. all linking and messhing together to create something very stunning. You can tell that they were shooting for this on Vulgar, but they nailed the new sound perfect with Withering To Death. At first i wasnt so sure if i wanted the new Dir en grey cd. The Final and Saku were good, but i was still stuck on Kisou being the only album that mattered. But after hearing a few more songs, like Dead Tree, C, and GARBAGE ...i was sold. The new album takes the "nu-metal" sound and makes it fresh. Its not just all screaming, Kyo sings...and that is something that is hard to find. a band that can play that heavy and still have good vocals. If you are still stuck in the past and cant get off the visual train, then dont buy Withering To Death. But if you are one of the few who has opened their ears, then buy it. It is well worth the money.

Before I had chance to listen to Dir En Grey I was into the typical bands that make heavy metal and hard,alternative rock here in the states but after a while, I longed, desperately for a new sound. I decided to expand my horizon and see what our friends in Asian listen to. After a while I found DEG and I was in awed.
I managed to get a copy of this cd a while ago and I can tell you, it's like nothing I had ever heard here in the states. The songs are quite unique- some hard while others hold a very melodic vibe, without question, all amazingly crafted. In fact, all of their stuff is top notch-if you can get your hands on Vulgar, I encourage you to get it- its one of my favs.
if you'd like to hear other awesome bands, get your hands on some of Hide's stuff and D'espairsRay- amazing artists.

I was originally a Marilyn Manson/NIN fan only. I stumbled upon Dir en Grey through a friend. I instantly got hooked, the sound is different, definately not at all like stuff I'm used to hearing, but that's what makes it good. Kyo may dress similar and exude the same stage presence, but he isn't Manson. I like both groups for totally different reasons. Diru has something about them, a very polished, almost relaxing sound, even when they sing about murder (Berry), incestual rape (Embryo), or suicide (The Final) its still very pretty and calming. If you want to expose your friends to J-rock, this is the album to do it with. Here's to hoping the rest of the world catches on and Diru break in the USA the same way Rammstein did.

I've been a Dir en grey fan for quite a while now, so I've been lucky enough to see them evolve into the band they are now. Comparing their work and image from GAUZE with that of Withering to Death is like comparing night and day. It's such a difference...
Though a large portion of Dir en grey's fan base favoured their visual look, many others see their subdued look as an improvement (myself included). Both visually and musically, throughout their 5 major albums, Dir en grey has matured and found their niche in Withering to Death.
When my copy arrived in the mail, it was the first time I had ever lied down and listened to a CD full through, with no interruptions. In all honesty, Withering to Death was (and still is) the best CD I've ever heard. It's absolutely mind boggling how much talent these 5 men have.
Dir en grey's sound has matured so much since their early works in MISSA, GAUZE and MACABRE. Don't get me wrong, I love their early work, but the work in Withering to Death is much more polished and powerful.
Kaoru, Die, Toshiya and Shinya can manipulate their instruments in unbelievable ways, but above all else, it's Kyo's vocal work that displays how much Dir en grey has matured.
Kyo's voice is the most unique I have ever heard. Though his vocal work in their early era was fantastic, he has trained himself in Withering to Death to harness all the vocal power he possesses. Whether it's harsh screaming like in GARBAGE or -saku-, power vocals in C or THE FINAL, or the hauntingly beautiful vocal work found in Itoshisa wa fuhai nitsuki or dead tree, Kyo can manipulate his voice to show an amount of emotion that I have found in no other vocalist. Some of the notes he hits are just... wow. It sends shivers up my spine.
Withering to Death has no filler. Each song is different and fantastic. The diversity, track order, balance, everything is just perfect.
Dir en grey has come a long way from who they were back in 1997. Today they're one of the biggest acts in Japan, and have an absolutely massive International fan base. Listening to Withering to Death will show you why.

I have to admit, before their recent Showcase concert in NY, I never really spent much time listening to what this album had to offer. I was still mesmorized by my old favorites from "Gauze" and "Macabre." As much as I hate to admit it, the days of a Visual Kei Diru are long dead. However, their music has not suffered one ounce. On the contrary, I've rarely ever seen Kyo so passionate in his singing as I did at that concert (Which, for the most part, covered the album "Withering to Death."

The songs on this album aren't as experimental in their musical arrangement. In fact, I would call their style much more organized musically. While the solos and experimental qualities of the old songs defined their character, the organization and unification of the band helps define these songs and separates them from Dir en grey's older works. Every portion of the song blends in well, but it is Kyo's unique voice and vocal style that truely gives each song its soul and driving force.

And since I am more of a fan of Kyo's singing than his screaming, my personal recommendations on this album include some of the more 'mellow' songs on this album such as "Itoshisa ha Fuhai Nitsuki" and "Higeki ha Mabuta..." However, I feel it is almost a necessity to point out the sheer power of songs such as "The Final" and "Kodou."

Also, if given the opportunity, check out the translations to Kyo's lyrics. Not just on this album, but for every Dir en grey song you might stumble on. His writing never ceases to shock and amaze me (for better or worse, depending on the song) and is sometimes pure poetry. Especially something I noticed about the lyrics to the songs of the "Vulgar" and "Whithering to Death" eras... each song seems to tell a story of human failure and tragedy, with many vital elements of the story retained in the lyrics, but many purposely omitted or not included. Good stuff.

The first song I heard off this album was Dead Tree, and it raised hopes that had been not-so-high for a long time. I understand "Vulgar" was a hard, dark album underscored by the ripping sound of thousands of fans breaking away from the band, but I was not one of them. I still believe that is a very strong album.
"Withering", I feel, is not so strong as "Vulgar" and even "Macabre". It is brilliant, don't get me wrong--I've never met a Dir en grey song I don't like--but the band seems to be leaning very hard on Kyo's vocals instead of their own very high degree of talent.

Don't let that dissuade you. If you're into vocals--and I am--you can't help but be blown away by the murmuring, whispering, shrieking, wailing and sobbing sounds that Kyo can rip out of his throat. I haven't seen anyone else mention it in these reviews, but "Merciless Cult" contains what I believe to be the most beautiful, heart-stopping scream ever recorded. Look for it right around the two-minute mark.
This is an album that is difficult for me to listen to while driving. I saw their show in Los Angeles, and my mind is forever burned with the images of this band in concert. They are incredible, absolutely out of their minds. I have never seen such a crowd mentality, so much power and love for one band. And rightly so. Even though I barely knew the album when I went, they played the entire thing for us, and I have listened to it nonstop since. I don't feel it's the beginning of the end of their career. On the contrary, it is a great gateway for the Western listeners who may be put off by their older, melodic, much more Japanese sound.

On the strength of this album alone, I have converted at least five people into Dir en grey fans. ;) This album is available in Hot Topic and all over the internet. Buy yourself a copy and enjoy the bonus DVD as well. Ignore the clumsy english translations of the lyrics in the book. Then prepare to fall hard in love with a band that represents the new face of rock.

This is probably my current favorite CD. I bought this back in May, and it still hasn't lost its greatness. The music is more mature than what's on their other CDs, even if there isn't quite as much variety in style. The lyrics, as always, are pure poetry. Kyo really outdid himself on this CD. Though the music is extremely addicting, this is one of the few CDs I have found that have lyrics that are better than the music. Before I heard this CD, I was a diehard Pierrot fan... And even though I still love their (pre--ID Attack) music, this CD was more than enough to push Dir en grey ahead of them. This is one of the few CDs that I would strongly recommend anyone (even non J-rock fans) to buy.