The Bottom Line
Dark, progressive metal from Japan.
Pros
- A lot of diversity.
Cons
- If you don't speak Japanese you won't understand most of the lyrics.
Description
- Released in North America May 16, 2006 on Warcon Enterprises.
- This is Dir En Grey's fifth album.
- The band formed in 1997.
Guide Review - Dir En Grey - Withering To Death
The Japanese band Dir en grey is difficult to categorize, which in my book is always a plus. They incorporate a lot of different styles into their music. There are a lot of metal elements, including breakdowns and screaming vocals. There are also a lot of mainstream rock sounding hooks and melodic vocals. And then there's the progressive, more experimental side they show on some of the songs. And running through the whole album is an industrial vibe.
The song titles are all in English on the CD cover, but the lyrics are actually mostly Japanese. A guttural language like German probably sounds more "metal," but it is interesting to hear the different inflections and sounds of Japanese. It is certainly unique, one of many unique things about Dir en grey.
