Dir En Grey - UROBORUS Live

Dir En Grey are one of those bands that have only become a favorite in the past few years and it was in large part because of their amazing live performances. The first one I stumbled upon was the epic ballad The Final and then went on to discover Vinushka (which I blogged about previously), an epic masterpiece of prog metal. After becoming slightly obsessed with their live performances and their superb song constructions (not to mentions Kyo's delightfully vast vocal range and powerful frontmanship), I gave in and ordered their UROBOROS -with the proof in the name of living - Live DVD from Amazon, which showcases their two-day show at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.

Obscure

This song almost fits into the nu-metal sonic atmosphere of a Slipknot show with its chugging guitar rhythm and deep bass drops, but don't let that fool you. Kyo lays down some guttural death growls throughout but lets his voice soar beautifully through the finale. This song is more in touch with the death metal side of Dir En Grey and yet still has that arena rock flare that gives them a wicked stage presence. Watch out for bass-player Toshiya at about 0:49 as he does an incredible bass swing.

Shokubeni

This is a perfect song to show off Dir En Grey's versatility and range, especially via Kyo's vocal prowess. He opens with a spine-tingling growl that opens into a cool nu-metal groove. The form of this song is brilliant, structured into a perfect buildup that exercises the band's unique talents and brings Kyo's vocal diversity to the forefront. The breakdown includes some of his best death growls and plunges into a truly powerful A Capella moment. Stick around for after the song and get a taste of the weird intermission performance of Inward Scream, a creepy vocal show of crooning, inhaling, and banshee shrieks. The strobe lights and generally spooky tone may make you think you're suddenly watching a scene from Alien.

Dozing Green

Another powerful performance that exposes Kyo's brilliant vocal abilities (did I mention that I love his voice?). He soars through the chorus here, hitting notes that seem to explode out of his lungs with a gusto that also holds a quality of anguish and hope at the same time. He really takes hold of me on this one and makes me feel something. Do you feel it too, or am I just talking out of my ass?

The Final

Finally, we have The Final. This is the performance that brought me to the realization of how amazing this band is (Vinushka also did but this came first for me). This is more of a pop-rock ballad that caters to the more mainstream audience of J-rock but still embellishes a few of Kyo's more classic screams followed by a rock n' roll guitar riff. It's the ending of this performances that really does it for me though and ends the show on a  note that superbly highlights Kyo's control and showmanship. He is more than just strong pipes and good music; he is a performer. This performance clearly elevates them to the highest quality of arena rock shows while still keeping their unique blend of pop, death metal, and prog-rock. Damn, they are awesome!