Deep Sanctuary III

2012 marks the ten-year anniversary of Moi dix Mois, and the project around guitarist Mana has been celebrating all year with a series of concerts titled Tetsugaku no kakera or "Fragments of Philosophy". The show on 2nd September at Akasaka Blitz was part of this celebration but also represented the latest installment of Deep Sanctuary, a string of events where Mana performs together with friend and former Malice Mizer bandmate Közi. Tonight, they were joined by bassist Yu~ki for only the second time since Malice Mizer stopped activities and its members decided to go their separate ways. Mana went on to express his vision with Moi dix Mois, Közi participated in a variety of bands, including a solo project of his own and most recently ZIZ, and Yu~ki retired from the stage. Deep Sanctuary III reunited them once more for an unforgettable evening of excitement and nostalgia.

ZIZ

The large venue was packed with male and female fans of all ages, most of them clad in the darkly elegant creations of Mana's gothic lolita brand Moi-même-Moitié, who chatted busily while mysterious soundscapes, courtesy of The Goblin, poured from the hall's speakers. At last the lights dimmed, the curtain opened and white flashes cut into the darkness, perfectly synchronized with the opening riffs of RayD5 as Közi and Jiro kicked down the door to ZIZ's eclectic world of rock, synthpop and electroclash. "Go! Ready, go!" yelled Közi, who wore a suit with punkish print and platform heels, underlining the lyrics with gestures and tapping his foot to the beat. Guitarist Jiro danced to the music as he played, a crown of twigs adorning his long curly hair. Bassist Sugiya, who was playing a double shift, first with ZIZ and then with Moi dix Mois, and keyboardist Yugami, kept it cool, in complete contrast to drummer Chargeeeee, who gesticulated wildly behind a sparkly silver drum kit that was imprinted with his portrait.

The mood stayed experimental with the defiantly noisy ill and the equally dissonant but mellower Besque, whose soaring chorus set the hands of the audience dancing through the air. In the red light that enveloped the venue, a sea of fingers pointed rhythmically at the stage.

In the silence that followed, the fans cheered and called for Közi, who welcomed them with a brief MC while Chargeeeee threw kisses to the crowd. Then the disco ball at the ceiling began to spin, reflecting droplets of yellow light that danced on the pale blue floor, as Közi set down his mother-of-pearl guitar and focused on the vocals of Kosmostill. Arms spread wide, he turned from side to side as if searching, as white spotlights fanned out behind him and the fans' hands swayed to the haunting tune.

Freakquency and Night Creature, an acoustic jazz version of the Közi solo song, had the former Malice Mizer guitarist move all over the stage again with inimitable catlike grace. As Sugiya and Jiro laid down the prowling beat, Közi climbed up the steps to Chargeeeee's drum kit, before descending again and dancing with puppet-like movements under white lights that mingled with purple.

The New Romantics classic, Visage, with its shimmering synth harmonies then gave Yugami an opportunity to shine before the atmosphere turned pensive again with the melancholy With Fu. White spotlights illuminated the musicians from behind so they were only visible as silhouettes as Közi once more abandoned his guitar and sat down on the steps to the drum kit as if in thought.

The tempo picked up again with Sanityman. Bleeping elecronics and percussion led into a bouncy chorus that had Közi rock out all over the stage, before crawling on all fours as he sang. As blue and orange lights changed to red, Sugiya and Jiro swapped sides and danced at the edge of the stage while the hands of the fans waved to the rhythm.

Now the disco ball began to spin again, shooting specks of green light onto the red- and blue-lit stage, and the carnival atmosphere of Super Naked Disko gripped the hall. "Disko! Disko! Disko!" yelled Közi above the heavily distorted wall of sound, firing up the fans who waved their arms and jumped up and down to the erratic beat. In a suitably offbeat finale, Chargeeeee descended from his platform, brandishing a green light sabre, and danced along the edge of the stage with Közi and Sugiya, while Jiro rocked out on the stairs to the drum kit, before trading placed with the blonde drummer for one last solo.

Set List:
1. RayD5
2. ill
3. Besque
4. Kosmostill
5. Freakquency
6. Night Creature
7. Visage
8. With Fu
9. Sanityman
10. Super Naked Disko

Moi dix Mois

The powerful, yet elegant gothic metal of Moi dix Mois now took the audience to a very different world. The curtain opened to the sounds of a harpsichord and angel choir, revealing the band standing silhouetted against a low light source, the cross on Mana's guitar glowing red in the dark. On the first cheer from the crowd, four columns of flame shot out of the ground, filling the air with a faint smell of sulphur. The fans were still gasping at the breathtaking effect as four columns of smoke followed and the band launched into Dialogue Symphonie, Moi dix Mois's first ever release that had established the band's signature sound. It had recently been rearranged for their anniversary album, Reprise, and now sounded even more epic, with Seth's vocals soaring powerful and warm above galloping drums and erratic twin guitars, peppered with harpsichord and pipe organ. Dressed in a long white gilet and high heeled boots, the vocalist underlined his words with elegant gestures, while Mana, in a glittering white corset dress with a floor-length skirt, pirouetted gracefully as his fingers flew over the strings of his guitar.

The tempo picked up even more with front et baiser, another Moi dix Mois classic. Softly murmured lyrics and synth led into a firestorm of heavy guitars, harpsichord and pipe organ with frequent tempo changes that had the fans switch constantly between gentle arm waving and wild head banging.

With Solitude followed one of the few mid-tempo songs of the set. Seth danced and twirled under pink and white lights as a gentle guitar and piano chords wove a graceful tune, hitting an impressive falsetto in the chorus. Like all the older songs played tonight, it had been rearranged for the current band lineup and layers of synthesizer now added a New Romantics vibe.

The atmosphere changed completely when Wagnerian horns heralded the brutal the Prophet. Furiously shredding guitars and breakneck fast drumming were interspersed with split seconds of silence as all instruments stopped with pinpoint precision, only to resume again with renewed force. A green spotlight focused on K as he took turns with Seth in a duet of operatic tremolo and demonic death growls, while Mana climbed up the stairs to the drum kit and played and posed with arms held high.

A single white spot found Hayato's blonde mohican as the rest of the band stood silhouetted against a pale blue background for Invite to Immorality ~ Nocturnal Romance. Pipe organ, harpsichord, wild guitars and drumming mellowed into a dramatic minuet that set the hands of the fans dancing, while Seth twirled confidently as he sang of a reunion with his lost love.

The fans screamed the members' names and Mana, one hand on his ear, encouraged them to cheer louder until after three attempts, during which he expressed his disappointment with puppet-like arm movements, he was satisfied. Seth now introduced the merchandise and Mana modeled various items, pretending to throw them to the crowd, but then snatching them back with a string that was attached to his hand. Finally Seth revealed that Mana is writing an autobiography and announced a live DVD documenting the Tetsugaku no kakera concerts, as well as dates for Deep Sanctuary III in Osaka and the Dis Inferno end of year party. Changing to his lapis lazuli blue guitar, Mana then led the charge into La Dix Croix and the fans suppressed a sob of sweet nostalgia as their arms waved tirelessly to the rousing hymn.

Having delved into their history, Moi dix Mois now moved on to the present with Pendulum. Seth danced with snake-like movements to a mesmerizing blend of guitar, pipe organ and tolling church bells, before falling to his knees in front of Mana in a tongue-in-cheek show of adoration, only to see the guitarist coolly twirl away in a cloud of sparkly white fabric.

After the band and fans had fired each other up with Immortal Madness, painting D-I-X shapes into the air with hands that formed the "rock" sign, but substituting the customary "dix sight!" with shouts of "DS3!", they were ready for Dead Scape. Sugiya's throbbing bass line built up to a hot rhythm dominated by grinding guitars and heavy percussion. Mana teased an intricate solo from his Jeune Fille, before kneeling down at the edge of the stage and playing to the fans while Seth's velvety vocals rose to a shrill metal scream. Ange ~D side holy wings~ then saw Mana head bang to the urgent rhythm before the entire band posed in the centre of the stage as they played.

The Moi dix Mois decagram glowed red on a banner behind the stage as the set drew to a close with the epic anniversary song, Je l'aime. Majestic harmonies of pipe organ and angel choir gave way to a heady blend of violent riffing, tolling bells and operatic vocals, and reached a dramatic conclusion with Seth, caught between two single white spotlights, softly singing in French while band and fans looked on in solemn silence.

Set List:
1. Dialogue Symphonie
2. front et baiser
3. Solitude
4. the Prophet
5. Invite to Immorality ~ Nocturnal Romance
6. La dix croix
7. Pendulum
8. immortal madness
9. Dead Scape
10. Ange ~D side holy wings~
11. Je l'aime

Session

The hotly anticipated session featuring Mana, Közi and Yu~ki, supported by Hayato on drums, began with a bang as a classical choir exploded into bursts of screaming guitars, industrial electronics, pipe organ and frenetic drumming. Brandishing their familiar instruments, the three former Malice Mizer members writhed under white light that flashed to the erratic rhythm of Hakai no hate. Mana and Közi had changed and Mana was now wearing a shiny blue shirt and a long black skirt, while Közi was dressed in a long red tartan coat. Yu~ki looked casually elegant in a black ruffle shirt, brown corduroy trousers and ethnic jewelry. Silhouetted against the darkness that enveloped the stage, they appeared to be caught in a storm of thunder and lightning. As choir and instruments merged into a melodic chorus, the fans passionately waved their arms and sang along to lyrics that hadn't been heard in a decade.

After this fiery introduction, Közi presented "Mana-sama", "Yu~ki-chan" and finally “Közi desu", and he and Yu~ki engaged in friendly banter that had the fans laugh out loud. Having lived through the shock and emotion of facing each other again at Deep Sanctuary II, this time there were no tears from either fans or band, just the comfort of knowing that after all these years the bond between them was still firm.

When Közi announced N.p.s N.g.s, however, the serene mood changed in a heartbeat and a deafening scream shook the hall. Columns of smoke shot into the air as first Mana and Yu~ki, and then Mana and Közi played their instruments back to back and to each other. With complete disregard for their elaborate clothes, the fans threw themselves forward like a giant black wave, pumping their fists as they shouted "Die game!" together with Közi. Over and over, the musicians switched sides until Mana climbed up to the drum kit where he posed, guitar held high above his head, as columns of smoke shot up once more.

When the fog began to clear the musicians waved good-bye, but the fans weren't ready to let them go. After long minutes of clapping and shouting, the three men reappeared to the sound of a classical choir, white light fanning out behind them as they kissed handfuls of precious Malice Mizer picks and threw them out to the crowd. Then they hugged, joined hands and bowed deeply to their faithful audience before they left for good, Közi playfully jumping on to his friends' backs on the way out.

Seeing the three former Malice Mizer members on stage together, it was striking how strong and warm the chemistry between them felt, and so hopefully this wasn't their last reunion. We look forward to the next time and wish them the best of luck with their current projects.

Set List:
1. Hakai no hate
2. N.p.s N.g.s