Dark Sanctuary Part 2: Moi dix Mois

The event Dark Sanctuary attracted many fans who wore heavy make-up and Gothic style clothing. As the fans talked amongst themselves the scene appeared to be one out of a European ball during the Middle Ages.

Suddenly, the venue became dark and the sound effects of sacred lake started slowly. The curtain opened and the members appeared on the stage to the increasingly loud cheers from the audience. There were crosses on the left and right sides of the stage as well as set in front of the drum set. Mana wore an airy dress adorned with white lace, appearing absolutely angelic. In contrast, K had on dark make-up, and with half of his hair short and spiked up and the other half draped over his shoulder, he gave off a disconcerting and evil feeling. Seth, who had an eye patch on his left eye, wore a long white vest, black gloves and black boots, creating a sadistic yet sexy look. Sugiya came out dressed in a white gown that seemed rather nun-like and Hayato looked quite sophisticated in a white blouse and black pants.

A pipe organ sounded solemnly and forbidden began. Hard drums, heavy guitar riffs and graceful melodies were played dramatically. Mana's guitar, ESP jeune fille X Gips-Cross Ray-, were lit from the inside by a red light in a shape of a cross. With the words "Go mad and rampage harder" Seth stirred the audience up as exclude began. K, playing a black guitar, shouted with a loud death voice but Mana merely looked at the audience coolly while pointing at a few fans. Seth shouted "Are you ready to go to the end?!", then spread his arms open wide as he reached toward the sky and began to sing passionately.

When the introduction to Night Breed could be heard, the audience raised their fists, and led by Seth, they wildly head-banged. During Vain, Seth went still and stared at the audience while murmuring rapturously. Combined with Hayato's frantic heavy drumming, Sugiya's thrumming bass and K's death voice, the audience was pushed into overdrive.

After a short transition of sound effects, the band moved into Last Temptation, a rock ballad with a beautiful melody. Under the spot light, Seth opened his hands to the audience, closed his eyes and sang enthusiastically. The lighting crescendoed with the song, starting off an eerie green and ending in pure white. Immediately after, the band took up Perish. The guitar mixed with the synthesizer, creating a mysterious mood, and the cross on Mana's guitar released bewitching light onto the dark stage. The entire venue was filled with a heavy feeling as the melancholic song came to an end.

During the transition, Mana told Seth and K that the next song dispel bound needed a ceremonial introduction. The Moidists, as the fans of Moi dix Mois were affectionately named, were instructed to follow along. After a slow synthesizer intro, the letters "d", "i", and "x" appeared on the back curtain, outlined in green light. They were chanted over and over by the audience throughout the song, accompanied by the beat of the drums. K announced Immortal madness and shouted "Raise your fists!" and the audience shouted "dix love!" and obliged. During the fast paced song, everyone head-banged furiously while Mana knelt at the front stage and touched the hands of the fans.

The next song, Metaphysical, had a completely different mood and the audience went crazy at the beautiful melodies and Seth's glamorous vocals. Right after, the band did another one-eighty and moved on to neo pessimist. Hayato's drumming sounded like a machine gun as the members of the band prowled the stage. Then, to the strains of a pipe organ, Xanadu began. "Words are not needed, rise to the spiritual world" Seth sang earnestly, bathed in red light, about a world of dark splendor and sacred spaces.

After Xanadu, the members left the stage to the sound effects of the earth rumbling. The silhouette of a decagon was shown on the dark stage and the audience called for Moi dix Mois again and again. In reply, the members returned to the stage and asked the audience to call "You are dix!" Mana had a teal guitar with a shining blue cross now, an ESP jeune fille X Bronze -Cross Ray-. The encore started off with deus ex machina and the audience, now treated to the heaviest and hardest music of Moi dix Mois, raised their fists and head-banged with all the energy they had left. The frenetic, wild pace kept on until finally, the concert ended with a roar and the stage went dark.

The gorgeous costumes and stage effects really made this show worth seeing. The band's music, an original combination of heavy metal, various techno elements and classical music, has plenty of contrasting factors such as loudness and silence, destruction and construction, and classic and modern, which appeals to many people. The show of Moi dix Mois felt like a magical, pagan festival where gender, human knowledge and spirituality were all encompassing and yet unimportant. For people bored with their ordinary lives, a Moi dix Mois concert offers a perfect escape. It's the chance to experience a world of mystical sensuality and release the self hidden within.


Set list

SE (sacred lake)
1.forbidden
MC
2.exclude
3.Night breed
4.Vain
SE
5.Last Temptation
6.Perish
MC
7.dispel bound
8.Immortal Madness
9.Metaphysical
10.neo pessimist
11.Xanadu
SE
12.deus ex machina
SE