Dir en grey at Metaltown, Sweden

Dir en grey was the last of the three Japanese bands to perform at the Metaltown festival in Sweden, and they were the only to appear on the main stage. Following MUCC and right after Marilyn Manson, they were the only band performing on the festival grounds at the time. The ground in front of the stage an hour before their set was deceivingly empty; every inch of space was covered by excited, eagerly anticipating fans by the showtime. As the technicians took their time with the preparation, the formidable crowd - loyal fans and curious bystanders - kept growing.

Right on time, SA BIR, Dir en grey’s intro, reached the audience. The band members appeared one after another, each taking a few seconds to greet the crowd, starting with Die on guitar, Toshiya on bass, Kaoru on lead guitar and Shinya the drummer, discreet as always. Kyo, the vocalist, appeared last to deafening screams, and instead of a smile he sprayed a mouthful of water all over the stage. Forgoing any sort of warm-up, Kyo suddenly growled and the band kicked off the snazzy rhythms of OBSCURE.

The song went by in a flurry of headbanging. After the final note, the members had a chance to properly greet the audience, raising guitars and fists in answer to the wild cheering. Merciless Cult followed, keeping the fierce pace going. However, its melodic parts offered the expressive vocalist the opportunity to accompany the words with firm gestures while standing on his infamous red box. GRIEF thundered in, adding oil to the fire of fierce excitement. The guitars were ominous; Toshiya’s unstoppable energy rivaling Kyo’s violent fury. The entire band was contributing back up vocals, creating a rather peculiar dynamic. Keeping the harsh pattern going, the intricate Red Soil was up next with an accordingly intense performance. These first rather difficult songs were also a test for the recently hospitalized vocalist. Unlike at their last European tour, Kyo fully stood up to the challenge: his voice was better than ever, and he performed the songs faithfully and emotionally, his presence – sometimes erratic, sometimes almost gentle - dominated the arena.

Dozing Green slithered in; Kyo’s torso, now strikingly bare, was molded into intriguing shapes - an instinctual belly-dance of his own creation. As the track ended, Toshiya stepped up and pumped up the crowd to make up for the striking lack of MC throughout the gig. The crowd responded eagerly, screams flooding the pit. The momentum was necessary, as the next song was the eight-minute long VINUSHKA. The soft introductory melody spiked into a strong beat, and the band headbanged in unison. Looking and pointing straight into the crowd, Kyo screamed, “Koko ga shinjitsu da!” (Here is where the truth is!), making the fans yell vigorously back at him. Kaoru and Die stayed at their respective sides for the most part, offering the spotlight to the rhythm section. Shinya was doing a formidable job, the complicated drums beats building up the entire song. The song reached its peak with Kyo going berserk, grasping thin air while screaming in agony, and then it was over. The band turned away from the audience, looking momentarily drained.

As the break got longer and longer, it became apparent that it was time for Kyo’s a capella. The vocalist stood alone at the center of the stage, screaming, crooning and sighing, the sound digitally manipulated on the spot. With elements of avant-garde, the esoteric performance silenced the fans who stood in awe. However, the regular metal fans looked rather restless. Not a minute too soon, the band was back in position, summoning the crowd back into an excited frenzy. STUCK MAN exploded from the speakers, demanding everyone’s attention. This choppy, energetic song was well-received; painfully rough vocals and bullet fast screams added to their regained momentum. The low growls of the bass matched the beautifully fast paced drum rolls and Die’s funky tunes, causing the crowd to jump up and down in abandonment. To top this electrifying performance, the band chose to play the fan-favorite, THE FINAL, next. After the familiar soft intro, the main melody came in, causing mass hysteria in the audience. The catchy yet interesting melodies had more and more people closing in on the stage.

Just when the massive crowd was getting into the show, the inevitable happened in the form of another a capella break. The front rows silently admired the mourning screams, yet the vast majority raised an eyebrow, many walking away from the band. Pausing the set twice for experimental chanting in front of a metal audience might have been an unfortunate choice. Still, it proves that Dir en grey will always be a “take it or leave it” kind of band that is proud of its unique elements.

The overly emotional chanting came to an end, and the entire band faced the crowd for BUGABOO. Kyo was now highly interactive, pointing at the audience and thrashing around, producing formidable wails that were subdued slightly by Die’s electrifying, high-tuned playing. The staccato beat offered Shinya a chance to shine behind his massive drum set. Reiketsu Nariseba was hard and rich, offering the members the chance to interact with the crowd. Toshiya walked the entire stage, and Kyo spread his arms, urging the crowd forward, louder, more! Even Kaoru took a step forward, nodding vigorously. The punishing Agitated Screams Of Maggots ended up being unexpectedly static, with the band doing little but headbanging non-stop. The spectators grew in number again, but only the ones closer to the band participated actively. -saku-, combining death metal screaming with melodic main melodies, was apparently more appealing; the amount of people thrashing and moshing was increasing rapidly. Kaoru, seemingly delighted by the crowd’s response, was smiling and performing more intensely than ever.

Far too soon, Kyo yelled, “Final song of the tour!” That song turned out to be Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro. The members gave their all for this difficult song. The vocals were obscured by the instruments, and then vice versa, creating an appealing, wild result. Kyo yelled at to the crowd “dance for me!” and his fans complied, each one moving to the music. Then the track was over, though the fans screamed on and on. The vocalist stayed back for a few precious moments, clapping a few times, and as always, he left first. The others members lingered, throwing picks, water bottles and drumsticks.

The satisfaction was apparent on almost every face: the band concluded a largely successful European tour and performed in some of the most formidable rock and metal festivals; the fans received an honest, powerful performance, and the rest of the audience enjoyed a rather unique show.

For a detailed article on the general response and reaction to Dir en grey's performance, which will be accompanied by a survey, please check the official JaME blog in the following weeks!


Set list:

SA BIR
OBSCURE
Merciless Cult
GRIEF
RED SOIL
DOZING GREEN
VINUSHKA
STUCK MAN
THE FINAL
BUGABOO
Reiketsu Nariseba
Agitated Screams of Maggots
-saku-
Gaika, Chinmoku Ga Nemuru Koro


Special thanks to Maija Haka.