D'espairsRay at Le Bataclan, Paris

The line was quite long outside of Le Bataclan: either HIZUMI’s vocal problems had failed to scare people away, or the upcoming hiatus of band activities had convinced fans to spend some money on concert tickets. Either way, it seemed punctuality was on D’espairsRay’s menu for the night as the doors opened on time for the waiting fans.

Many in the crowd headed for the bar while the DJ tried to please fans that were probably a little skeptical of the style of the night's show after the quartet’s recent releases. Their sound had shied away from the darkened niche they once occupied to become something a little more upbeat. Therefore, a mix of heavy metal and Japanese music invigorated the crowd: MALICE MIZER’s Beast of Blood was one such song, and it thankfully reminded everyone of what was in store for the night.

After the last sound checks were performed, the curtains parted to reveal two striking flags that did not display a ram but a bizarre masked bird instead; perhaps it was meant to be a sign of the awaiting darkness. HIZUMI, Karyu, TSUKASA and ZERO slowly walked onto the stage, one after another. The drummer and bassist remained true to themselves, but the singer and guitarist should have kept to last year’s attire: between one’s hairdo and the other’s sleeveless turtleneck, it was a far cry from fashion week.

While some were expecting the title track from the latest album as the opener, it was to the audience's great pleasure that the band opened with the good old classic Marry of the blood. Any remaining worries disappeared; HIZUMI could still scream like a demon. The drums and guitar sounded great too, but the audience felt a little sleepy, seeming a bit lifeless despite the grandiose performance, particularly when compared to the riot they put up at last year’s memorable Psychedelic Parade in Europe tour.

That being said, HIZUMI calmly asked the crowd to scream for him as it became obvious that he indeed needed a boost. Not ones to be asked twice, though, the fans quickly responded with fervor, paving the way for songs from the albums Coll:set, Redeemer and MIRROR, which were chaotically thundered out to shake everyone up off their feet. Once Hollow hit, however, the band let loose for a bit as Karyu and ZERO threw themselves to their knees in front the frenzied crowd, hell bent on making everyone repeat the song’s chorus for as long as humanly possible.

MONSTERS’ title track finally made an appearance but was awkwardly performed, even after the band explained how significant the song was to them. Next came DEATH POINT and LOVE IS DEAD - which was just as danceable live as it is on CD - both stirring up exchanges between the shepherds and their flock that proved without a shadow of a doubt that the band-fan connection was still there, regardless of the band's new direction. Just like most of their discography, many of D'espairsRay's recent songs were great live. While perhaps not at the level of Garnet or Infection, they proved that the evolution of the band's sound had redeeming qualities.

After one hour and thirty minutes of non-stop rock, the band stepped off the stage. One drink later, though, and it was time for more. However, the performance of MIRROR was a poor encore choice if there ever was one, and Human-clad Monster finished the evening off in a most unsatisfactory way. DEVIL'S PARADE or even FINAL CALL would have been a better choice to close out the show.

The usual goody tossing excited the mob one last time before the lights came up, and the sea of bodies slowly dissipated into the darkness of the night. Reflecting on the night’s performance, one couldn't help but compare it to memories of the July 13, 2009 show, which remains a benchmark amongst D'espairsRay's overseas performances. While this concert wasn't exactly a disappointment, it wasn't as good as it could have been. Hopefully, that will change the next time D'espairsRay returns to France.