Dir en Grey - Kisou

Long before Dir en Grey sort of sold out to the tidal wave of nu-metal lingered a dark, disturbing yet delicate visual kei band - straddling the line between metal, melodic punk, and beautiful pop balladry. It was from Gauze to (and i am hesitant to say so) Vulgar did Dir en Grey own the j-rock arena - producing interesting, forward thinking rock music for the masses who ate it up gleefully.

And why wouldn't they? With a pulsing drummer, off-kilter and menacing guitar work with a bass that would rattle your walls. The real selling point of the band however lies in Kyo's rather intriguing vocals. He is a nutter, to say the least - utilising his voice to maximum capacity with an emotive singing voice, harsh screams, and noises that i would describe as out of this world.

What is great about this album is it's diversity - Dir en Grey stretch their imagination from the hard hitting punk opener Kigan to the electronica driven beats of Shinsou. Standout ballads are also apparent with the beautiful 24 Cylinders and the harrowingly painful Mushi.