Old Review: Dir En Grey @ Irving Plaza (2013)
While some of my writings can’t be recovered via Wayback Machine, I managed to find some that I emailed to myself before having it published. This is my review of Dir En Grey at Irving Plaza back in 2013 (originally written for Fake Walls bka The NJ Underground):
December 12th, 2011. That was the last time Japanese metal band Dir En Grey performed at Irving Plaza during their last North American tour nearly two years ago. The band were set to tour North America last year as support for Asking Alexandria and Trivium but canceled due to vocalist Kyo's throat condition. Plenty of Dir En Grey fans showed up early to get a closer view of the band's return to NYC.
"I've been waiting for this moment my entire life", said Dagoba vocalist Shawter in the midst of his band's opening set. Even though Dagoba have been around since 2000, they've never touched down on American soil until now. The French metal act had a vigorous response from the NYC crowd which is very scarce for an opening act to obtain, especially when they've never played America before. Along with bassist Werther, drummer Frank Costanza and guitarist Yves "Z" Terzibachian, Shawter had the critics almost thinking they were the ones headlining that night with a sea of people banging their heads furiously to the music. While Shawter's screams were pulverizing, his singing felt compressed at times.
Music is universal and it's not concerned about your native tongue or your lack of understanding other languages. For 15 years, Dir En Grey have been able to gain a massive fanbase worldwide without speaking a word of English. Their fans still sing along to their songs, though, and it's that kind of devotion that seems to be missing a lot nowadays.
Kyo is one of the most invigorating vocalists in today's seemingly complacent music scene. Watching him on stage was almost like watching a Broadway play; every action that he took carried whatever story he was trying to tell that evening. Often compared to Mike Patton, the frontman delivered every kind of vocal imaginable: growls, moans, melodic singing and some noises that couldn't be identified as human. Fans of Dir En Grey remember a time when Kyo would literally bleed for his art at every show.
For the track "The Blossoming Beelzebub", Kyo turned his back to the crowd and faced the mic next to Shinya's drum kit. This particular mic had a small camera attached to broadcast Kyo's face on the big screen. Seeing his face on the screen almost felt like a supernatural experience as his paranoiac shifty eyes and devious smirks were met with great fanfare.
That evening, the NYC crowd were completely on overdrive with high pitched screams at the intro of every song. You honestly couldn't blame them for letting their emotions run wild during the show. "Kasumi" found the crowd rocking back and forth like they were on a sinking ship and Dir En Grey were providing the soundtrack to their ultimate demise.
With the stage emptied after "Kasumi", the crowd desperately wanted more. A large section were heard shouting "ankoru" which means "encore" in Japanese. After a near 10 minute wait, Dir En Grey came back on stage to perform "Reiketsu Nariseba", a track featuring colorful stage lights that were very antithetic to the set's dark ambience. Dir En Grey ended their NYC show with "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami" which translates to "The violence and the darkness of the burning heat entwines in my heart".
