Kisou Dir En Grey Views

General Goods

Dir En Grey (ディル・アン・グレイ, Diru an gurei?, stylised as Dir en grey and as DIR EN GREY from 2006 onward) is a Japanese metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2008, they have recorded seven full-length records and while the group's lineup has remained consistent since its inception, numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine (though it is generally considered to be a form of rock music).[1] Originally a visual kei band, the band has opted for less dramatic attire in recent years.[2][3]

Dir En Grey was preceded by the independent band La:Sadie's which included four of Dir En Grey's later members before it disbanded.[7][8] After parting ways with La:Sadie's bassist Kisaki, Kyo, Kaoru, Die and Shinya along with newly recruited bassist Toshiya regrouped as a new band on February 2, 1997[9][10] and released a first EP, Missa, a few months later. According to guitarist Kaoru, the name Dir En Grey was chosen because it sounded right, and is composed of words from several languages, so that people would not be able to attach a specific meaning to it other than the band's name itself. More likely, however, was that the name was taken from Dir en Gray , a song from Lareine's first demo tape.[11]

In 2000 vocalist Kyo was hospitalized with hearing trouble and several dates of the tour in support of Dir En Grey's then upcoming album, Macabre, had to be postponed. Tour 00 wgt;egt; 01 Macabre eventually took off later the same year and was concluded at Nippon Budokan, shortly after the release of the single Ain't Afraid to Die in April 2001.

In the following year, along with the release of a third full-length album, Kisou, Dir En Grey gave their first performances abroad, touring China, Taiwan, and South Korea.[13] Back in Japan, the last dates of the lengthy Rettou Gekishin Angya tour were already in support for the band's second EP, Six Ugly. In summer 2003, Dir En Grey performed at the Akasaka Blitz for five evenings in one week. Each show (except the first) was themed after a certain album, the last featuring songs from the then yet to be released Vulgar. A DVD set, titled Blitz 5 Days, was later released exclusively for members of the band's official fan club, A Knot. Vulgar released in September 2003, tours in support for the record would last well into 2004.[14][15]