DIR EN GREY BIOGRAPHY FOUND ON JAME WORLD

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* Vocal : Kyo
* Guitar : Kaoru
* Guitar : Die
* Bass : Toshiya
* Drums : Shinya

PROFILE
From the band's formation in 1997, Dir en grey have achieved moderate popularity in their home country, but more recently they are becoming internationally recognised as their live tours now stretch to both Europe and the USA.

Dir en grey cannot simply be classified under one genre as their style has developed and evolved through the years although one can safely make the assumption that the band has always contained rock elements. With their style currently heading into more metal based compositions, Dir en grey is one band that people either love or hate as some fans prefer the Visual Kei era as opposed to the more casual era as of later years.

Author : Cage (2007-12-18)
BIOGRAPHY
Dir en grey's roots can be found in the independent Indies group La:Sadies in which four of the current members of the band performed before parting ways with the bassist, KISAKI. It was in early 1997 that Toshiya was formally accepted as the new bassist and the band changed their name to Dir en grey.

Their initial release MISSA was reminiscent of La:Sadies style, containing six tracks that, although attempting to progress from their usual approach, sounded typical of any Japanese Indie band. It was only with the release of JEALOUS and I’ll in 1998, when they became the first independent Japanese band to enter the Oricon singles Top 10, that they captured the attention of one of their musical inspirations, Yoshiki Hayashi of X Japan.

With Yoshiki's assistance in producing all five of Dir en grey's singles of 1999, the release of their first full-length album GAUZE showed that the band had progressed into a more individualistic style with the introduction of a 'hard rock' sound combined with 'soft rock' elements, which can be heard in such songs as Yokan. It was after the success of GAUZE that Dir en grey transformed themselves into a major act.

After parting ways with Yoshiki in 2000, the band announced (after releasing several singles) that they would be releasing a new album, MACABRE. With the release of the album, it was clear that Dir en grey had indeed progressed into a style that MACABRE was aptly named after. With lyrics that delved into the darkness of society, mass media, love and sexual obsession - usually in the most negative sense, it seemed that Dir en grey was attempting to break the mould from the 'average' band to one that would experiment with anything and everything available to them in the studio.

With MACABRE's tracklist containing songs that ranged from progressive rock, to thrash metal and with the introduction of some almost industrial elements to the backing tracks, it was a surprise when the ballad-based single, Ain't afraid to die, was released. Following the release of several prospective singles came the release of the anticipated album Kisou. Taking the same vein of MACABRE with its disturbing, experimental industrial sound, the album also showed some more prominent Western influences.

To accompany the release of the new album, Dir en grey gave their first tour outside of Japan in China, Taiwan and South Korea. In Shanghai, in particular, there was such hype surrounding the upcoming concerts that the local authorities attempted to cancel their second gig. It was only a matter of months after the release of their third album that six Ugly was released and caused quite a stir with its predominant Western themed style and controversial lyrics.

With the release of VULGAR in 2003, Dir en grey’s fan base saw a significant division. VULGAR was first performed to the public at the band's Blitz 5 Days and offered an insight to the more Western influenced sound that the band was experimenting with. VULGAR saw many fans drifting away from their sound, feeling that the band had lost its individuality in favor of a more internationally recognised style, delving further into hard rock and heavy metal.

In the March of 2005, Withering to death was released, showing that the band had progressed into more of a Western style. With the release of this album, Dir en grey achieved their first non-Asian chart position in Finland with the album reaching number 31 on the charts. With this subsequent release, the band announced their first European tour with two concerts: one in Berlin, Germany and the other in Paris, France. As proof of their popularity in Europe, both concerts sold out through mere word of mouth and internet advertisement. After their first concert in Berlin, Dir en grey also appeared at two of the most prominent festivals in Germany; Rock and Ring and Rock im Park.

Following a successful tour abroad, the band expanded their tour to the USA in early 2006, performing in Austin, New York City and Los Angeles, followed by the North American release of Withering to death. Following another tour in Germany in May and June of 2006, Kyo was hospitalised due to inflamed vocal chords. Despite two Japanese tour dates having to be cancelled, the band was allowed to join KoЯn's Family Values tour once Kyo had recovered. Once back in Japan, the band participated in the Loud Park Festival alongside such bands as Megadeth, Slayer and Children of Bodom.

For 2007 Dir en grey announced their own one-man tour through America, coinciding with the release of their sixth full-length album THE MARROW OF A BONE. This album displays the most amount of English lyrics on any of their albums to date, as well as their progression into the style of metal core. The album has received divided opinions regarding whether the band is relying too heavily on Western influences.

Following the success of their US tour, it was announced that Dir en grey would perform as the opening act for the Deftones during their summer tour. While embarking on this tour around America, a new tour schedule for the European fans was announced. 2007 signalled the first year that the band was to spread their sights from both Germany and France and hold both their own solo concerts throughout Europe and attend notable festivals such as Wacken. After the completion of their European tour, Dir en grey returned to their native country and began their DOZING GREEN tour.

To the surprise of many, the tour saw the band once again returning to Europe, only a matter of months after their summer venture. In late November, Dir en grey were the opening act for two of Linkin Park's shows at the Saitama Super Arena.

Despite the quiet nature surrounding the band's tenth anniversary, Dir en grey are set to release two greatest hit compilations on December 19th to celebrate the event. Decade 1998-2002 and Decade 2003-2007 will feature a variety of works from across their career.

As for 2008, Kaoru has announced that the band will be returning to the studio in order to begin recording a new album and has speculated that a return to Europe and America will be on the table. The band will also commence on their tour of Japan throughout May, TOUR08 DEATH OVER BLINDNESS will conclude with three shows at Shinkiba Studio Coast commencing from May 28th to the 30th.

One thing however is certain, Dir en grey will continue to experiment and delve into new styles, giving them a purely individual edge in the Japanese music scene.