Dir En Grey is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitarists Kaoru and Die, vocalist Kyo, drummer Shinya and bassist Toshiya, they have released eleven full-length albums. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally a visual kei band, the members later opted for more subtle attire, but have continued to maintain a dramatic image on stage.
Kyo is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist and poet. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the heavy metal band Dir En Grey. He was formerly in a string of visual kei rock bands, with the most notable being La:Sadie's from 1995 to 1997. He then started Dir En Grey in February 1997, following La:Sadie's disbandment with three of its members, formed the experimental rock band Sukekiyo in 2013, and the supergroup Petit Brabancon in 2021. Kyo was inspired to become a musician when he saw a picture of Buck-Tick vocalist Atsushi Sakurai on the desk of a junior high school classmate. When he then discovered X Japan he was particularly fond of hide and had his parents buy him the guitarist's black signature model guitar. However, after realizing how difficult it was to play guitar and then bass, he then switched to vocals.
Macabre is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey. It was released on September 20, 2000. It was the band's first record to be released in collaboration of Free-Will's Firewall sub-division and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The original print of Macabre featured an etched, tinted jewel case with five wooden beads placed within the spine. The album proper, like Gauze, included two booklets: one with the lyrics, and the other featuring a related image and poem.
Kisō is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey. The album was released on January 30, 2002. It has helped them gain popularity across Asia. The first press edition came with an extra booklet of lyrics and the cover booklet came in color, as opposed to the normal release. Unlike their previous two albums, Kisō did not feature extra poems and images per song in the liner notes; rather, the standard booklet came with the band's own English translation of the lyrics, while the extra booklet in the first pressing contained the original Japanese lyrics.
Withering to Death is the fifth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey. Initially published in Japan on March 9, 2005, it was the band's first album to be officially released in Europe, North America and South Korea. In June 2006, Withering to Death reached number 42 on Billboard's "Top Heatseekers" chart. Amazon.com included Withering to Death in its listing of "Top 10 Hard Rock & Metal albums of 2006". In September 2007, Rolling Stone Japan rated it number 34 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".
"Akuro no Oka" is a single released by Dir En Grey on January 20, 1999. It is among the first to feature remixes and was released simultaneously along with "Yurameki" and "Zan". The single peaked at number 7 on the Oricon music charts in Japan. For their 25th anniversary, Dir En Grey re-recorded "Akuro no Oka" for the 2024 single "19990120".
"Yurameki" is a single released by Dir En Grey on January 20, 1999, simultaneously along with "Akuro no Oka" and "Zan". The single peaked at number 5 on the Oricon music charts in Japan.
"Yokan" is the 5th single by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey released on July 14, 1999. It was used as the ending theme for the Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV drama, "Joi (女医) Nothing lasts forever / Female doctor". The song attracted mainstream attention by appearing on Japanese Music Stations, notably Music Station, Popjapan.tv, and Count Down TV.
"Ain't Afraid to Die" is a single released by Dir En Grey on April 18, 2001. It appears on Decade 1998–2002 but is not featured on any of their studio albums. Both B-sides are included on the Kai remix compilation.
The Marrow of a Bone is the sixth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey and the first to use an all caps capitalization. It was released on February 7, 2007, in Japan, and in the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in the following months. In total, the album was released in eleven countries. The band was touring North America at the time of the album's release in both Japan and the United States. In March 2007, The Marrow of a Bone reached number 21 on Billboard's "Top Independent Albums" chart.
"Dozing Green" is a single by Dir En Grey, released on October 24, 2007 in Japan and across Europe as well as in the iTunes Store until the end of October. The Japanese edition includes two b-sides, "Hydra -666-" and "Agitated Screams of Maggots [Live]". The European release features only "Dozing Green" and "Agitated Screams of Maggots", while the iTunes release is sold as the title track only.
"Tsumi to Batsu" is Japanese singer Ringo Sheena's 6th single and it was released on January 26, 2000, by Toshiba EMI / Virgin Music. It was certified double platinum by the RIAJ for 545,730 copies shipped to stores.
"Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami" is the 25th single by Japanese band Dir En Grey, released on December 2, 2009 in Japan in a regular and limited edition, the limited copy featuring a bonus DVD. It also appears remastered as the twelfth track on Dum Spiro Spero.
"Different Sense" is the 27th single by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on June 22, 2011, in Japan in a regular and limited edition, the limited copy featuring a bonus DVD. It is the third single taken from the band's eighth studio album, Dum Spiro Spero. It peaked at #5 at the Oricon weekly charts.
The Unraveling is the third EP by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey. It was released on April 3, 2013 as a single-CD Original Version, a deluxe Initial Limited Version digipak with bonus recording footage, and a Limited Order-Only Deluxe Version featuring the deluxe digipak with a bonus CD and extra DVD footage.
Vulgar is the fourth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey released on September 10, 2003 in Japan and on February 21, 2006 in Europe. A limited edition containing an additional DVD was also released. It featured the video of the song "Obscure", albeit a censored version. Vulgar is the first Dir En Grey release not to feature individual credits for the music, though the preceding singles featured individual credits.
"Saku" is the 19th single off the Withering to Death album by Dir En Grey released on July 14, 2004. It was nominated for best Music Video Award on MTV's Headbangers Ball in 2006, making it the first ever J-rock song to be nominated for the Award. Although the cover and inlay give the single title as "朔" without annotation, it's considered to be "朔-saku-". Similarly, the song title is written as "朔 saku" in the booklet.
"Cage" is the 4th single by the Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey released on May 26, 1999. The song appeared on Japanese radio stations in the late 1990s such as Music Station. With it receiving all around positive ratings from listeners and critics a-like.
"Embryo" is the 12th single by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on December 19, 2001.
Phalaris is the eleventh studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on June 15, 2022, via Firewall Div./SMEJ.
