| Missa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | July 25, 1997 October 31, 2001 (re-issue) | |||
| Recorded | May 1997 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:22 | |||
| Language | Japanese, English | |||
| Label | East West Japan (1997)
| |||
| Producer | Dir En Grey | |||
| Dir En Grey chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Prog Archives |   [1] |
| Ultimate-Guitar | 7.3/10 [2] |
Missa (stylized as MISSA) is the debut EP by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on July 25, 1997.
Being the band's debut release, it consists of their earliest musical output, such as "Aoi Tsuki" (蒼い月), one of the first two songs the band ever recorded. [3]
Multiple songs off of the EP were reworked in one way or another throughout the band's career. "Garden" (stylized as "GARDEN") was re-recorded for the band's first video release, "Kaede" ~if trans...~ (「楓」~if trans…~), released in late 1997. [4] "Byō""Shin" (秒「」深) was remade for the Six Ugly EP in 2002. "Kiri to Mayu" (霧と繭) was remade in 2012 and included on that year's "Rinkaku" single.
Technically however, this was not the first time "Kiri to Mayu" was reworked. The song was originally called "Sangeki no Yoru" (惨劇の夜), but one day before the recording of Missa began, Kyo was asked to change the lyrics. [5] Throughout 1997, the song was only performed with the lyrics of "Kiri to Mayu". When "Kaede" ~if trans...~ was released, it came with a music video for "Sangeki no Yoru" and from then on, Kyo began to perform the song with its originally intended lyrics instead. A similar case was "Karma" (業), the other of the band's first two songs. They intended to include it on Missa, but decided against it and released it on "Kaede" ~if trans...~ as well. [5]
All lyrics are written by Kyo; all music is composed by Dir En Grey, except where noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kiri to Mayu" (霧と繭; "Fog and Cocoon") | Kaoru | 5:06 |
| 2. | "「S」" | Kyo | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Erode" | Toshiya | 6:30 |
| 4. | "Aoi Tsuki" (蒼い月; "Blue Moon") | 5:04 | |
| 5. | "Garden" | 5:27 | |
| 6. | "Byō""Shin" (秒「」深; "One Second""Deep") | Kaoru | 5:39 |
| Total length: | 31:22 | ||
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 1996 to 1997. When they disbanded, he formed Dir En Grey in February 1997 with three of its members. Kyo formed the experimental rock band Sukekiyo in 2013, and the supergroup Petit Brabancon in 2021.
Gauze is the debut studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey. The album was originally released on July 28, 1999, as a standard version with a thick CD case, 36-page booklet with the CD reading surface painted red, through East West Japan. An initial limited version was released on the same day, including a translucent red sleeve with a cloud pattern, 12-page picture booklet, a 36-page lyrics booklet, and the red painted CD in a maxi-CD single case for a sticker price of ¥3,059 ($27.87). The album was later re-issued as standard version only, with a silver disc on October 31, 2001, through Free-Will. Five tracks were produced by X Japan co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi, all of which had been previously released as singles.
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".
"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.
Uroboros is the seventh studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey. It was released on November 11, 2008, in the United States by The End Records and, due to the time difference, on November 12, 2008, in Japan through Firewall and European releases by Gan-Shin. A remastered and expanded edition was released in 2012, featuring new and reworked tracks. The album was remastered by Tue Madsen who also produced their following album Dum Spiro Spero.
"Lotus" is the 26th single by Japanese band Dir En Grey, released on January 26, 2011, in Japan in a regular and limited edition, the limited copy featuring a bonus DVD.
Dum Spiro Spero is the eighth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on August 2, 2011 in the U.S., and in Japan on August 3.
"Rinkaku" is the 28th single by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on December 19, 2012.
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.
Arche is the ninth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on December 10, 2014. It was preceded by two singles; "Rinkaku", which was released two years prior, and "Sustain the Untruth".
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.
"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.
Petit Brabancon is a Japanese supergroup, active since 2021. It consists of vocalist Kyo, drummer yukihiro (L'Arc-en-Ciel), guitarists Miya (Mucc) and antz, and bassist Hirofumi Takamatsu. Having been secretly writing and recording music since 2018 or 2019, the band was not publicly unveiled until December 2021.
| |
| Albums | |
| EPs | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
