Uroboros | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 11, 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
Studio | Studio Innig Sony Music Studios Sound Crew Studio Studio Fine Studio Sunshine Prime Sound Studio Form Wang GuangRecLabs Towerside Studio Somewhere Studio Kolkhoz | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 58:54 | |||
Language | Japanese, English [3] | |||
Label | Firewall Div./SMEJ, The End, Gan-Shin | |||
Producer | Dir En Grey | |||
Dir En Grey chronology | ||||
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Singles from Uroboros | ||||
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Uroboros (stylized as 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 [4] and European releases by Gan-Shin. [5] [6] 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.
The album is named after the Ouroboros symbol, which is a dragon or snake figure depicted in a full circle consuming itself. The symbol represents continuity and the cycle of power, emphasizing the theme of reincarnation, an idea propagated heavily by the band during promotion. [7]
The album art, designed by the band's long-time artist Koji Yoda, was conceived with inspiration from King Crimson's 1970 album Lizard . [8]
Following the finale of their 2007 touring, much of the song writing was completed on an individual basis in January and February 2008, without the members meeting to collaborate. [9] The original announcement of recording was slated for the beginning of 2008, [10] while it was later announced that the album began pre-production in March 2008. [11] The members regrouped after two months of solitary work and shared their independently developed tracks, with guitarist Kaoru saying the intent was to show "I'm making this song right now", with the intent of producing a larger variety of songs. [9] Recording of the first tracks then began in the spring in the Sony Building in Tokyo. Dir En Grey later returned to the pre-production phase for the remaining tracks of the album.
The band recorded with many new instruments, including mandolin, [12] congas, electric sitar, [8] and biwa to create a unique sound, [7] and vocalist Kyo sets emphasis on "non-screaming vocals," [7] accentuating softer composition, while still blending in his unique screams, screeches, and polished death metal growls. For the album, Kaoru and Die utilized several guitar models and techniques; an unconventional method, some of the guitars were recorded directly from amps. [13]
Uroboros is "stuffed with themes of 'guilt and reincarnation' as well as 'the past, present and future of Dir En Grey'", as guitarist Kaoru stated in a press release. [11] This was later echoed in CDJapan's album overview, calling the album "a sort of return for the band, revisiting the pre- Withering to Death. era." [7] Kaoru also included that the album would again be a progression into "heavier and darker" sounds than prior albums, as well as an "oriental and religious mood".
In an interview in the band's regular fan-club magazine, Haiiro no Ginka, interviewer You Masuda described the style in comparison with the band's preceding album, The Marrow of a Bone :
I'm actually starting to feel troubled. I don't know how I could describe your music in words. For example, Marrow of a Bone is a work that has elements of metal, but the songs I just heard now are difficult to describe. If I were to express these songs, it would be something close to being acoustic. If you put it in a strange way, it's close to something like, 'What happens if Thom Yorke does metal?'
— Yuichi "You" Masuda, Haiiro no Ginka [9]
With the announcement of an American release date, guitarist Kaoru expressed further opinion on the album's style, saying the album would experiment with oriental sounds, and the "hard and heavy" atmosphere found on The Marrow of a Bone would be absent, instead favoring more elegant instrumentation and "something that lets you visualize several scenes". [14]
Kaoru also said in an interview with Visual Music Japan that:
On several songs, we used an electric zither, which brings something new and quite interesting, although the essence of the songs we were aiming for primarily revolves around guitars. For example, we used various objects to scrape and play the guitar strings. On few tracks, we also tried recording the sound of the guitars directly from the amplifier. In the end, it was a unique and really fun experience. On the album, Shinya even played congas. [15]
Together with the band's label, a California-based radio station, Indie 103.1, premiered music from Uroboros on October 19, 26 and November 2. The tracks "Red Soil" and "Dozing Green" were played on the first night, with "Glass Skin" chosen on the second, available both as a radio broadcast and internet radio show. [16] On the 2 November broadcast, the band debuted "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro".
During promotion, the track "Stuck Man" was referred to as "Third Time Does the Trick", however the title was changed before the final track listing was revealed.
In harmony with the Asian themes in the album, the first two tracks titles, "Sa Bir" and "Vinushka" are derived from the Tibetan language and Russian language respectively. The former referring to the movement of the Earth, while the latter is a "word from Russian origin" used "to talk about elements that are linked to sins," according to Visual Music Japan's interview Kaoru did with journalist Mandah Frénot. "Vinushka", which is a form of the word "vina" (Russian : вина), can be translated as "guilt". [8]
A first time for the band, the album debuted in the United States, being released in four editions. [14] The album is available via digital download, a standard CD, a deluxe limited edition release packaged in a cardboard sleeve and slipcase with both a CD and DVD, and finally in a twelve-inch LP with a card to download the digital release. The CD and DVD edition come with a series of live videos on the DVD, rather than making-of footage from the Japanese release. The live footage includes "Repetition of Hatred", "Agitated Screams of Maggots", and "Hydra -666-" from the band's Zepp Tokyo concert from 22 December 2007, "Dead Tree" from Wacken Open Air 2007, and "Dozing Green" from a show on Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone; tracks one through four were all previously included on In Weal or Woe.
The album was released in three editions in Japan; a standard edition, a limited edition and a deluxe edition. The standard edition includes only the main album, [17] while the limited edition includes a bonus disc with unplugged tracks and internationally exclusive tracks. The deluxe edition contains both discs packaged with the limited edition, as well as a bonus DVD containing a documentary of the album's conception, and two LPs. [18] [19]
The original intent of the band's record label was to press an approximate amount of deluxe editions, however, due to extremely rapid sales and high demand, the edition was opened to a pre-order limit of August 16, after which no more copies were pressed and only leftover pressings were commercially available. [19]
The European release, handled by Gan-Shin, began in France on November 12, simultaneously with the Japanese release. [6] The album is available throughout Europe in two editions; the regular that includes only the album's feature tracks, while the limited edition includes three bonus tracks.
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. This featured an extended version of "Sa Bir", a special version of "Bugaboo" that was previously releases only on the vinyl version that came with the [2CD + 1DVD + 2LP] limited edition of Uroboros, and Japanese versions of "Dozing Green" and "Glass Skin". In addition, "Hydra -666-" is also included, previously only available as a B-side to the "Dozing Green" single.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | [2] |
Allmusic | [1] |
Kerrang! | (KKK) 2008 [20] |
Metal Hammer | [21] |
NEO Magazine | #53 [22] |
ReGen | [23] |
Revolver | 2008 [24] |
Rock Sound | [25] |
Uroboros quickly received positive reviews, being acknowledged as an experimental album for the band, [2] and a defined shift back to the band's roots, while retaining the metal elements of the recent works. Allmusic chose Uroboros as an "AMG Album Pick", praising the release for its variety and willingness to escape the band's stereotypes; [1] Another oft-mentioned aspect is the continued use of Japanese lyrics by Kyo; [26] however, the album was also advertised with specific attention to the English revisions of "Dozing Green" and "Glass Skin", while other tracks also had heavy use of English. Several professional reviews have said the use of Japanese is something that could preclude the band having mainstream popularity, but some approve of the band's consistency with their native language. A negative that some reviewers identified is repetitiveness in the album's style, though this was interpreted as a strong point by JD Considine of Revolver . [24]
[Uroboros features] muscular funk licks, soaring power-ballad melodies, and creepy atmospherics; moments that have the slow intensity of a dirge, and others that rush with the hell-bent-for-leather abandon of classic metal. Most amazing of all, [Dir En Grey] manages to do all this while maintaining such a strong sense of structure that the album almost feels like one continuous song.
— JD Considine, Revolver
In its debut release week, the album sold 6,054 copies and reached number 114 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This marked Dir En Grey's first time ranking on the United States' central music chart. [27] In the band's native country, the album was met with high sales, exceeding thirty-seven thousand, which brought the album to a number four spot on the Oricon chart. This was Dir En Grey's best performance since Kisou (2002). [28]
All lyrics are written by Kyo; all music is composed by Dir En Grey
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sa Bir (Interlude)" | 2:00 |
2. | "Vinushka" | 9:37 |
3. | "Red Soil" | 3:24 |
4. | "Dōkoku to Sarinu" (慟哭と去りぬ; "It Ends in Lamentation") | 3:48 |
5. | "Toguro" (蜷局; "Whorl") | 3:57 |
6. | "Glass Skin" | 4:27 |
7. | "Stuck Man" | 3:34 |
8. | "Reiketsu Nariseba" (冷血なりせば; "If I Were Cold-Blooded") | 3:33 |
9. | "Ware, Yami Tote…" (我、闇とて・・・; "For I Am Darkness…") | 7:01 |
10. | "Bugaboo" | 4:43 |
11. | "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro" (凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃; "Paean, the Time When Silence Sleeps") | 4:22 |
12. | "Dozing Green" | 4:05 |
13. | "Inconvenient Ideal" | 4:23 |
Total length: | 58:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Bugaboo Respira" (Unlisted, placed after Bugaboo) | 2:13 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Glass Skin" (Japanese lyrics version) (Limited edition only) | 4:28 |
15. | "Dozing Green" (Japanese lyrics version) | 4:08 |
Total length: | 08:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Dozing Green" (Japanese version) | 4:08 |
15. | "Undecided" (B-side from "Glass Skin" single) | 4:58 |
Total length: | 09:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Glass Skin" (Japanese version) | 4:28 |
15. | "Dozing Green" (Japanese version) | 4:08 |
16. | "Agitated Screams of Maggots -Unplugged-" (B-side from "Glass Skin" single) | 3:08 |
Total length: | 11:44 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ware, Yami Tote…" (我、闇とて・・・; "For I Am Darkness…", unplugged) | 6:39 |
2. | "Inconvenient Ideal" (Unplugged) | 4:23 |
3. | "Red Soil" (Unplugged) | 3:25 |
4. | "Dozing Green (Before Construction Version)" (Deluxe edition only) | 4:19 |
5. | "Dozing Green (Japanese Lyrics Re-mastering)" (Deluxe edition only) | 4:08 |
6. | "Glass Skin (Japanese Lyrics Re-mastering)" (Deluxe edition only) | 4:29 |
Total length: | 27:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Recording and Interviews" | |
2. | "Toguro" (蜷局; "Whorl", Shot In One Take) | |
3. | "Dozing Green" (Shot In One Take) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Repetition of Hatred" (Live Take at Zepp Tokyo, 22 December 2007) | |
2. | "Agitated Screams of Maggots" (Live Take at Zepp Tokyo, 22 December 2007) | |
3. | "Hydra -666-" (Live Take at Zepp Tokyo, 22 December 2007) | |
4. | "Dead Tree" (Live Take at Wacken Open Air, 4 August 2007) | |
5. | "Dozing Green" (Live Take on Tour07 The Marrow of a Bone, 2007 (studio audio)) |
All lyrics are written by Kyo; all music is composed by Dir En Grey
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sa Bir (Extended Version)" | 3:52 |
2. | "Vinushka" | 9:37 |
3. | "Red Soil" | 3:24 |
4. | "Dōkoku to Sarinu" (慟哭と去りぬ; "It Ends in Lamentation") | 3:48 |
5. | "Toguro" (蜷局; "Whorl") | 3:58 |
6. | "Glass Skin" | 4:28 |
7. | "Stuck Man" | 3:35 |
8. | "Reiketsu Nariseba" (冷血なりせば; "If I Were Cold-Blooded") | 3:33 |
9. | "Ware, Yami Tote…" (我、闇とて・・・; "For I Am Darkness…") | 7:03 |
10. | "Hydra -666-" | 3:40 |
11. | "Bugaboo Respira" | 2:09 |
12. | "Bugaboo" | 4:44 |
13. | "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro" (凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃; "Paean, the Time When Silence Sleeps") | 4:22 |
14. | "Dozing Green" | 4:06 |
15. | "Inconvenient Ideal" | 4:22 |
Total length: | 63:53 |
|
|
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | November 11, 2008 | The End Records | Digipak CD and DVD (Limited) | TE123-1 |
Digital download | N/A | |||
Compact disc | TE123-2 | |||
12" LP album | TE124-2 | |||
Japan | November 12, 2008 | Firewall, Sony Music Entertainment Japan | 2-CD album with bonus DVD, 2-LP box set (Limited) | SFCD-0058-62 |
2-CD album (Limited) | SFCD-0063-64 | |||
Compact disc | SFCD-0065 | |||
Europe [6] | Gan-Shin | Compact disc | FWEAL00-04 | |
Compact disc (Limited) | FWEAL00-05 |
Country | Provider(s) | Peak position | Sales/ shipments |
---|---|---|---|
Japan Weekly Albums [28] | Oricon | 4 | 43,316 (as of December 1, 2008) |
Billboard Japan Top Albums [29] | Billboard Japan | 4 | |
United States Billboard 200 [30] | Billboard | 114 | 6,054 |
United States Top Heatseekers [31] | 1 | ||
United States Top Independent [32] | 9 | ||
United States Top Internet Albums [33] | 8 | ||
United States Top Hard Rock [34] | 17 | ||
United States Top Comprehensive [35] | 135 |
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.
Visual kei, abbreviated v-kei, is a category of Japanese musicians that have a strong focus on extravagant stage costumes that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Koji Dejima of Bounce wrote that visual kei is not a specific sound, but rather it "revolves around the creation of a band's unique worldview and/or stylistic beauty through visual expressions in the form of makeup and fashion". While visual kei acts can be of any music genre, it originated with bands influenced by glam rock, heavy metal, punk rock and gothic rock.
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.
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.
"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.
This is the discography of Dir En Grey, a Japanese heavy metal band. They have recorded eleven original studio albums, three EPs and thirty one singles in their twenty four years together. Each of the band's releases has charted on Japan's Oricon charts.
"Agitated Screams of Maggots" is a single released by Dir En Grey on November 15, 2006 in Japan and later in Europe and the United States. The limited edition comes housed in a paper casing and includes a sticker. The title track is followed by three live songs recorded during the It Withers and Withers and Inward Scream tours at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo. The single was later featured on their sixth studio album, The Marrow of a Bone.
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.
"Glass Skin" is a single by Dir En Grey, released on September 10, 2008 in Japan in a regular and limited edition, the limited copy featuring a bonus live track as well as a sticker of the band and a poster. The single was released as a digital download on September 17, 2008.
"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.
"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.
"Rinkaku" is the 28th single by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey, released on December 19, 2012. Its highest ranking reached fourth place on the weekly Oricon chart. The original cover art is created by vocalist Kyo, which was shown at various venues in Japan after release of the single.
Sukekiyo is a Japanese rock band formed in 2013 by Dir En Grey vocalist Kyo. It is sometimes referred to as a supergroup as every member of the band is or has been in other well-known acts in the Japanese visual kei movement, although only Kyo is currently active in another band.
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".
Japanese metal is heavy metal music from Japan. The country's first metal bands formed in the mid-to-late 1970s. The number of acts increased significantly in the next decade, but only a few saw their material released internationally, including Europe and North America with their pre-established metal bases. Domestic metal saw its commercial peak in Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the top acts selling millions of records. Many metal bands from the visual kei scene toured and gained recognition in the West in the 2000s. The 2010s saw a boom of all-female metal bands form and gain mainstream attention.
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.
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.
Uroboros will be the band's first album to receive a simultaneous worldwide release.
Gan-Shin will release Dir En Grey's new album, UROBOROS, in Europe. Starting with France and several countries on the same day as the Japanese version, the release will hit shelves in other countries shortly after.
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