In ‘Ochita koto no aru sora’, he has certainly established himself. Also, in an interview focused on 2005, focusing around the same time they released the single ‘Clever Sleazoid’, he confesses his honest thoughts of those days when they were putting their eyes at overseas as the band was going through a transitional period. It became a really interesting text.
In addition, from domestic artist such as D’ERLANGER which are the flesh and bones of Die, up to the ‘Family Values Tour’ organized by KORN, which became a battle ground, this interview must be read in full, along with the second half theme interview in which several problems appeared
“Feeling the same than the fans, I wanted to see it as a situation that we don’t know what’s coming’
-I have the impression that Dir en grey has been so close to their fans over the last few months. After all, in this unprecedented situation, as they are people looking for themselves, was there a moment that you thought that there was something you could do even if it seemed impossible to be until then?
Die: Well, that’s true. I feel like I’ve been doing specials things and things that I haven’t done before. Like the live without audience (’The world you live in’, a live without audience in March). All the members were looking at strange places while playing. As there were no fans there and then all the same staff members were doing the same lighting and production as usual, I was wondering how it would feel when the live started. It would be strange to say that there was a response, but I feel we were able to play in a good atmosphere. As a result, I think I had a very good experience.
-After that, in May, there was a Youtube broadcast with setlist planned by the members (DIR EN GREY AUDIO LIVE STREAM 5DAYS) and you personally appeared in the chat.
D: The chat was actually quite hectic (laughs)
-Hahaha. In addition, there was also a broadcast of a talk with a relaxed atmosphere where you could see the real face of the members (DIR EN GREY LIVE ARCHIVE & SPECIAL TALK). At those, I felt the love for your fans.
D: Well, that’s right. However, even if the AUDIO LIVE STREAM was done for fans, we also enjoyed it. The setlist of the other members were sent in advance to me but I didn’t look at them. As I wanted to see it with the same feeling as the fans, not knowing what was coming. Enjoying them, mine was on the 3rd night and until then, I was watching the flow of the fan chat and I it looked amazing. I thought ‘I want to join as well in the chorus part’ (laughs) So I decided to participate at the part of the chorus in real time. However, the pace of the chat was too fast, and the timing didn’t match at all (laughs) That’s why that part felt very much like a live. When it finished, I felt like time flew so fast.
-There was a rare feeling about discovering each member’s setlist. I enjoyed the 5 days. Apart from you, there were people talking on SNS from different positions and I think there were many people who were going through difficult situations, so it was a good project to make everyone feel closer to each other.
D: That’s right. Then, one to two weeks later, the members themselves appeared on the screen. Well, if it weren’t for this situation, I probably wouldn’t have done it. But if you are going to do it…. it’s a strange way to say it, but it’s wasn’t the usual DIR image, but bit more relaxed. Because we said we wanted to create an atmosphere that made that fans happy.) I did (my appearance) it with Toshiya….
-Yes. It was quite a shocking time (laughs).
D: Hahaha. Toshiya said that if we did the talk as always, it wouldn’t be exciting for the fans. That’s why we caught up and drank a little bit in advance, so we raised our spirits by ourselves. I think we have the desire of fans enjoying this part of the talks too.
-Well, the good atmosphere that you both created was cool.
D: Well, when you are thinking about what you can do to make it better, you are kind of wondering what it’s going to be like. The live with no audience, the ”AUDIO LIVE STREAM’, there was also the members talk…. But it’s not something you can do so many times. It’s just doing what we can do now.
-Indeed. I don’t even know if the proper answer to the current situation would be to keep doing lives without audience.
D: I did the live without audience once, but once I did it, I felt like I couldn’t do them properly in the same circumstances even if I did them twice or three times again.
-After all, there is a feeling of tension and challenge unique when you do it for the first time.
D: That’s right. Like, “How is going to be?”, I can only do it with that sense of tension.
“I was like, ‘what’s is this space (venue)? I feel like I was inside of a dream”
-Also, I remember your words in the members talk, you said “I feel like the days when I was playing lives are an illusion”.
D: Ah, yes yes.
-A heated up crowded show is no longer realistic for you?
D: That’s right. At that moment, I couldn’t see the future at all. If I thought that we couldn’t do anything in the future (lives) I wondered what that space (venue) will become. I think I feel like I was in a dream. After all, if you have too much time, you will end up imagining various scenarios. Good and bad.
-For sure. So, while the tour went from being postponed to cancelled, the Pia Arena MM performances ‘The insulated World- The Screams of Alienation’, that marked the end, remained as a possibility until the last moment to finally being cancelled as well. I think that was a tough decision.
D: It really was. It would have been the fans and the band just meeting……It’s a bit strange to say, but if that were all was about, we could have done it. But we couldn’t do our live. Naturally, we could have changed the arena tickets and the standing that were being sold as seating tickets, also, you needed to leave an empty seat between people at that time. And after all, if you have to be ventilating all the time, you won’t be able to use things like smoke, or certain things on the stage. If we have gone through that, Dir en grey may have been the first band in the world to perform a concert like that, which would had made us the reference for other bands for the future…
At that point,we were wondering if it would be best to be the first ones to do it but, after all, our live couldn’t be materialized as we wanted so as we couldn’t do it, we decided to cancel. It was also the closure of 'The insulated world’ (2018), so it wouldn’t be finally closed. It’s nice to have a live performance, but in the place where we were going to show the culmination of what we’ve been touring for the past 1-2 years, even though we did those lives performances, there wouldn’t be any special production due to Corona.
-It would have been simply like a fact, “we did them because we had to”.
D: That’s right. We felt like we were going to get catch up with out activities for the future. It was a tough decision. We really wanted to do something in order to be able to do the performances and we were looking for a way to do them, so the announcement of cancelation was made at very last minute. During days, we were going from the phase of “Yes, we can do it” to “No, we can’t” during the whole day.
-You have just transmitted that sense of tension here, the feeling of going against the timing….When the tickets were about to be on general say, you cancelled the performances.
D: Yes, it happened around that point. It’s hard to imagine playing a live with social distance due to the current situation. We have been active until now, and we have been watching the crowded audience all the time. I don’t think otherwise it would be a Dir en grey’s live, spaced apart and with everyone not being able to say a word (shouting/cheering). If we had to do it in such conditions, I don’t think it’s necessary to do the performances.
“Oh, is this our distinctive mark? I wonder if this uniqueness is something that can’t be imitated anywhere else”
-Meanwhile, the new single "Ochita koto no aru Sora” was completed. While it’s filled with DIR EN GREY essence, such as a heavy riffs, a fierce chorus, and a catchy melody, I felt that you made this song made with a strong feeling of scepticism/caution.
D: I see. If you put aside the last song 10-minute song 'The World of Mercy’, it’s a song that seems to be following the flow of “Utafumi” and “Ningen wo kaburu”. It seems they are following a pattern as songs that we release as singles. I wonder if that’s possible to be done. There is no guitar solo.
-It’s a song quite solid overall.
D: That’s right. The (guitar) phrase is changing little by little due to the composition the riffs, but it feels like I’m aggressively pushing the riffs all the time. It’s like adding nuances that change the scene so clearly.
-It’s like a seamlessly connected melody flowing.
D: Yeah. The atmosphere flows as it is, but I wonder if the details will change in the future. I wonder if this feeling of scepticism/caution you mentioned is one of our unique traits. That’s why I didn’t feel like trying to make it sound different. I think this style is the middle point of the current DIR EN GREY. The feeling of this uniqueness that we have created is the most suitable for us.
- So, you just let it out without trying to knead it strangely.
D: That’s right. If you think about it in various ways, you can develop it more and make it more attractive, but I want to go with a pattern that runs through the core without any strange element. However, it is surprisingly difficult to make such a thing. After all, it’s easier as a pattern to make a development in the middle of the song. After all, it’s difficult to create a high point in a song like it is floating on air.
-Ah, I see. If the atmosphere of the back is modulated in a completely different form, it’s easier to get that you did the song with the intention of making a high point.
D: It’s kind of easy to do that way, isn’t it? However, instead of going like that, it’s 3 minutes and 20 seconds of a song with consist mostly of one consistent riff. However, when I played the guitar in the recording, actually it was quite dizzying. Even if the riff repeated, it may not be exactly always following the same pattern, so it is always thrilling.
- Certainly, the pattern of riff changes in the first half and the second half.
D: Oh yes. I wonder if this our distinctive mark. I wonder if this uniqueness is a method that can’t be imitated anywhere else
-So, do you think that that aspect is established as a tacit understanding between the members?
D: Yes, I wonder if it became like this naturally. There were quite a few developments but in the process of pre-production, I went to the direction of scraping off and scraping off the guitar (*An effect created by scraping the pick along the strings of an electric guitar).
I don’t overdub (*a technique used in audio recording where a passage has been pre-recorded, and then during replay, another part is recorded to go along with the original) as much as I used to.
After all, in the old days, I was relieved to do it in that way but, that’s not how you are going to play it live (laughs). It’s quite courageous not to do it. If it’s a recording, you can record several layers of sound, but since you only play live the original, how can you compete with what sounds there? And this time, I could hardly take a break while working at home as I couldn’t barely get out of my house.
- So, due to this unusual event going on, the schedule changed significantly.
D: That’s right. I think we will be aware of this later. It feels like “Oh we did this single under these circumstances” or “at the time of this single, we were under a lockdown”, things like that.
- By the way, this time the chorus… isn’t the pattern a bit difficult to do while playing live?
D: No, it comes in at a good timing. Kyo has thought about the chorus with the flow of the song. If you think about the all the set of instruments will be played live at some point, it’s easier to get focused in the moment when the sound is rising up but when it’s in the riff or in the back timing, It’s almost impossible (laughs) If you are playing at this speed.
As usual, when we were going to record the chorus, the lyrics were given to us for the first time. As it is in English, the timing is quite difficult.
“Each member was strangely trying to not to assemble with each other. I like the rough feeling of those days”
-I feel like that chorus is very DIR EN GREY once again. Also, about the remake of 'Clever Sleazoid’. The lyrics have changed to Japanese, but the impression of the song is that it’s relatively faithful to the original.
D: Yes. In terms of backing, we haven’t changed it much from the original one, and we just raised the tempo a little. Also, it’s a moment in which we re-recorded it with our own sound. And when it comes to guitars, it’s more like the two guitars are playing closer together. The the original song was released around 2005, at that time, each of us were playing with our own sense of timing. Every of us were disconnected from the others, but there was a feeling of everything coming. But now, I wonder we did it with a pattern that fits tightly in unison.
-You just mentioned it but, what do you think is the biggest difference between Dir en grey in 2005 and Dir en grey today?
D: Well…..Really, 2005 was a transitional period for the band, or a time when we were looking for a little change. Everything was trembling, in a good an in a bad way as well. It was such a time like that. Personally speaking, it’s better now……it’s bad that I say this, but it was like “am I playing guitar properly?” kind of.
-Hahaha. Really? was it like that?
D: Yes. But surprisingly, I like the rough feelings at that time. It feels like each member wasn’t trying to get connected with each other strangely, and it feels like everyone was playing it while only caring about their position. I remember the atmosphere of 2005 quite a bit.
-In 2005, Dir en grey participated in the Japan leg of the tour 'Taste of Chaos’, and I remember the festival on the studio coast.
D:, Ah yes yes. Thinking about it now, wasn’t it rare?
-I agree. Besides you, there was Killswitch Engage….
D: Also, The used, STORY OF THE YEAR, Funeral For A Friend, etc.
-Yes. That band (Killswitch) was really exciting.
D: Yes. we used to get together at festivals with Killswitch Engage at that time. I also did two-man in France.
-So, as you said, I feel that Dir en grey at that time was in a rough and emotionless moment.
D: Yes, it was like that. Even if I was standing on the stage, it was more about how could I raise my own mood/tension rather than doing it for the fans who came to see us, so if I was in a bad mood, I would stay in a bad mood. But well, at that time, we were playing with that kind of mood/atmosphere: if you don’t like this, then you shouldn’t come to see us.
-If it’s a festival focused on overseas bands like ‘Taste of chaos’, as some people in the audience didn’t know Dir en grey, did that that feeling of irritation come to the forefront?
D: Rather than……at that time, I knew about other bands only by name, but honestly, I was wondering “What the hell is everyone clapping for?”. It looked more like buttering up the audience. It was like “Ah, this is so shallow”. But there are a quite things that I can reflect on now. There were times when I wasn’t kind to the fans.
-That was also reflected on the changes of your music style?
D: That’s it. Back then, it was all about playing guitar. I thought it was pointless if I didn’t shake the guitar off all the way. That’s why I barely listen to the sound of the other members when we were playing live. Things like, matching the rhythm of the drums. This was something that the staff would sometimes point out to me. “Listen to what the others are playing, keep the rhythm more”, things like that.
-At that time, when they told you that, what did you say?
D: I said “Oh, yes” and I tried to do what I was asked to do, but once the live started I was like “Waa, let’s go” (laughs) It was good and bad, isn’t it?
-So, as you said, I feel that Dir en grey at that time was in a rough and emotionless moment.
D: Yes, it was like that. Even if I was standing on the stage, it was more about how could I raise my own mood/tension rather than doing it for the fans who came to see us, so if I was in a bad mood, I would stay in a bad mood. But well, at that time, we were playing with that kind of mood/atmosphere: if you don’t like this, then you shouldn’t come to see us.
-If it’s a festival focused on overseas bands like ‘Taste of chaos’, as some people in the audience didn’t know Dir en grey, did that that feeling of irritation come to the forefront?
D: Rather than……at that time, I knew about other bands only by name, but honestly, I was wondering “What the hell is everyone clapping for?”. It looked more like buttering up the audience. It was like “Ah, this is so shallow”. But there are a quite things that I can reflect on now. There were times when I wasn’t kind to the fans.
-That was also reflected on the changes of your music style?
D: That’s it. Back then, it was all about playing guitar. I thought it was pointless if I didn’t shake the guitar off all the way. That’s why I barely listen to the sound of the other members when we were playing live. Things like, matching the rhythm of the drums. This was something that the staff would sometimes point out to me. “Listen to what the others are playing, keep the rhythm more”, things like that.
-At that time, when they told you that, what did you say?
D: I said “Oh, yes” and I tried to do what I was asked to do, but once the live started I was like “Waa, let’s go” (laughs) It was good and bad, isn’t it?
-So, when you listen to 'Clever Sleazoid, do you remember those days?
D: Yes. It was around the time we started playing at Shinkiba (Studio coast), so the image of Shinkiba’s lives is very present. Later, we started going abroad, so it really was a time in which the band started to change again. Well, there are many things to reflect on. I used to hit the guitar a lot. I wasn’t happy so I would lose my temper soon. As I made a lot of mistakes during a live, I would be like “what the hell are you doing?”, it’s like being crazy like that would be part of my attitude. I piled the anger up more and more, and when I noticed; I already threw the guitar away. Then, I was like “This is broken” (the guitar).
- Don’t make the musical instrument makers cry….
D: Well, at that time, it was more like I felt sorry for doing it. It’s a little off topic, but I went to the ESP factory for the first time this year. So, if you see the process of making guitars from the scratch, after that, you’ll never throw a guitar. Everyone was there making them from the scratch so carefully, it’s different than seeing the final result.
-So, it was like “I can’t treat my guitars like that”.
D: Throwing them it’s not ok.
-(Laughs)
D: That’s why I think "Clever Sleazoid” was done when the band was at the last minute, when the band was at that changing period. Maybe…. somehow, it was like a routine for us to make songs, release albums, and touring. Of course, each of them is important, but when it comes to tours, there were a lot of them, so somewhere we got used to that. It was something like that. Especially when I think about it now, I strongly feel that it wasn’t reasonable. At that time, we were touring as a matter of course, fans came to see us as a matter of course and you could say that the things we were doing at that moment were a luxury/privilege.
-You are for sure fully realizing that it was like that.
D: That’s right. I was doing everything based on my emotions and I showed a lot of my shameful side.
-I think that such ups and downs are also what embodies a band called DIR EN GREY that is directly linked to emotions.
D: Hahaha, is that so? Really, I remember the good things and the bad as well from that period. I think the way the members perceive things has changed a lot in the last 15 years.
- But at that time, hearing the impression of overseas bands that you had at that time(laughs).
D: We were going to festivals at that time, right? And everyone was there asking for the applause so to me it was like “what the…?”. I wondered why they didn’t aim to be cooler on stage instead of that. I thought it was because it was a festival, and everyone was excited. Like, “move more like this”, “show yourself more in that position”, “more around like that” ….it was like that at that moment.
-There was also a boom in screamo and post-hardcore bands.
D: Yes. So, as we were going abroad, we experienced several things as a band. I went overseas with that unsatisfactory feeling because we would be part of festivals and I really felt that we couldn’t pass through the world with the feelings of our live.
“The challenge was what kind of live performance we were going to do in front of Deftones’ fans”
-Did you change your mind by the time you were part of KORN’s “Family Values Tour” in 2006?
D: The change was around that time…. however, it wasn’t even at that exact moment. I feel like we were still playing only focusing on ourselves and we didn’t look around us. However, people who liked us would come to see us, so a new perspective was born. If we haven’t gone abroad as we wouldn’t have seen things from that angle, we probably wouldn’t have changed. If we’ve kept always playing just in front of fans who liked us, I honestly think that I might have been playing more and more just to satisfy myself.
-I wonder if Dir en grey would be as strong as it is now without that experience.
D: I don’t think so. We were part of a festival in Germany and people threw stuff at us…. That things like that happened to us…. I think it’s good we had that kind of experiences.
-The sharp/bitter feeling of that moment is different now. Currently, I feel that this made your core stonger.
D: Well, when you think about the concerts you did in the past, the feeling is different. In the past, I was in a band, but it felt more like “It’s because I can’t do it alone”. It was like each member has to do it (their part) but now, in order to sound as a band, it is necessary to listen to the members and make the sound. It’s I am 1/5 of that. Otherwise, it won’t reach the fans. I don’t care if my energy goes up there. It’s a chance to create a unified sound or to stand out as an individual. After all, the sound becomes messy even if only one person rushes, and I think you have to play consciously so that a unified sound can be produced. So now, what I want from a live performance has changed. Probably because I experienced several things. However, even though I gained experience touring overseas, our live performances didn’t get mellow.
-Yes, that’s for sure. That’s why several overseas bands were interested in DIR EN GREY.
D: For example, we toured with Deftones at the “Family Values Tour” and they watched us live, so they called us to be their support band for their next Deftones headline tour. We had the opportunity play in front of Deftones fans, and the challenge was what kind of live we were going to do. As expected, even there, the overseas staff told us, “Why don’t you instigate the crowd?” “Do you want to be appealing more to the fans?” “Why don’t you ask for more applause?” (Laughs)
-Again, the clapping (laughs)
D: That’s how the culture is over there, right? It was also a tour where the atmosphere/mood got really bad. For the whole month we were told to interact with the fans more. Even in places that weren’t related to the venue. I can communicate more with the overseas staff because I don’t have to speak English that much but they would told us things like ….“say hello”, “if the fans say something to you, say something back”…..
-Eh? Things like that?
D: We were pretending to be cool even when the fans were waiting. (laughs)
-Hahahaha
D: I couldn’t believe that the staff over there was telling us that. Things like “you have to be friendlier with the fans”. For us, it was like “Why are they telling us things like this? It’s awful”.
-You were the type of band that you wouldn’t see over there but I think that there were people interested in that atmosphere.
D: That might be true. Well, a lot of stuff happened.
“This is everything I am. This is my axis”
-Then, let’s change the topic, let’s talk about the “20 albums that inspired you” you chose this time. Looking at the selection of Japanese music, there are many works where you can feel the taste of beat rock, punk, and rock and roll, but are these the roots of your flesh and blood?
D: That’s right…. there is no metal, right?
-That’s true.
D: If my musical roots were metal, there would be a lot of different albums so my play style would have been completely different. I also think that my guitar would be different and if I were a metal guitarist, Dir en grey would have been closer to metal music in a different way as well.
-There is a sense of balance in Dir en grey because your style comes from that position, isn’t there?
D: That might be why (our music) is not completely metal.
-Among the albums, you chose D'ERLANGER and BODY because their guitarist is CIPHER.
D: Well, this is everything I am. This is my axis. Regarding D’ERLANGER, I mentioned the album from their last live because that’s the one I heard the most. "LA VIE EN ROSE” (1989) and “BASILISK” (1990) were released as albums, weren’t they? But when it comes to live performances, the sound is totally different. The live album has a raw feel, it feels very alive, and the more I listen to it, the more elements I find out…. Like the flexibility of the strings, the picking is too strong and the sound is a little off, the phrase is different from the album or there is no sound….
-You are considerately listening to it in an intense way….
D: Yes. There is too much sense of being a real live in it, so I heard this the most.
-This degree of perfection is reflected in “D'ERLANGER TRIBUTE ALBUM ~ Stairway to Heaven~” announced in 2017 by D'ERLANGER. It was cool that you covered “EASY MAKE, EASY MARK” recorded in this live.
D: Including arrangements, CIPHER told me that he “felt a lot of love” in it (laughs)
-Like the live performance, while being full of love, the essence of DIR EN GREY is there too. That’s a good example of how to do a cover.
D: Certainly, when I was working on that cover, I felt like I was doing our own song.
-Next is CRAZE “That’s life" (1996). A long time ago, I remember that you chose and covered the song “Kizu” at the FC limited live of DIR EN GREY in 2001
D: Ah, yes yes. I did “Kizu” and D'ERLANGER as well. How could I say this?…….in a few words, the best album.
-Especially at this era, the members had an edgy image, and their atmosphere was hard to approach.
D: That’s right. The atmosphere was also cool, you don’t get used to it, the 4 wolfs (the members of CRAZE) personality is realistically reflected in the song. I felt like “Kizu” represented how I felt, and that passion and power was so real. It’s different than D’ERLANGER but CRAZE was also the coolest band for me. Then, didn’t I choose something from Ziggy as well?
-Yes, “KOOL KIZZ” (1990) which is also a good album. The famous song “DONT STOP BELIEVING” is also included in this work.
D: That’s right. I knew ZIGGY before knowing D'ERLANGER, and I practise guitar copying them. So, if I hadn’t known D’ERLANGER, I would probably have become a rock and roll guitarist (laughs) Carrying a Les Paul guitar, playing rock and roll, with long hair with a little perm.
-Well, I’m not kidding when I say that would look good though.
“Jonathan Davis from KORN said, ‘I like the melody of the chorus’ and sang ‘Saku’ in front of me.”
-On the other hand, Western music has an alternative atmosphere as a whole, when it comes to pop, there are many catchy songs. Furthermore, there are bands like Tool and System of a Down.
D: I think in that area, I was inspired by listening to these bands since I started doing DIR EN GREY. My interest in how make music, how the live sound was, and how the sound of the CD turned out, was also very big. Also, for example, when we were invited by KORN (Family Values Tour 2006), it was our first long tour abroad, and there were many things to absorb around us. It seems like we were struck by the American style and the style of overseas tours. It was a time when all sorts of things were stimulating.
-How did the members feel about the “Family Values Tour”, as there were many things that you had to face for the first time?
D: Well….at first there were moments that it felt like “is this okay?”. We were the only Japanese band, and there were crazy bands like KORN, Deftones, and Stone Sour, and we’re like in the middle of them. Besides, we’ve never done a live in a daily basis.
-Didn’t it make you feel confident to be part of that line up?
D: Well…. the feeling that we experienced several things is stronger. At the time, the internet wasn’t very good yet, so it made me feel homesick (laughs). The only way to get in contact with the people that was in Japan was by email. Even doing lives and going on tour with the frequency we did in Japan, I can’t even tell the distance we travelled through Japan. This tour was around the whole country, so the distances felt big. We had never left Japan for a month and a half, so I would say that overall, we did well. After all, this was the start of touring in America, wasn’t it?
-KORN made it easier for Dir en grey, right?
D: They made it really good for us. Jonathan (KORN’s vocalist) liked “Saku” very much and he told me “I like the melody of the chorus” and sang the melody in front of me.
-That’s amazing, that Jonathan Davis sings “Saku”!
D: Jonathan often watched our live performances and listened to our songs. I’m grateful for that.
-Besides that, Fair to Midland from USA and My Vitriol from the UK are also among your choices.
D: We toured together with Fair to Midland in 2007. When we did our first tour on our own, they went around with us as opening band. If I do something in another side project, their songs are so good that I want to do something like that. My Vitriol is a band influenced by My Bloody Valentine, I wonder why they don’t sell more, to me, they are in the same line that Fair to Midland. The chord work and the feeling of the melodies make the best combination. I’ve been wondering why they didn’t release a second one (album). Like, nothing at all (laughs). Then, in 2016 I didn’t know that it came out as it was released secretly*. It’s highly recommended. I can’t help but want to watch them live so much.
*In 2016, My Vitriol released their second studio album through a funding campaign at PledgeMusic ( online direct-to-fan music plattform).It was a limited released fanbase-only album, that’s why Die says it was released “secretly”.
“I felt like something is crawling inside me. I never had that feeling before”
-What is your impression of Tool?
D: We were together at a Polish festival in 2007, and despite being a festival, the live performance was perfect. It was like…. “Why does this sound like this?” That’s why I couldn’t move during the live performance. They nailed it from the beginning until the end. I was close to the PA table for a while, but it was too shocking. Not only the sound, but also the direction and the construction of the songs, they are all art. It’s not like music anymore, it’s like transcending everything…. It seems like I’m watching a movie, and I felt like something was crawling inside me, I never had that feeling before. Anyway, the live performance at that time was too amazing for me.
-If you want to make something like that, you will have to release an album every 5-6 years?
D: Hahaha! Wasn’t their latest work the first one in 13 years? I’m surprised (laughs).
-That’s right. One of the albums you chose is from System of a Down, but did you like them from the beginning?
D: Well, that’s what happened. It’s an indescribable style, but I think DIR EN GREY was also quite fierce in the past. There were times when riffs were not straightforward and “system-like”, flying as words among the members.
-Did that happen? It’s a valuable story. Last but not least, what kind of expectations do you have for the future?
D: Honestly, when it comes to concerts, I guess under these circumstances we won’t be able to do any. We couldn’t finish the flow of “The Insulated World” and we had to move on to the next step, so we are going to start working on the album. All the tour scheduled are gone, right? So, we can work on it before we had planned it. I wish I can write songs, record them and be active in 2021…. that’s exactly what I want, what I couldn’t do in 2020. I would like to tour until I burn out.
Zdroj:https://thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness.tumblr.com/post/635167570859835392/die-personal-interview-special-headbang-vol27
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