Dir En Grey-Uroboros

The End
2008



Japanese band Dir en Grey have been cranking out their bizarre and exciting brand of chaotic metal for over a decade. If I was slowly going insane then I imagine that this album would be very appropriate soundtrack to that journey. The band manages to tap into normal even soothing moments, but they quickly break open the shell and various sounds and tones coming spilling out all at once. One of the bands best traits is their ability to keep these odd pieces moving rather than letting take on too much of a life of their own. They do manage to build and maintain intensity while interjecting enough melodic moments to keep the mood from becoming too dark. Unfortunately they do fall into the self-indulgent track at times and get further off track than they really needed to.There are moments of repetition that don't contribute a great deal to the overall feel of the album. However they do manage to rectify those situations rather quickly. Like blood pumping through your body Dir En Grey manage to keep producing ideas and then slip them into the system to keep things working. I think they do a fine job of keeping a balance between styles and tones as well. That is something that sets them apart from other artists playing experimental metal these days.