How Does Anyone Really Like Dir en grey?

It’s funny how radically different musical tastes can be. I was scanning through the Comcast On Demand music videos and came across a video for the song “Agitated Screams of Maggots” by the Japanese band “Dir en grey”. After approving dozens of comments about Kyo, Toshiya, Shinya, and Die, I figured I see what all the fuss was about. See if maybe I had, via this site, managed to discover a new band to throw on the ‘ole iPod.

After all, the band must be something special if the rank as one of the greatest hard rock artists and greatest rock bands of all time, consist of one of the greatest singers of all time, one of the best bassists, one of the best metal guitarists, and one of the best rock drummers. Especially if the have not squandered their talent and have instead managed to record one of the best metal songs ever.

So with my remote I navigated to the video and pressed play. It may have been my lofty expectations or my desire to hear something unique that influenced my perception, but what I heard was far from entertaining or even, dare I say, good. What I heard blaring from my speakers was so short of what I would expect from a band with so many accolades. While I probably shouldn’t formulate an opinion based on a single piece of work, I really have no motivation to spend another 3 minutes of my time giving the band a second chance.

The point I making, however, is not that Dir en grey is not a good band, it is just that in my opinion, they seem to be formulaic, unoriginal, and basically un-listenable. My point is that there are people out there who do like the music as evidenced by the fact that their votes along with a healthy portion of sampling error, have pushed the band towards the top of so many lists.

This fascinates me. It always seems strange to me that people could have opinions that are so genuinely different from my own. Evidently, my tastes in music are outside of the mainstream, but I still find myself thinking that if people really listened to the music I like, they would have no choice but to like it too.

It is still hard for me to believe that a person could really think Dir en grey could be the best band they have ever heard. The thought always creeps into my mind that if people who say this really took the time to listen to “good” music, they would rethink their opinion. Of course, a Dir en grey fan may very well think the very same thing about me.

Posted March 5, 2007 by admin in response to the list of Greatest Rock Band Of All Time.

Comments on How Does Anyone Really Like Dir en grey?

“hahaha i like this post coz it is so true^^

i can imagine how people went confused after hearing a band that described as the best band in the word made a song like agitated scream of maggots^^

actually i am a huge fans of dir en grey. and you made a good point when saying it is not fair to make an opinion based on single piece of work because they usually made songs that sounds so different each other

if you have time try listening their more unique songs such as macabe, mask, berry (i would't mind to upload it) seriously it sounds sooo different to agitated that will make u wonder if it's performed by the same band”

anonymous

“dir en grey is a copy of D'ERLANGER and i try to dominate them because they (D'ERLANGER) is better than dir en grey and X-JAPAN in terms of hard rock sound. There are also underrated bands like MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, DIE IN CRIES but it is only when they get connection. and other one is DEAD END”

ronluna

“Picked probably one of the worse songs to start with. Dir en Grey stand out because of their range and unique sound. Granted, alot of their newer stuff sounds like generic metal to us because they adapted to suit the Western style of music more, but they have some golden moments. If you want to be fair listen to Cage and Ryoujoku no ame.”

anonymous

“older dir en greythey are more better now

dozing green is one of their newest songs that i like”

ronluna

““Agitated Screams of Maggots” is kind of a unique song among Dir En Grey's albums.

Their music is extremely varied.”

anonymous

“Dir en grey is one of my favorite bands, but Agitated Screams of Maggots probably wasn't one the best choices to start with. :/
Their music varies a lot, and you should try listening to some of their older work. Personally, my favorite albums were Kisou, and Vulgar. Before they went Westernized, I mean. You should try listening to some of their more tame songs like Ryoujoku No Ame, THE FINAL, Higeki Ha, etc.”

anonymous

“I can see why you would think that the band isn't anything special but I think that if you listened to a few more of their songs you might see why people like them so much.

Agitated screams of maggots is one of their more heavier songs, if you try listening to more of their stuff you will probably find that they have a large range of different styles and sounds that tend to change a lot between each album.

Personally I think that they are a very unique band and that the lead singer has a very good range of vocals. If you get the time I would recommend you try out a good number of songs and you might find that you like them.”

anonymous

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