DATE: 2/13/2009
RATING: n/a
URL: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/02/13/100618.php

With their first North American DVD release, Japanese rockers Dir En Grey offer fans a glimpse into three taxing years of touring, blood, and lunacy.

With seven full length records to date and a line-up that has remained constant since day one, Dir En Grey is quickly piling up quite an audience in Europe and North America. Already huge in Japan, their international success is notable for a band whose lyrics are primarily in Japanese (with a few exceptions, of course).

Musically, I was very impressed with Dir En Grey’s latest record Uroboros and even had it in tenth place for my favourite albums of 2008. Up until A Knot Of, however, I had not experienced the visual facet of this band’s primeval traditions.

This DVD is literally a whirlwind trip through Dir En Grey’s years on the road. The presentation is exciting and frenzied, giving viewers a sense of the madness of a characteristic show without disclosing too much. In many ways, A Knot Of is a lot like a 90-minute music video with splices of songs and concert footage arranged in dizzying style.

Shots of worn out and wound up fans emerging from or lining up for Dir En Grey shows pepper the DVD, offering a chance to check out how the concert experience impacts the fans. Dir En Grey has an emotional bond with their fans that is almost spiritual and it’s fascinating to observe it up close.

A Knot Of whips viewers through several tour locales, including the Rock am Ring in 2005 and 2006, Wacken Open Air, the Family Values Tour in 2006, and a U.S. tour with the Deftones in the summer of 2007. Each show is distinctive and dazzling in its own way, with the band offering fans an expressive event like few other groups can offer.

Vocalist Kyo is riveting, regularly putting his body on the line for the fans. He fishhooks himself in numerous venues, drawing blood and smearing it across his face. The visuals of this might be disconcerting for some, as Kyo’s emotions are laid bare in fierce and often horrible ways with each performance. His vocal range is as vicious as his stage presence, offering fans a window to his tortured soul.

Guitarists Die and Kaoru are fun to watch as they jam the hell out of the band’s heavy catalogue. While the music on A Knot Of is presented in snippets (for the most part), inquiring individuals will still catch an unambiguous hint of what to expect from this Japanese quintet. It is impossible to deliver a track listing that does A Knot Of any justice. This is not a classic live concert DVD. Instead, it is a compilation of visceral, energetic, aggressive, passionate footage from the sharp touring schedule of Dir En Grey. Fans will love it, children will be terrified, and nosy onlookers will be rapt by the charisma of this masterful congregation of monsters.


(click to enlarge)