Since the release of 人間を被る, there have been numerous speculations as to the nature of this new album. Sensing what seemed like a return to the Withering to Death sound, many fans eagerly waited for the release date. In August, it was finally announced for 9/26, the first album in almost 4 years! Then, the music video for Ranunculus was released. With 詩踏み, 人間を被る, and now Ranunculus, we had almost no idea what to expect. Personally, my favorite albums have always been Uroboros and Dum Spiro Spero, so I had been praying for a little more aggression and unrelenting darkness. Arche had been great for experimentation and mid-tempo tracks, but I was ready for something intense again. Fortunately, I was not let down.

After my first listen: The album is fast paced and energetic. I felt that Dir en grey may had lost some aggressiveness after Arche and the following singles, but now I see they have just streamlined it. This album was really fun to listen to, and Kyo's voice seems to have matured, even more than it already had. Die and Kaoru's guitars also stand out a lot. There is this new sound that seems almost 3D, although that may not be the best way to describe it. And as always, amongst the music, Toshiya's bass stands out the most. Shinya's drumming was also top notch, although I didn't notice anything particularly spectacular. There are some of those very clean progressive parts like in 赫 and Followers, but overall the album retains a gritty unpolished sound with influences from thrash, groove, and death metal. Obviously, though, Dir en grey is just their own musical genre.

After my second time: I'm noticing more of the subtleties of this album. The Insulated World, in contrast to Arche, contains a much more high speed and brutal styling. It is gritty and rough, but there is still a hidden beauty not lost amongst the chaos. Speaking of which, I am particularly enjoying the rerecordings on disc two very much, especially THE DEEPER VILENESS. The live tracks are also fun to listen to, but they never compare to actually being at one of their performances.

After two weeks:

DISC 1 : 
1. 軽蔑と始まり (Keibetsu to Hajimari): This is definitely the heaviest intro track of all the Dir en grey discography. With influence from deathrash to groove metal, 軽蔑と始まりserves as a great way to introduce this album and its gritty aggressiveness. Particularly, I really love the bass solo halfway through. Altogether, it is such an intense, yet well put together headbanger of a intro.

2. Devote My Life: With rolling drums and bass accompanied by screechy guitars to match Kyo's shrieks, this track approaches the listener as a chaotic storm. It's fast paced, heavy, and electrifying. No clean vocals. Just intense.

3. 人間を被る (Ningen wo Kaburu): We are all familiar with this one already. Catchy chorus and nu-metalish rap shouting. I wasn't sure how it was going to fit in an album with 詩踏み and Ranuculus, but after hearing the first two tracks, it seems to match very well. This kind of raw aggression mixed with melodic versus and guitars makes for a little breather from the screechiness of Devote My Life.

4. Celebrate Empty Howls: I love the grooviness here! Actually, now I must give credit to Shinya. I totally take back what I said earlier; his brutal attack on his drum kit in the intro reminds me once again that his thin, fragile appearance can be so deceiving. For instrumentals, he definitely takes the lead here. As for Kyo, his high pitch choir vocals are back! He definitely takes the chance to demonstrate his power and range, and after the mid-song breakdown, he comes back with a deep growl, followed once again by screeching howls. Or should I say empty howls? That is obviously the correct description for them.

5. 詩踏み (Utafumi): The album version is slightly altered from the single. It sounds a little dirtier and raw, but it hasn't lost its "insanity of insanity" vibe. Super catchy guitar rifts and guttural growls only Kyo can produce barrage the listener with an ironically comforting volley of destructive power. While this rerecorded version seems to match the album slightly more than the single, I'm still not a big fan of the background synthesizers during the chorus. They just seem a little out of place.

6. Rubbish Heap: This mid-album track, with an intro composed of what sounds like an electric banjo, comes at the listener with more super high pitched vocals, but this time, in waves, followed by aggressive shouts, melodic screams, and satisfyingly haunting melodies. The way the whole band coordinates so efficiently comes off as somewhat playful, but really well done. Great track!

7. 赫 (Aka): The first track with a calm melody. Toshiya's memorizing bass echoes throughout its entirety. Kyo's catchy verses and less distortion on the guitars in the beginning bring a real cleanliness to the climatic manner of the previous two tracks. Shinya's precise drum work, with Karou and Die's dirty riffs, accompanied by the mid-song guitar solo, add to the progressive value of 赫. Really well put together middle tempo track to bring on the rest of the album.

8. Values of Madness: A hurricane of Kyo's rapping and growls, nu-metal and groove metal rhythms, and lots of distortion. The highly catchy chorus adds to the splendor of this blend of heavy and melodic. Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the whole album.

9. Downfall: The rapid delivery of the intro is followed by some grinding verses with Kyo's echoey voice to bring on some grimy riffs. This is followed, once again, by a volley of shouts, growls, and screams; Kyo's voice goes in all directions here. Around 2:10, a climatic clean verse is added to give the song a bit more weight.  

10. Followers: The intro consists of some sort of sound effects we would find in a science fiction horror / cyber punk film. Followers is, at its core, a progressive metal track with a thumping bass and clean vocals. Except for the intro and some creepy guitar effects, this song is probably most reminiscent of Arche's mid-tempo. There is a pleasingly placed guitar solo around 2:08, something not found all too often on this particular album. Finally, it closes with the same kind of effects we hear in the intro. Aliens? 

11. 谿壑の欲 (Keigaku no Yoku): This is the most mesmerizing track on the album. With such an addictive and rhythmic beat, the listener gets pulled in and hypnotized by the almost heart beat structure which permeates throughout its 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I appreciate the use of synths here, especially between clean and aggressive bits. They actually push the song forward and give it some more value as opposed to in 詩踏み. This track gets dirty at intervals with aggressive shouts and growls, almost in line with Dead Tree. And just as the listener is expecting more enchanting verses or breakdowns, 谿壑の欲 suddenly stops. I want more.

12. 絶縁体 (Zetsuentai): Was there an insect buzzing against the mic? Regardless, it sets the tone for another eerie atmosphere. Similar to Followers, this is a pretty progressive track, but I would say it has far more of an Uroboros vibe than Arche. While it includes a nice melody, there is an intense breakdown with some really dirty riffs, followed by a graceful guitar solo. At 7:20 long, this track serves to impact.

13. Ranunculus: After such a gritty and raw album, we are left with Ranunculus, a mostly clean and dare I say, uplifting track? Everything about it is brilliant. The melody blends well with the few powerful riffs as well as Kyo's high, but not ear piercingly high, vocals. The album version is about 30 seconds longer than the single with an extended outro. More importantly, though, is that this track is amazing live! I was lucky to hear it back in April 2018 and it instantly got stuck in my head. Such a great way to end The Insulated World. 

DISC 2 :
14. 鬼眼 (Kigan): Although a remake, this version retains the sound of the original for the most part. I noticed a few new tricks though, especially in Toshiya's bass. Kyo's vocals are a little more stable, but he is still able to retain those demonic tones in the chorus. The gang shouts are great and the added death growls and death screams in the later part set this remake apart from the original. Fortunately, though, Kyo's rolling of his syllables has remained. 

15. THE DEEPER VILENESS: This was one of the songs I was looking forward to the most when I saw the track list for the first time. They have started doing rerecordings of The Marrow of a Bone!  Ironically, it became cleaner, while still being so dirty! Instead of maintaining one pattern of screaming, Kyo alternated between death growls, screams, and controlled shouts. The instrumentals are also tight and streamlined. The guitars and bass in particular stand out more. Overall, it seems like a healthier way to attempt the track. It is what I would expect from a more matured Dir en grey, a band who has obviously not lost their edge.

16. 理由 (Wake): Especially after the release of a Vestige of Scratches, 理由 became one of my top listened to songs. Honestly, I was thinking of how great it would be if they could rerecord it, and to my surprise, they did! This new version is a little less nasally while still retaining the melody of the original. The way Kyo rearranged some of the lines, especially the final verses, lead it to be more welly developed and finely polished. The chorus in particular really improved! Also, the guitars get a little more attention with a more evolved and prominent sound, which serves to guide the bass lines. This rerecording, was definitely an A+!

-17. 腐海 (Fukai) [LIVE] (*Live Take at SHINKIBA STUDIO COAST on June 30, 2018)
-18. Ash [LIVE] (*Live Take at SHINKIBA STUDIO COAST on June 30, 2018)
-19. Beautiful Dirt [LIVE] (*Live Take at SHINKIBA STUDIO COAST on June 30, 2018)

:The live tracks are fun! I am really excited for the next tour!

Conclusion:

If I had to make a comparison, The Insulated World would be a cross between Dum Spiro Spero and Vulgar, with some Arche thrown in. Of course I see the similarities to Withering to Death, but there is so much more depth and experimentation related tendencies to it. No matter what my opinion, though, it doesn't matter. All Dir en grey releases are unique, and this has held true for over two decades. It is not worth trying to examine which album's style The Insulated World most closely resembles. When it comes to Dir en grey, we can only patiently wait for what will come next.

The most important thing is that I haven't been able to not listen to this album since its release. What pleases me the most is that every time I listen, I notice something new. Some small detail that I hadn't noticed before exposes itself. I'm super excited to hear them perform this album live. The Insulated World encompasses everything Dir en grey until now, while also being totally unique and original. As I said about the rerecording of THE DEEPER VILENESS, this is a matured Dir en grey who has not lost their edge. Instead, their music has been streamlined, polished, while also being gritty, rough, and experimental.

For negative points I would say that The Insulated World probably lacks some of the more intense advantgardeness of previous albums and some tracks may feel like a recycling of the Dir en grey standard. Having said that, however, there is still a great deal of experimentation. At the very least, bringing back old elements and applying them to their later sound has created something worth listening to.

I definitely recommend this album to any fan, new or old. Even for first time listeners. Enjoy!

Rating: 10/10 (10/11 Dir en grey scale)