Uroboros (album)

Following the finale of their 2007 touring, much of the song writing was completed on an individual basis in January and February 2008, without the members meeting to collaborate.{{Cite journal | title = Gansonaki Kaoru-ya| journal = Haiiro No Ginka| volume = 39| year = 2008 }} The original announcement of recording was slated for the beginning of 2008,{{cite web|url= http://www.planet-loud.com/v6/interview.php?interview_id=1078|title= Planet Loud interviews Dir En Grey|access-date= 2008-07-05|last= Hemy|first= Dominic|date= 2007-11-02|format= Interview|work= planet-loud.com|publisher= Planet-Loud.Com|pages= 1|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080828044117/http://www.planet-loud.com/v6/interview.php?interview_id=1078|archive-date= 2008-08-28|url-status= dead}} while it was later announced that the album began pre-production in March 2008.{{cite web|url= http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=96488|title= DIR EN GREY Begins Work On New Album|access-date= 2008-07-05|date= 2008-05-07|format= News archive|work= roadrunnerrecords.com|pages= 1|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080512104030/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=96488|archive-date= 2008-05-12|url-status= dead}} The members regrouped after two months of solitary work and shared their independently developed tracks, with guitarist Kaoru saying the intent was to show "I'm making this song right now", with the intent of producing a larger variety of songs. Recording of the first tracks then began in the spring in the Sony Building in Tokyo. Dir En Grey later returned to the pre-production phase for the remaining tracks of the album.

The band recorded with many new instruments, including mandolin,{{Cite journal| title = Gansonaki Kaoru-ya | journal = Haiiro No Ginka| volume = 39| pages = 16–19| year = 2008}} congas, electric sitar, and biwa to create a unique sound, and vocalist Kyo sets emphasis on "non-screaming vocals," accentuating softer composition, while still blending in his unique screams, screeches, and polished death metal growls. For the album, Kaoru and Die utilized several guitar models and techniques; an unconventional method, some of the guitars were recorded directly from amps.{{cite video

|people = Dir En Grey and staff

|date = 2008-11-12

|title = Uroboros: Recording and Interviews

|medium = DVD-documentary

|publisher = Firewall Div.

|location = Tokyo, Japan

}}

Uroboros is "stuffed with themes of 'guilt and reincarnation' as well as 'the past, present and future of Dir En Grey{{'"}}, as guitarist Kaoru stated in a press release. This was later echoed in CDJapan's album overview, calling the album "a sort of return for the band, revisiting the pre-Withering to Death. era." Kaoru also included that the album would again be a progression into "heavier and darker" sounds than prior albums, as well as an "oriental and religious mood".

In an interview in the band's regular fan-club magazine, Haiiro no Ginka, interviewer You Masuda described the style in comparison with the band's preceding album, The Marrow of a Bone:

{{quote |text = I'm actually starting to feel troubled. I don't know how I could describe your music in words. For example, Marrow of a Bone is a work that has elements of metal, but the songs I just heard now are difficult to describe. If I were to express these songs, it would be something close to being acoustic. If you put it in a strange way, it's close to something like, 'What happens if Thom Yorke does metal?'|author=Yuichi "You" Masuda, Haiiro no Ginka}}

With the announcement of an American release date, guitarist Kaoru expressed further opinion on the album's style, saying the album would experiment with oriental sounds, and the "hard and heavy" atmosphere found on The Marrow of a Bone would be absent, instead favoring more elegant instrumentation and "something that lets you visualize several scenes".

{{cite web

| title = Exclusive - Interview with Dir En Grey About New Record, Uroboros, New Record Deal with The End

| format = E-mail interview

| work = headbangersblog.mtv.com

| publisher = MTV

| date = 2008-09-15

| url = http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2008/09/15/dir-en-grey-signs-to-the-end-for-new-record-uroboros

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080917233551/http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2008/09/15/dir-en-grey-signs-to-the-end-for-new-record-uroboros/

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = September 17, 2008

| access-date = 2008-09-15

}}

Kaoru also said in an interview with Visual Music Japan that:

On several songs, we used an electric zither, which brings something new and quite interesting, although the essence of the songs we were aiming for primarily revolves around guitars. For example, we used various objects to scrape and play the guitar strings. On few tracks, we also tried recording the sound of the guitars directly from the amplifier. In the end, it was a unique and really fun experience. On the album, Shinya even played congas.{{Cite web |last=VMJ |date=2008-11-05 |title=DIR EN GREY {{!}} Exclusive interview with Kaoru: Unveiling DIR EN GREY’s masterpiece Uroboros, a synesthetic experience |url=https://visualmusicjapan.com/interviews/dir-en-grey-unveiling-masterpiece-uroboros/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=Visual Music Japan |language=en-US}}

A first time for the band, the album debuted in the United States, being released in four editions. The album is available via digital download, a standard CD, a deluxe limited edition release packaged in a cardboard sleeve and slipcase with both a CD and DVD, and finally in a twelve-inch LP with a card to download the digital release. The CD and DVD edition come with a series of live videos on the DVD, rather than making-of footage from the Japanese release. The live footage includes "Repetition of Hatred", "Agitated Screams of Maggots", and "Hydra -666-" from the band's Zepp Tokyo concert from 22 December 2007, "Dead Tree" from Wacken Open Air 2007, and "Dozing Green" from a show on Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone; tracks one through four were all previously included on In Weal or Woe.

The album was released in three editions in Japan; a standard edition, a limited edition and a deluxe edition. The standard edition includes only the main album,{{cite web|url= http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=SFCD-58|title= Dir En Grey / Uroboros [Limited Edition, 2CD + 1DVD + 2LP (subject to change)]|access-date= 2008-08-01|date= 2008-08-01|format= Catalogue|work= cdjapan.co.jp|publisher= Neowing|pages= 1}} while the limited edition includes a bonus disc with unplugged tracks and internationally exclusive tracks. The deluxe edition contains both discs packaged with the limited edition, as well as a bonus DVD containing a documentary of the album's conception, and two LPs.{{cite web

|url= http://www.yesasia.com/global/uroboros-album-dvd-lp-first-press-limited-edition-japan-version/1011473272-0-0-0-en/info.html

|title= Uroboros (Jacket A) (Album+DVD+LP) (First Press Limited Edition) (Japan Version)

|access-date= 2008-08-01

|date= 2008-08-01

|format= Catalogue

|work= yesasia.com

|publisher= YESASIA.COM LTD.

|pages= 1

}}{{cite web

|url= http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/grapes/-/cdjblog/2008_08_08_dir_en_gazette

|title= Regarding the Gazette and Dir En Grey

|access-date= 2008-08-08

|date= 2008-08-08

|format= Corporate blog

|work= cdjapan.co.jp

|publisher= Neowing

|pages= 1

}}

The original intent of the band's record label was to press an approximate amount of deluxe editions, however, due to extremely rapid sales and high demand, the edition was opened to a pre-order limit of August 16, after which no more copies were pressed and only leftover pressings were commercially available.

The European release, handled by Gan-Shin, began in France on November 12, simultaneously with the Japanese release. The album is available throughout Europe in two editions; the regular that includes only the album's feature tracks, while the limited edition includes three bonus tracks.

A remastered and expanded edition was released in 2012, featuring new and reworked tracks. The album was remastered by Tue Madsen who also produced their following album Dum Spiro Spero. This featured an extended version of "Sa Bir", a special version of "Bugaboo" that was previously releases only on the vinyl version that came with the [2CD + 1DVD + 2LP] limited edition of Uroboros, and Japanese versions of "Dozing Green" and "Glass Skin". In addition, "Hydra -666-" is also included, previously only available as a B-side to the "Dozing Green" single.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = About.com

| rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web

|url = http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/direngreyurobor.htm

|title = Review of Uroboros by Dir En Grey

|access-date = 2008-11-17

|last = Bowar

|first = Chad

|date = 2008-11-11

|format = Review

|work = heavymetal.about.com

|publisher = About.com

|location = New York City, NY, USA

|page = 1

|archive-date = 2010-07-29

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100729023707/http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/direngreyurobor.htm

|url-status = dead

}}

| rev2 = Allmusic

| rev2score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web

| url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1441066|pure_url=yes}}

| title = Uroboros > Overview

| access-date = 2008-11-17

| last = Jurek

| first = Thom

| date = 2008-11-11

| format = Review

| work = allmusic.com

| publisher = Macrovision Corporation

| page = 1

}}

| rev3 = Kerrang!

| rev3score = (KKK) 2008{{Cite journal

| last = Slessor

| first = Dan

| date = 2008-11-09

| title = Kerrang!

| edition = 1235

| location = United Kingdom

| publisher = Bauer

| page = 48

}}

| rev4 = Metal Hammer

| rev4score = {{Rating|8|10}}-Issue 187-

| rev5 = NEO Magazine

| rev5score = {{Rating|4.5|5}} #53{{cite journal

| last = Smith

| first = Tom

| date = January 2009

| title = NEO Magazine

| edition = 53

| location = United Kingdom

| publisher = Uncooked Media

| page = 82

}}

| rev6 = ReGen

| rev6score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web

| last = McKnight

| first = Denyss

| title = Review :: Dir En Grey - Uroboros

| url = http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-1684-Dir-En-Grey-Uroboros.html

| publisher = ReGen

| access-date = 2011-12-16

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090309080733/http://regenmag.com/Reviews-1684-Dir-En-Grey-Uroboros.html

| archive-date = 2009-03-09

| date = 2008-11-21}}

| rev7 = Revolver

| rev7score = {{rating|4|5}} 2008{{cite web

|url = http://www.theendrecords.com/label//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1337&Itemid=1

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090108224550/http://www.theendrecords.com/label/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1337&Itemid=1

|url-status = dead

|archive-date = 2009-01-08

|title = DIR EN GREY's Uroboros Debuts at #1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Chart!

|access-date = 2008-11-27

|format = News Release

|work = theendrecords.com

|publisher = THE END RECORDS

|location = United States

|page = 1

}}

| rev8 = Rock Sound

| rev8score = {{rating|8|10}}{{cite magazine

| author = Moorhouse, Giles

| url = http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/dir-en-grey-uroboros

| title = Dir En Grey - Uroboros

| magazine = Rock Sound

| date = 2011-11-12

| access-date = 2011-12-16}}

}}

Uroboros quickly received positive reviews, being acknowledged as an experimental album for the band, and a defined shift back to the band's roots, while retaining the metal elements of the recent works. Allmusic chose Uroboros as an "AMG Album Pick", praising the release for its variety and willingness to escape the band's stereotypes; Another oft-mentioned aspect is the continued use of Japanese lyrics by Kyo;{{cite web

| url = http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/89961

| title = Dir En Grey - Uroboros Review

| access-date = 2008-11-17

| last = Parmenter

| first = Ian

| date = 2008-11-11

| format = Review

| work = 411mania.com

| publisher = 411mania.com

| page = 1

}}

however, the album was also advertised with specific attention to the English revisions of "Dozing Green" and "Glass Skin", while other tracks also had heavy use of English. Several professional reviews have said the use of Japanese is something that could preclude the band having mainstream popularity, but some approve of the band's consistency with their native language. A negative that some reviewers identified is repetitiveness in the album's style, though this was interpreted as a strong point by JD Considine of Revolver.

{{Rquote|middle|[Uroboros features] muscular funk licks, soaring power-ballad melodies, and creepy atmospherics; moments that have the slow intensity of a dirge, and others that rush with the hell-bent-for-leather abandon of classic metal. Most amazing of all, [Dir En Grey] manages to do all this while maintaining such a strong sense of structure that the album almost feels like one continuous song.|JD Considine|Revolver}}

In its debut release week, the album sold 6,054 copies and reached number 114 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This marked Dir En Grey's first time ranking on the United States' central music chart.{{cite web

| author = Neilstein, Vince

| url = http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/11/19/big-sales-week-for-the-faceless-dir-en-grey-behemoth/

| title = Big Sales Week for The Faceless, Dir En Grey, Behemoth

| publisher = MetalSucks

| date = 2008-11-19

| access-date = 2011-12-16

}}

In the band's native country, the album was met with high sales, exceeding thirty-seven thousand, which brought the album to a number four spot on the Oricon chart. This was Dir En Grey's best performance since Kisou (2002).{{cite web

| url = http://www.oricon.co.jp/search/result.php?kbn=ja&types=rnk&year=2008&month=11&week=4&submit5.x=20&submit5.y=16

| script-title=ja:2008年11月第4週の邦楽アルバムランキング情報

| access-date = 2008-11-20

| format = Chart

| work = oricon.co.jp

| publisher = Oricon Inc.

| location = Japan

| pages = 1

| language = ja

}}

{{tracklist

| all_lyrics = Kyo

| all_music = Dir En Grey

| title1 = Sa Bir (Interlude)

| length1 = 2:00

| title2 = Vinushka

| length2 = 9:37

| title3 = Red Soil

| length3 = 3:24

| title4 = Dōkoku to Sarinu

| note4 = {{nihongo2|慟哭と去りぬ; "It Ends in Lamentation"}}

| length4 = 3:48

| title5 = Toguro

| note5 = {{nihongo2|蜷局; "Whorl"}}

| length5 = 3:57

| title6 = Glass Skin

| length6 = 4:27

| title7 = Stuck Man

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = Reiketsu Nariseba

| note8 = {{nihongo2|冷血なりせば; "If I Were Cold-Blooded"}}

| length8 = 3:33

| title9 = Ware, Yami Tote…

| note9 = {{nihongo2|我、闇とて･･･; "For I Am Darkness…"}}

| length9 = 7:01

| title10 = Bugaboo

| length10 = 4:43

| title11 = Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro

| note11 = {{nihongo2|凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃; "Paean, the Time When Silence Sleeps"}}

| length11 = 4:22

| title12 = Dozing Green

| length12 = 4:05

| title13 = Inconvenient Ideal

| length13 = 4:23

| total_length = 58:54

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Japanese vinyl edition

| title11 = Bugaboo Respira

| note11 = Unlisted, placed after Bugaboo

| length11 = 2:13

| total_length =

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = American versions

| title14 = Glass Skin

| note14 = Japanese lyrics version) (Limited edition only

| length14 = 4:28

| title15 = Dozing Green

| note15 = Japanese lyrics version

| length15 = 4:08

| total_length = 08:36

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = American vinyl edition

| title14 = Dozing Green

| note14 = Japanese version

| length14 = 4:08

| title15 = Undecided

| note15 = B-side from "Glass Skin" single

| length15 = 4:58

| total_length = 09:06

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = European limited edition

| title14 = Glass Skin

| note14 = Japanese version

| length14 = 4:28

| title15 = Dozing Green

| note15 = Japanese version

| length15 = 4:08

| title16 = Agitated Screams of Maggots -Unplugged-

| note16 = B-side from "Glass Skin" single

| length16 = 3:08

| total_length = 11:44

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Japanese limited and deluxe edition

| title1 = Ware, Yami Tote…

| note1 = {{nihongo2|我、闇とて･･･; "For I Am Darkness…"}}, unplugged

| length1 = 6:39

| title2 = Inconvenient Ideal

| note2 = Unplugged

| length2 = 4:23

| title3 = Red Soil

| note3 = Unplugged

| length3 = 3:25

| title4 = Dozing Green (Before Construction Version)

| note4 = Deluxe edition only

| length4 = 4:19

| title5 = Dozing Green (Japanese Lyrics Re-mastering)

| note5 = Deluxe edition only

| length5 = 4:08

| title6 = Glass Skin (Japanese Lyrics Re-mastering)

| note6 = Deluxe edition only

| length6 = 4:29

| total_length = 27:38

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Japanese Deluxe Edition DVD

| title1 = Recording and Interviews

| title2 = Toguro

| note2 = {{nihongo2|蜷局; "Whorl"}}, Shot In One Take

| title3 = Dozing Green

| note3 = Shot In One Take

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = American Limited Edition DVD

| title1 = Repetition of Hatred

| note1 = Live Take at Zepp Tokyo, 22 December 2007

| title2 = Agitated Screams of Maggots

| note2 = Live Take at Zepp Tokyo, 22 December 2007

| title3 = Hydra -666-

| note3 = Live Take at Zepp Tokyo, 22 December 2007

| title4 = Dead Tree

| note4 = Live Take at Wacken Open Air, 4 August 2007

| title5 = Dozing Green

| note5 = Live Take on Tour07 The Marrow of a Bone, 2007 (studio audio)

}}

{{tracklist

| all_lyrics = Kyo

| all_music = Dir En Grey

| title1 = Sa Bir (Extended Version)

| length1 = 3:52

| title2 = Vinushka

| length2 = 9:37

| title3 = Red Soil

| length3 = 3:24

| title4 = Dōkoku to Sarinu

| note4 = {{nihongo2|慟哭と去りぬ; "It Ends in Lamentation"}}

| length4 = 3:48

| title5 = Toguro

| note5 = {{nihongo2|蜷局; "Whorl"}}

| length5 = 3:58

| title6 = Glass Skin

| length6 = 4:28

| title7 = Stuck Man

| length7 = 3:35

| title8 = Reiketsu Nariseba

| note8 = {{nihongo2|冷血なりせば; "If I Were Cold-Blooded"}}

| length8 = 3:33

| title9 = Ware, Yami Tote…

| note9 = {{nihongo2|我、闇とて･･･; "For I Am Darkness…"}}

| length9 = 7:03

| title10 = Hydra -666-

| length10 = 3:40

| title11 = Bugaboo Respira

| length11 = 2:09

| title12 = Bugaboo

| length12 = 4:44

| title13 = Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro

| note13 = {{nihongo2|凱歌、沈黙が眠る頃; "Paean, the Time When Silence Sleeps"}}

| length13 = 4:22

| title14 = Dozing Green

| length14 = 4:06

| title15 = Inconvenient Ideal

| length15 = 4:22

| total_length = 63:53

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-break}}

• Dir En Grey – producer, composer
• Kyo – vocals, lyricist
• Kaoru – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric sitar, backing vocals
• Die – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
• Toshiya – bass guitar, biwa, backing vocals
• Shinya – drums, congas, percussion
• Jun Fukamachi – piano, pipe organ (unplugged 1 & 2)
• Tadasuke – piano (unplugged 3)
• Yoshinori Abe – programming
• Toshiaki Ishii – programming
• Hiroshi "Dynamite Tommy" Tomioka – executive producer
• Yasushi "Koni-Young" Konishi – recording, mixing (feature disc)
• Akinori Kaizaki – mixing (unplugged disc)

{{col-break}}

• Ted Jensen – mastering (feature disc)
• Kazushige Yamazaki – mastering (unplugged 1, 2 & 3, "Dozing Green (Before Construction Ver.)")
• Hiroyuki Kondo – director, filming
• Mitsuhiko Koechi – video lighting
• Koji Yoda – art direction, art design
• Toshio Sakurai – art design
• Satoshi Mizuno – art design
• Genta Kosumi – illustration
• Takato Yamamoto – illustration
• Shigeo Kikuchi – photography
• Jewels – translation
• Yuichi "You" Masuda – interviewer (deluxe DVD)

{{col-end}}

{{reflist|2}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080805060356/http://www.direngrey.co.jp/uroboros.html Uroboros announcement page]

{{Dir En Grey}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2008 albums

Category:Dir En Grey albums

Category:The End Records albums