📲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀.𝗷𝗽 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗜𝗥 𝗘𝗡 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗬’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁
𝗗𝗜𝗥 𝗘𝗡 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗬 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 “𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥”, 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
"On 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟱, DIR EN GREY held their 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗔’. This show marked the 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿 «𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝟮𝟲 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗼 𝗢𝗻𝗲», held following the release of their 𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗳𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗯𝘂𝗺 “𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥”, and was exclusive to members of their official fan club “a knot”.
Starting a new tour in front of their core fans has already become a tradition for the band, and this night was no exception: the venue, clearly too small for the demand, was completely packed, allowing the full scope of this new stage to be revealed as early as possible.
“MORTAL DOWNER” was released just on 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟴, but from that moment it began generating significant buzz on social media. However, it wasn’t only enthusiastic reactions, nor the usual divided opinions; rather, a swirl of diverse responses emerged. Some described its sound and concept as “heavy,” others as “oppressive”; for some it was “hard to understand,” for others “easy to listen to”; some said “this is exactly DIR EN GREY,” while others felt “this isn’t like them.” These contradictory reactions created a strange yet intense anticipation. Many attendees likely weren’t just looking forward to enjoying a live show after some time, but also felt as if they were facing a kind of puzzle to solve.
Upon entering the venue, an unsettling sound filled the air, while a still image symbolizing “MORTAL DOWNER” was projected in the background of the stage. As time passed, the image would occasionally distort, and the sound would also change. The atmosphere felt like a mysterious lifeform slowly awakening in the darkness, creating a tense and almost dangerous mood, as if questioning whether the audience was ready to immerse themselves in a world they might not return from, quietly amplifying their curiosity.
Then, as the lights went out right on time, the album’s opening SE, 𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡, began to play. On the dimly lit stage, the members took their positions one by one, as cheers rose from the depths of the crowd. Then, the song everyone had been anticipating—imbued with an almost ritualistic aura—began. It felt like the opening of a ceremony.
In an era where information spreads at incredible speed, it’s unclear how meaningful it is to conceal song titles, but there was a certain sacredness that made one hesitate to reveal them so easily. During the approximately 𝟭𝟬𝟬-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 performance, 𝟵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 from “𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥” were performed, including “ISOLATION” and the single released in April 2024, “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗜𝗻 𝗠𝗲”. Whether that feels like a lot or a little depends on the person, but for me, the experience was a mix of excitement from understanding the album more deeply and the feeling of being covered again by new mysteries.
In the early stages of a tour following an album release, it’s always interesting to see which new songs are performed and which are not, but it’s equally intriguing to see which songs are selected from their past repertoire. The audience surely speculated about this, and I was no exception. Among the previously released songs performed, some felt completely fitting, while others brought a sense of surprise.
This made my personal interpretation of “MORTAL DOWNER” clearer in some aspects, while in others it became even more ambiguous. I’ve experienced this kind of feeling at DIR EN GREY concerts before, but it’s precisely that sense of “𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵” that makes you want to return to the venue again as soon as possible.
In terms of production, the visual elements—which have played an important role in their recent shows—brought a new texture, and the lighting effects also had a different sense of speed and depth than before. Additionally, for this band, even the release of new artist photos becomes news, but 京 (𝗞𝘆ō)’s appearance on stage already differed from those latest images. That said, it’s unclear whether he will maintain that look throughout the entire tour.
The tour will continue across various locations until the 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟯 show at 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗼𝘆𝗮 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗧𝗘𝗖 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘. At this point, it’s hard to imagine how it will evolve along the way. However, one thought comes to mind: perhaps this isn’t simply about the band presenting a mystery for the audience to solve unilaterally, but rather something where unexpected answers are derived through the interaction between both sides. And perhaps it is through those answers that one can approach the true essence of “MORTAL DOWNER” at the two-night performances to be held on 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟵 at 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗸𝘆𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.
It’s worth noting that these two nights will carry the same title as the album, “𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥”, and that the deadline for the exclusive advance ticket lottery for album purchasers is 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟵. Details on how to apply can be found in the application form included with the album. Not only for those already deeply immersed in this work, but also for those who have recently become interested in DIR EN GREY through this release, these shows are a must-see.
Finally, as an additional note, “MORTAL DOWNER” reached 𝗡𝗼. 𝟰 on the 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻 weekly album chart (and 𝗡𝗼. 𝟲 on the combined chart including streaming), extending their streak of Top 10 albums. However, it may still take time before the true nature of this work—one that has sparked such varied reactions—becomes fully clear. For that reason as well, it’s impossible to take your eyes off the progression of this tour."
pixelskylines
annaxmalina
snowghoul
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
