Kyo does not like musicals and would never want to play in one. He can't get into movies seriously if they are singing.
He gets his inspiration for how to move on stage from theatre company Ban'yū Inryoku, who specializes in acting a story and how they feel without words.
Hibiki was composed with the intention of making a song along the line of THE FINAL and Kodou, the effects that those songs have live.
Otogi is a song that Kyo insisted had to be included in Phalaris from the start of the discussions on which demos should be recorded for the new album.
Kamuy was written from the perspective that Kyo can't really ever feel like he is happy, like he is just lucky if good things happen to him.
"I often research torture and execution devices. (laughs)"
While everyone was (rightfully) transfixed on the band members' new looks, I, as a mega fan of creatures, also wondered if we were dealing with a ginormous chimera or a couple of smaller monsters. So, as an impatient idiot who could definitely not wait until the album's booklet probably reveals clearer pictures of them, I set out to reassemble the bits and pieces that we were being shown of those creatures. It turns out that we see them almost integrally. Here is the result!
I really like them in general, especially how they incorporate features of various animals. Plus, doesn't the last one give you Berserk vibes? I wonder if they hold any meaning.
Hoping to their god that AI wasn't involved and that the album is another amazing one, those could make good tattoo inspirations. I put watermarks on the images due to people, but message me if you want the clean versions for personal reasons.
Surprisingly, the interview with Die in Kadokawa Scene vol. 15 contains a ton of spoilers about Mortal Downer. I don't recall that we ever got that many details before the band had even revealed any themselves or before the album even came out.
Here's what I got from the interview. Clearly , the interviewer had access to the full album (booklet and all) and he already listened to all the songs.
Dir en grey had a rare sit-down discussion to determine the direction of the next album. They were each asked to come up with words or expressions that they wanted the album to represent. Die remembers that "simple with fewer notes" and "a downer/downbeat atmosphere" came up in the conversation. Apparently, they felt that, in the past, they had composed songs that were beyond their skill level, so they struggled during live performances. This time around, they decided to focus on leaving space between the notes. The result is that it leaves room for the vocal melodies.
Die said that he's always surprised by Kyo's audacious vocal melodies, which he never thought could fit with the musical melodies that he's putting them against. And this time especially, on Mortal Downer, he was even more surprised by how well the unorthodox combinations worked.
When he listened to the album in one go, he felt like there was one line tying the songs all the way to the end.
There is one song that's 7- or 8-minutes-long. [Latest info indicates that this is wrong though: there are two 6+ minutes-long songs.] Die felt like it would have been too similar to previous works if they went for songs that are longer than ten minutes.
En'en was mostly Die's composition, whereas Discard is Kaoru's. En'en is a song where Die's guitar riff slightly changes as the song progresses. He wrote it based on the image that he grasped after a band discussion.
Apparently the song "There's nothing else", which Die composed, is heavy with noise straight from the start and is fast-paced, making it a highlight on the album. The lyrics are about "the darkness of Kyo's social media era". Die's nickname for the song is "There's ~". Die played the melody at home, and it seems like Kyo is especially quick to come up with the lyrics and vocal melody when the songs are fast-paced, which Die appreciates because then he can move on to arrangements earlier.
Die also wrote "Hazumi to ame". The interviewer described it as a heavy gothic song with an industrial feel. When Die sent out a bunch of samples to the band, Kyo replied to him regarding the base of Hazumi to ame to ask: "So you're going to lay this kind of song onto it?", which really surprised Die. He kept playing around with the melody and, with Kyo's input, the image of the song expanded. Kyo's vocal melody was added on top of the backing track and, through the back and forth between Die and Kyo, the arrangement was done. Kyo would for example say: "I want it to be like this here." Die appreciates that process. There's apparently a very high key in the singing melody on this song which Die would have never dared to ask a vocalist to do because it would have angered most singers.
In "no end", there's lyrics like: "How long will this continue Tired of wishing for it Stuff that doesn't even reach anyone I knew all along"
But "no end" concludes on a note of 'hope', as is typical of Dir en grey: "When that time comes, who will grant me forgiveness? Why destroy what I alone understand" (TL: Not sure about that last one...)
"no end" was the last song that they decided to add to the album. It's the song that Die likes the best on the album, and the one that he feels represents it the most. It left a strong impression on him because the lyrics were easy to understand.
In the song "Void", there are these lyrics: "Transcend into the faraway future If you can't transcend into the faraway future, what's the point of stopping there?"
The interviewer describes Mortal Downer the following way: Isolatio is a two-minute-long instrumental that starts with piano and gradually incorporates other sounds. Kaijin ni Kisu has Kyo's incantation-like vocals. The first half of the album is characterized by its deep and dynamic songs. The rest of the album is heavy and gloomy, and "no end" concludes on a soundscape-type of atmosphere.
The song seems to address themes of self-image, desperation, and the struggle for acceptance in a one-sided relationship. The protagonist seeks validation through personal sacrifices, both emotional and physical, hoping to be recognized by the person they love. However, no matter how much they try to fit that person’s expectations, they always "get something wrong" and are never enough.
If we relate this to the comments about the use of AI in the video, there’s an interesting parallel: AI, just like the protagonist, tries to create an idealized image but always fails at something, leaving traces of its artificiality. The protagonist of the song could be seen as someone who, by constantly modifying themselves to be accepted, ends up losing their own identity—just like an AI-generated image that, in its attempt at perfection, becomes grotesque and inhuman.
The title Breeder reinforces this idea, recalling artificial selection in animal breeding, where only specimens with the "correct" traits are valued. The protagonist feels judged by unattainable standards, unable to simply *be themselves*. This also reflects modern social pressure, where many people try to fit into molds of perfection dictated by society or their own insecurities, fueled by constant comparison with unrealistic ideals.
🔹 Conclusion and Reflection
The song’s final message seems to be a critique of self-destruction in the pursuit of validation. The phrase "kill my mind" can be interpreted as the desire to shut off critical thinking, to stop questioning their suffering, and simply accept their role in a toxic dynamic.
This ties into the perception of AI in art: a tool that can create striking images but, in doing so, erases part of human essence in its pursuit of "perfection."
The use of AI in the video not only complements the song’s meaning but amplifies it. The protagonist and AI share the same fate: in their attempt to reach a "better" version of themselves, they end up in a distorted and inhuman state.
It’s ironic that the backlash against AI in the video mirrors the song’s own conflict: rejecting something that tried to be "perfect" but, in the process, lost its authenticity.
Ultimately, the song poses a haunting question:
And, more importantly:
"What is the price of being accepted?"
"Is it worth losing yourself in the process?"
I want to clarify that this analysis is based solely on the interpretation of the video, the song's lyrics, and the comments that helped shape it.
After hearing "Kyou mo" (today again/today too) often at the end of sukekiyo's songs, I picked up a broader pattern in Kyo's lyrics for his second band. The recurring theme is that these mini-stories end in vain, sorrowful. Even the line that seems the most positive in the list above, "it's a beautiful morning again today", sounds filled with despair, envy for others who will get to enjoy that day, but within, it isn't so sunny. It's like an objective observation that you can't relate to.
You wish for love, you naively wish for better, but the past fades into the future unrelently. You poured your heart out, but nothing changes. You can't even forget: you're conscious during this continuous nightmare.
Anyway, I'll cheer you up with more positive content soon after this, but I wanted to share this interesting observation with you. Here is the list of lyrics and the songs that they were taken from, if you're curious:
The sadness will never end For whom? – Kokyuu
I know it's hard to understand
You can forget about it if you want – Frameout kara no
Clinging on to the cheap wish that will come true
It will be a fine day today – Kawattekuremasen deshou ka?
Please give your love to the me of up until yesterday. – Gloss [I changed this from the official translation a bit, because I didn't agree with "to the me until yesterday", the original meaning wasn't clear enough.]
Ah I want a womb – Kuchi ni Ringo
I wish – Margaret
Even if I want to forget
It got broken
Deep inside my little heart – Scarlet
To the next guy, is it okay to love you? – Furesaseru
I want love – kisses
You can't change the future – dorothy
Hey, do you love me? – Kimi wa mukidashi
It'll be the same again tomorrow – Kou Mo Chigau Mono Nano Ka, Yousuru ni
I hope you'll let me forget about you someday – Nurebairo
Unable to forget you – Uso
Would you have even loved me if I was not so openly dependent and was just weak? – En
Today too my heart is cold – Valentina
wishing you happiness – zephyr
it's a beautiful morning again today – hidden one
to this child, who hopes for a peaceful future – Mama
Dir en grey (京) - THE BLOSSOMING BEELZEBUB - Sao Paolo, Brazil [2011/11/27] 1/5
Infinite thanks to Luciano Araujo for capturing the moment when Kyo was most into this song, literally impersonating the awakening beelzebub fly intensely.
