DIR EN GREY are Kyo, Kaoru, Die, Toshiya and Shinya.After the bass-player of the Japanese band "La:Sadie?s" quit, the remaining 4 members find a new bass-player (Toshiya) and form "Dir en grey" in 1997.
Dir en grey, in its earliest form, began in Osaka as the band of vocalist ? and drummer Shinya - ?????? (haijin kuro bara zoku "Invalid Black Rose Family"). Members and associates of this band formed La:Sadie's, which eventually included four of Dir en grey's five current members. La:Sadie's disbanded in 1996. All but the bassist, Kisaki, and former lead guitarist, Shio (replaced by Kaoru), came back together to form Dir en grey. They recruited Toshiya, a bassist from Nagano and previously in the band D†L, and officially formed "Dir en grey" in February 1997.
In 1998, the band gained major attention by becoming the first indies band to have a single place in the top ten on Japan's Oricon music charts. They played a sold-out performance at Osakajo Hall on December 18, 1999. This remains one of the band's most memorable solo performances to date.
The band encountered setbacks in 2000 when the promotional tour for their upcoming album MACABRE was canceled. ? was hospitalized from a tympanic membrane perforation in his left ear, which remains partially deaf to this day. His lyrics in their 2001 single 'ain't afraid to die' respond to this brush with his own mortal vulnerability.
In 2002, Dir en grey's ?????? (A Pilgrimage Capsizing the Islands) tour brought the band their first international performances. The tour took them to several countries in Asia, including China and South Korea. In Shanghai, fans became so excited that authorities attempted to cancel a planned second concert. The band and their management resisted, and the concert was played as scheduled.
The year 2005 was a very significant year in the band's history. Dir en grey played their first non-Asian shows in the spring and summer of that year. Their "It Withers and Withers" tour was brought from Japan to Europe. The band played shows in three European countries - Belgium, France, and Germany. Two of these performances were MTV's Rock im Park and Rock am Ring festivals. Dir en grey also played a solo live concert in Germany on May 28 which sold 3,500 standing-room tickets to Berlin's Columbia Hall in approximately 6 weeks (also rumored as 3 days). Dir en grey will be playing Germany this summer of 2006, again at the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals.
Since the band had not played shows with other bands since they signed to a major label, these events brought a major change in the band's show lineup. Beside playing with many bands at the European festivals, Dir en grey also hosted a French national band, Eths, at their French show. Later that year they invited long-time associate Wednesday 13 and his band to play a show in Japan. They were also included in the Japanese leg of the international "Taste of Chaos" tour alongside The Used, Story of the Year, Killswitch Engage, Funeral for a Friend, and Rage Against the Machine.
The band had several other major events occur in 2005. The band's album 'Withering to death.' reached #31 on the Official Finnish Album Chart, and the single 'CLEVER SLEAZOID' reached #15 on its Singles Chart. These were the first times Dir en grey had placed on a non-Asian music chart. Also, the band joined international record labels: GAN-SHIN (Germany), and FREE-WILL America / Warcon Records (United States).
In early 2006, the first concerts in the United States took place, performed in Austin, Texas (SXSW06), New York (Avalon Club) and Los Angeles (Wiltern Theater). All dates sold out in a very short amount of time. Soon afterwards, the American release of Withering to death. and the DVD release of Tour05 It Withers and Withers followed.
Dir en grey is set to play more shows in Europe and to later join Korn,Deftones and other bands during the Family Values Tour 2006 across the US. On July 26, 2006, they released their twenty-first single, RYOUJOKU NO AME, the first release in over 9 months. At their live at Tokyo Nippon Budokan on August 1, 2006, ? announced to the audience a new album is to be released later this year.
On February 7th this year their sixth full-length album THE MARROW OF A BONE was released.
They will also be making an appearance at LOUD PARK (http://www.loudpark.com/), a heavy metal festival in Tokyo, Japan on October 14. They will be on the Gigantour Stage alongside bands Megadeth, Angra, Backyard Babies, Hardcore Superstar and Anvil.
Dir en grey made their much-anticipated return to America as part of their 07-INWARD SCREAM tour. The shows took place over the course of February. Their shows opened with two support acts, Bleed the Dream and Fair to Midland.
Dir en grey toured the US the second time this year as a supporting act for Deftones in July.
On THE MARROW OF A BONE Europe Tour (August 2007) they visited many festivals with other bands, but more importantly they made their first ever show in the UK on the 1st of August. This show was followed by a second UK show on August 2, and the band also stated in an interview they gave on Scuzz TV and in Kerrang! magazine that they are more then likely to come back to the UK.
Dir en grey also had a couple of festival-apperances in Germany (Wacken and M'Era Luna), and one on Finland's Ankkarock festival, as well as a oneman in Sweden, one in Denmark, and two in Germany.
Before the Europe tour Dir en grey announced their second Japanese standing tour this year, titled DOZING GREEN, which kicks off on September 13 at Club Citta, Kanagawa, with 2 shows on two following days at the same venue, and special AKnot Only performances as well. The band also announced new, radical stage show for the tour.
Their single DOZING GREEN hit Japanese stores on October 24, 2007.
They followed it up with another single; GLASS SKIN. In stores September 10, 2008.
Both songs are tracks on their upcoming album UROBOROS, -to be released November 12, 2008.
Visit www.direngrey.co.jp for more information, and news.
From Wikipedia:Dir en grey (??????????, Diru An Gurei?) is a Japanese band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2008, they have recorded seven full-length records and while the group's lineup has remained consistent since its inception, numerous stylistic changes have made its music's genre difficult to determine (though it is generally considered to be a form of metal music). Originally associated with Japan's visual kei movement, the band has toned down their attire in recent years.
Dir en grey has toured through Asia, Europe, South America, and North America; Billboard commenting on the group's international fanbase, that the band "has transcended the language barrier in the United States through its music" and "gained its audience without singing in English".