The Marrow of a Bone

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For the interior tissue of bones, see Bone marrow.
The Marrow of a Bone
The Marrow of a Bone cover
Studio album by Dir en grey
Released February 07, 2007 (2007-02-07)
(see release history)
Recorded Dec. 2005[1]–Jan. 2007
Studio Inning (Tokyo)
Sony Music Studios (Tokyo)
Sound Crew Studio (Tokyo)
Studio Fine (Tokyo)
Studio Greenbird (Tokyo)
Genre Rock/metal
Length 50:05 (disc one)
13:20 (disc two)
Language Japanese, English
Label Firewall Div./SMEJ (JP)
Gan-Shin (EU)
Warcon/Fontana (US)
Producer Dir en grey
Professional reviews
Dir en grey chronology
Withering to Death.
(2005)		 The Marrow of a Bone
(2007)
Singles from The Marrow of a Bone
  1. "Clever Sleazoid"
    Released: October 21, 2005
  2. "Ryoujoku no Ame"
    Released: July 26, 2006
  3. "Agitated Screams of Maggots"
    Released: November 15, 2006
Alternate cover
Limited edition
Limited edition

The Marrow of a Bone is an album by Japanese rock-metal band Dir en grey, released on February 7, 2007 in Japan[2] and in Germany,[3] France,[4] the United Kingdom[5] and the United States[6] in the following months. The band was touring North America at the time of the album's release in both Japan and the United States.[7] In March 2007, The Marrow of a Bone reached number 21 on Billboard's "Top Independent Albums" chart. [8]

The album was released in Japan with two editions. The regular edition is a single disc packaged in a traditional jewel case, and a limited edition was released with two discs, one being the main album, and the second an "unplugged" album.[9] The European and American releases were all single editions. The main disc with the thirteen featured tracks were included. The initial pressing of the album's American edition was affected by a misprint.[10] Warcon Records has announced that corrected booklets will be printed,[11] however, specific details have yet to be released. Later pressings feature a correctly printed booklet with a fully visible logo.

A promotional site, in both Japanese and English, was launched prior to the album's release, containing video clips and samples of several songs, information about the album, hosted on the band's official web page.[12] A second promotional site was launched shortly after the release, only accessible with a password included in the Japanese release.[13] Both sites posted information about "premium live" shows, available to those who purchased the album and registered with their product barcode. Footage from the first show was featured on the fan club DVD, In Weal or Woe.[14]

Contents

[edit] Production

The Marrow of a Bone was written and recorded within about a year prior to its release. The songs were written while touring throughout 2006 between shows in Japan, Europe, and America during the Family Values Tour.[15][16] Guitarist Kaoru has said about the process, "...some of it went really well, but some of it went really badly."[15]

The band has noted that touring in the United States on a major festival tour influenced and inspired them.[17]

[edit] Songs

The entire album is a progression for Dir en grey into heavier sounds, felt in the previous album, Withering to Death.[18] It has been described as their cleanest production and heaviest album to date.[19]

"Conceived Sorrow"

"Conceived Sorrow" is a moody,[20], slow-tempoed[21] power ballad[18] utilizing piano, performed by Tadasuke. It was one of the tracks that premiered at the Nippon Budokan show in August 2006 as part of the first "Inward Scream" show.[21] The song had been written as far back as recording work on Withering to Death. (2005), but wasn't completed in time.[21] The song was arranged in a classical style for the "unplugged" second disc of the album.

"Lie Buried with a Vengeance"

The second track, "Lie Buried with a Vengeance" was written on the tour bus during the Family Values Tour 2006. The song was first composed as a longer song, but was condensed in later composition.[22] It displayes "thrashy drumming, callous riffing, and barked vocals", delivered as one of the many heavy tracks on the album.[18]

"The Fatal Believer"

"The Fatal Believer", a song continued the album's heavy tone,[19] was first recorded in the end of 2005 and first publicly played at Dir en grey's American showcase tour in March 2006.[1] The song was played continuously throughout the 2006 on each tour.[1] The song underwent reworking while touring before the final song had been completed, and it was ultimately rerecorded during the album recording process.[1]

A screenshot from "Agitated Screams of Maggots"
A screenshot from "Agitated Screams of Maggots"
"Agitated Screams of Maggots"

"Agitated Screams of Maggots" was the last single released prior to the release of The Marrow of a Bone. The single was the first single to be released by the band in the United States. It underwent writing on the Family Values Tour in 2006.[23] The song is another of the multiple heavy, metal tunes on the album,[19] slipping from "straightforward bashing metal" and "mid tempo" bridges.

The first music video for the song was an animated video created by Keita Kurosaka, which was shown at the 2007 International Film Festival Rotterdam.[24] The original video aired only as a censored clip on Japanese television, due to its "sick and twisted" nature.[19] A second music video for the song appears on Despair in the Womb, compiled of live footage of their 2006 touring.

"Grief"

"Grief", yet another violent, heavy song,[19] is the only track on the album to be turned into a music video without being released as a single as of 2008. The song is played with a half note difference from other songs on the album. Die describes the change as "not usual for us [Dir en grey]" and that it "brought out a distinctive mood in this song.[25]

"Ryoujoku no Ame"

The sixth track, "Ryoujoku no Ame", was previously released as a single, as well as being featured on the Family Values Tour 2006 CD. The version found on the album is rerecorded,[9][20] with the new sound engineers, after further musical development on the Family Values Tour 2006.[26] Lyrically, the song had minor changes, as vocalist, Kyo, "took all the unnecessary parts out, leaving things as straight as possible", giving the final version as a "near-symphonic progressive metal tune."[20] The single version remains in use for the music video.[26]

"Disabled Complexes"

"Disabled Complexes" is another song debuted at the initial "Inward Scream" concert at Nippon Budokan. The song received further development during winter touring in Japan, shortly before early 2007 recording.[27] Early versions of the song featured only the heavier, faster portions of the song, but were reevaluated to avoid a monotonous sound. The final version of the song "contains a lot of funk elements" but it quickly goes "into a different dimension in the middle of the song."[27]

"Rotting Root"

The track "Rotting Root" was written during pre-production of The Marrow of a Bone. Kaoru describes the inspiration coming as Kyo gave new song ideas, "I think this song has to be cool and down to earth."[28]

"Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi"

"Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi" is the second song on the album to feature acoustic guitars, and a deviation from the heavier, loud sound enduring from the second track, and seen as the softest of the feature tracks.[19] The guitar work has a "Spanish-like", melodramatic sound,[29] with a very emotional expression showing "the band's maturity as songwriters,"[19] The first song patterns were written by drummer, Shinya, who had already written some of the chords for the song as a five-beat guitar piece.[30] The song was developed without the help of a piano, made only with guitars, bass and drums. The song's final touches were made just prior to the guitar recording for the song.[30] The song is also featured on the second disc of the limited edition as a piano and vocal duet.

"The Pledge"

The tenth track, titled "The Pledge", is another song written during the Family Values Tour 2006, with Shinya mentioning this affecting the composition process. The song is heavy with emphasis on the melody. Kyo describes the vocal work on this song as using his full vocal range.[31] The song is also featured as an acoustic guitar arrangement on the second disc of the limited edition.

Audio samples of The Marrow of a Bone
"Repetition of Hatred"

"Repetition of Hatred" is the eleventh track on The Marrow of a Bone. It was composed similarly to "The Pledge", with a rough recording with no specific direction in mind. The song was not shaped until the arrangement stage.[32] The backing vocal aspect of the song is performed by Kaoru, Toshiya and Die, the latter who commented "It's tough sometimes when you have to sing and play your guitar at the same time. Kyo doesn't think about how difficult it can be."[32]

"The Deeper Vileness"

"The Deeper Vileness" was played at concerts both internationally and domestically before the release of the album. The song received a hasty change just before recording by Kyo, singing the melody to "make the chorus more vague."[33]

"Clever Sleazoid"

"Clever Sleazoid", the closing track, is the first single released in support of the album in September 2005. The version featured on the single two years prior is an earlier recording.[34] The song was rerecorded with the new sound engineer, Koni-Young, for The Marrow of a Bone to avoid distinction with other songs.[9] Dir en grey desired to capture the aspects of the song that had developed in live performances, becoming heavier and slight changes in the guitar and drum parts.[34] The new recording is featured in the live footage music video found on Despair in the Womb, while the old version continues to be used for the original music video.

[edit] Touring

Dir en grey supported The Marrow of a Bone with touring throughout most of 2007. After featuring several teaser tracks in the 2006 touring, the band started regularly rotating several new songs during the American tour, beginning in 2007. The album was released while Dir en grey was on tour in the United States, however the band was not yet fully supporting the album. In March, the band began "Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone".[35] The tour thoroughly covered much of Japan and ended in the beginning of May. This tour introduced set-lists containing most of the tracks from The Marrow of a Bone, and was the first time many of the songs had been performed publicly.[36] After the first leg of "The Marrow of a Bone" touring, Dir en grey went on to another American tour, opening for Deftones in June and July.[35] The short set-lists, due to their opening position, usually consisted of new material, giving the first performances of several songs in the United States.[37]

Following American touring, "Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone" continued, now in its European stage. The European tour, still supporting the album[38], including several festival appearances, brought Dir en grey through the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Finland, and Poland.[35] Upon returning to Japan, the band recorded and released a new single, "Dozing Green", and had a short tour supporting the new single, as well as the previous album.[39] The "Dozing Green" tour also contained a short European leg, supporting the same material.[40] "The Marrow of a Bone" tour concluded with a short Japan tour in December 2007, also featuring American band 10 Years as a support act.[41] The finale took place with three consecutive shows at Shinkiba Studio Coast in Tokyo.[35]

[edit] Reception

The album has received generally favorable reviews. The album reached the second spot on CDJapan 2007 sales charts.[42] The album charted on the Billboard "Top Heatseekers" chart at number 8,[43] and on the "Top Independent Albums" at number 21.[44]

[edit] Release history

Region Date Label
Japan 7 February 2007[2] Firewall/Sony Japan
United States 20 February 2007[6] Warcon/Fontana
Germany 2 March 2007[3] Gan-Shin
France 6 March 2007[4] Gan-Shin
United Kingdom 7 May 2007[5] Gan-Shin

[edit] Track listing

All lyrics written by Kyo, all music composed by Dir en grey.

Disc one
# Title Length
1. "Conceived Sorrow"   4:49
2. "Lie Buried with a Vengeance"   2:43
3. "The Fatal Believer"   3:10
4. "Agitated Screams of Maggots"   2:56
5. "Grief"   3:37
6. "Ryoujoku no Ame" (凌辱の雨) 4:02
7. "Disabled Complexes"   3:56
8. "Rotting Root"   4:45
9. "Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi" (艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み) 4:37
10. "The Pledge"   3:55
11. "Repetition of Hatred"   4:32
12. "The Deeper Vileness"   3:46
13. "Clever Sleazoid"   3:12
Disc two (limited edition only)
# Title Length
1. "Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tamerai ni Hohoemi" (艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み) 4:29
2. "Conceived Sorrow"   4:59
3. "The Pledge"   3:51


[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Masuda, You. "The Fatal Believer" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  2. ^ a b Dir en grey Official Web Site - Discography (Database) (English/Japanese). direngrey.co.jp 1. Sun Krad Co. Ltd.. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  3. ^ a b Neues Dir en grey-Album "Marrow Of A Bones" kommt am 02.03. (News release) (German). vertigo.fm 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  4. ^ a b Dir en grey - Releases (Catalogue). jvstore.com 1. Gan-Shin. Archived from the original on 2007-01-28. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  5. ^ a b DIR EN GREY Sells Oout Debut U.K. Show In Two Dats (News release) (English). roadrunnerrecords.com 1 (22). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  6. ^ a b U.S. release date. cduniverse.com.
  7. ^ 2007 tour time line. direngrey.co.jp.
  8. ^ ""Top Independent Album"" (March 17, 2007). Billboard Magazine. 
  9. ^ a b c Limited edition release information. cdjapan.co.jp.
  10. ^ Official Warcon statement (details to come). warconent.com.
  11. ^ Warcon reprint statement. warconent.com.
  12. ^ Official promotional website. direngrey.co.jp.
  13. ^ The Marrow of a Bone limited site. freewill.jp.
  14. ^ In Weal or Woe release information. jame-world.com.
  15. ^ a b Dir en grey interview. planet-loud.com.
  16. ^ About.com interview with Kaoru. about.com.
  17. ^ "Dir en grey's Inward Scream Tour Hits America". artisannews.com.
  18. ^ a b c Shepherd, Sam. Dir En Grey – The Marrow Of A Bone (English). musicomh.com 1. OMH Media. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Dr. Park (27). DIR EN GREY - The Marrow of a Bone (CD review) (English). apeshit.org 1. Apeshit. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  20. ^ a b c Jurek, Thom. allmusic ((( Marrow of a Bone > Review ))) (Album review) (English). allmusic.com 1. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  21. ^ a b c Masuda, You. "Conceived Sorrow" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  22. ^ Masuda, You. "Lie Buried with a Vengeange" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  23. ^ Masuda, You. "Agitated Screams of Maggots" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  24. ^ Agitated Screams of Maggots - SH (IFFR 2007) (English). filmfestivalrotterdam.com 1. International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  25. ^ Masuda, You. "Grief" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  26. ^ a b Masuda, You. "Ryoujoku no Ame" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  27. ^ a b Masuda, You. "Disabled Complexes" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  28. ^ Masuda, You. "Rotting Root" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  29. ^ McIrish, Brian (07). Music Review: Dir en Grey - The Marrow Of A Bone (CD review) (English). blogcritics.org 2. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  30. ^ a b Masuda, You. "Namamekashiki Ansoku..." limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  31. ^ Masuda, You. "The Pledge" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  32. ^ a b Masuda, You. "Repetition of Hatred" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  33. ^ Masuda, You. "The Deeper Vileness" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  34. ^ a b Masuda, You. "Clever Sleazoid" limited content notes (Liner notes) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  35. ^ a b c d Dir en grey 2007 timeline (Timeline) (English). direngrey.co.jp 1. Sun-krad. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  36. ^ “Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone”, Haiiro no Ginka 36: 18-22, 2007 
  37. ^ “Deftones Summer Tour 2007”, Haiiro no Ginka 36: 3-10, 2007 
  38. ^ “Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone -Europe-”, Haiiro no Ginka 37: 5-12, 2007 
  39. ^ “Tour 07 Dozing Green”, Haiiro no Ginka 37: 18-22, 2007 
  40. ^ “Tour 07 Dozing Green -Europe-”, Haiiro no Ginka 38: 19-22, 2008 
  41. ^ “Tour 07 The Marrow of a Bone with 10 Years”, Haiiro no Ginka 38: 3-9, 2008 
  42. ^ "2007 Top 100 Charts". cdjapan.co.jp.
  43. ^ "Top Heatseekers - The Marrow of a Bone". billboard.com.
  44. ^ "Top Indpenedent Albums". billboard.com.

[edit] External links

 This article contains Japanese text.
Without proper rendering support,
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v • d • e
Dir en grey
Members
Kyo · Kaoru · Die · Toshiya · Shinya
Albums
Gauze · Macabre · Kisou · Vulgar · Withering to Death. · The Marrow of a Bone
EPs
Compilations
Singles
"Jealous" · "-I'll-" · "Akuro no Oka" · "Yurameki" · "-Zan-" · "Cage" · "Yokan" · "Myaku" · "[KR] Cube" · "Taiyou no Ao" · "Ain't Afraid to Die" · "Filth" · "Jessica" · "Embryo" · "Child Prey" · "Drain Away" · "Kasumi" · "The Final" · "Saku" · "Clever Sleazoid" · "Ryoujoku no Ame" · "Agitated Screams of Maggots" · "Dozing Green" · "Glass Skin"
Music video
compilations
Live videos
Related articles