Dir En Grey

Dir En Grey



Official Site


Dir En Grey was preceded by the independent rock band La:Sadie's, which included four of Dir En Grey's members before it disbanded. They disbanded due to leader and bassist Kisaki not wanting to debut as he felt that it was too soon, but guitarist Kaoru believed that they were ready for it. After parting ways with Kisaki, Kaoru, Kyo, Die and Shinya recruited bassist Toshiya, regrouped as a new band on February 2, 1997 and released their first EP, Missa. They first attracted mainstream attention in 1998 by entering the top ten on the Oricon music charts with the still independently produced songs "Jealous" and "-I'll-". In 2005, Dir En Grey performed in Europe for the first time. Their concerts in Berlin and Paris (as part of the It Withers and Withers tour) sold out without promotion, save for newsletters by import record stores and internet-based word of mouth. The band also performed at two major festivals, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park. Several Dir En Grey songs were also featured in the soundtrack of the 2005 film Death Trance. In early 2006 touring was expanded to the United States. The band performed in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest festival, New York City at the Avalon Club and Los Angeles, California at the Wiltern Theatre, followed by the North American release of Withering to Death. Again, all shows sold out within days. On 30 December 2006 music video for "Saku" was voted the No. 1 video of the year on the MTV2 show Headbanger's Ball. On August 1, Dir En Grey announced the release of their seventh studio album, Uroboros, which was released on November 11, 2008 in the United States. They appearing on the soundtrack of the American movie Saw 3D with their single, "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami". The single "Lotus" was released on January 26, 2011, along with a new fan-club only tour named The Decomposition of the Moon, scheduled to run from May 14 to May 26. On August 14, Dir En Grey won the Extreme Metal Olympics organized by Loudwire.com, beating Death in the final. On April 3, 2013, they released their third EP, titled The Unraveling, with one new song and six rerecorded songs.
DIR EN GREY continue to solidify their fan base in Europe and in the US, their music genre is still uncategorized as it is unnecessary to even try to classify them in any way. They are DIR EN GREY. From the day the band formed up until the day they debuted in the US, their music and styles have changed tremendously. But one thing remains the same; their endless pursuit and attitude towards their music. That is what attracts the fans worldwide. Because while many trends come and go, and music itself now becoming a mass-consuming-product, Dir en grey’s music crosses borders and transcends the language barrier worldwide.


Kyo / Nishimura Tooru - vocal
Birthday: 16.02.1976


Kaoru / Niikura Kaoru - guitar
Birthday: 17.02.1974


Die / Andou/Kondo Daisuke - guitar
Birthday: 20.12.1974


Toshiya / Hara Toshimasa - bass
Birthday: 31.03.1977


Shinya / Terachi Shinya - drums
Birthday: 24.02.1978