Japanese band DIR EN GREY is no stranger to the United States. They've been playing shows across America for a little over a decade and thankfully call San Francisco one of their regular stops. The show tonight is in partnership with Goldenvoice who has presented the band in San Francisco for as long as I can remember. The venue is Slim's, a far different place from The Regency Ballroom a mile away that the band has frequented so often. Smaller, more intimate, and much more prone to selling out. If you don't want to get stuck in the cold or stuck in the back you have to arrive early. The formal name for the tour is "Never Free From the Awakening."

I arrived approximately half an hour before showtime. The club was already packed wall to wall and making your way to the front is nigh impossible. People have been lining up for hours in an effort to reach the holy land of the fence where they can be the closest to Kyo and company as humanly possible. Lateral movement is equally difficult and the merchandise table is swarmed with fans. One of the more unique things about Slim's is that there are a few dinner packages available on a raised portion of the stage. Those quick enough to grab one of these packages can view the band from on-high while enjoying a brew or two and some food.

DIR EN GREY consists of frontman Kyo, guitarists Die and Kaoru, drummer Shinya, and bassist Toshiya. The band first started in the visual kei vein but as they gained more popularity (and the visual kei movement started to fade) they transitioned to a more modern aesthetic eventually becoming the band you see today. Their music has likewise evolved over the years with almost all of their lyrics written and masterminded by Kyo. Their music is hard to classify except with the very broad brush of "metal." At times they are thrash, at others doom, and still others a slow-moving ballad (or at least the closest this band will ever get to one). Kyo's voice is the showpiece of the entire show and he will alternate between clean vocals, harsh growling, and as many bestial sounds as you can imagine.

Kyo's outfit tonight is reminiscent of a Japanese monk's; a flowing white robe and black headscarf on top of tight black pants with rope necklaces around his neck. Combined with the pinhole contacts it's a very intimidating setup. As the night went on the headscarf would go followed by the robe revealing a black leather harness hidden underneath. It is at this point Kyo's many tattoos are visible and for now only he knows their significance and meaning. He sports the bald head much like the last time the band was here for 2013's "Ghoul" tour. Die, Toshiya, and Kaoru are all cloaked in black with Shinya the only one contrasting in white. Kaoru's hair is decidedly out of control and radiates from his head. The band has come a long way from their visual kei days. Being a metal show there are fans everywhere, naturally. Kyo's loincloth and various members' hair were flying about for almost the whole show.

DIR EN GREY's ninth and latest album, Arche, was released in December of 2014 and many of those songs feature on the playlist. Old favorites like "The Final" are a given, of course. I don't think I've seen a DIR EN GREY show without "The Final," actually...

The band started off with "Behind a Vacant Image" and "Sustain the Untruth," both from Arche, and old-school (circa 2003) track "Obscure." That last one is fitting given the mixing of old and new styles on Arche. This triplet begins slow and gets heavier and faster. One thing I note is that at Slim's I can actually hear the music up here. At the Regency during the first three songs in the pit I could feel the bass thumping but can't really hear much else.

A short break allows me and the lone other photographer to file out of the pit and take our places somewhere on the edges of the room stage left. I can finally see just how packed it is up front; the mass of humanity writhes and ebbs and flows. There's also a distinct lack of camera phones in the air which I give the fans props for. A few are on the side nearest me but it looks like the bulk of people are here to get into the music. I'm not quite sure if there is a mosh pit. There well could be but it's probably very compressed. I'm pretty much trapped on this side of the room but that's alright. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened here after photos (nevermind that whole time I was in this spot for May'n) and there's an electric fan circulating air and the bar right next to me.

"Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami," also known simply as "Hageshisa," is the next song. Fast paced, but not quite yet thrash, it's a good one to listen to and move with. We return to the band's earlier albums with the somewhat slow-paced and forboding "Merciless Cult" and "Saku."

"Tousei," which roughly translates to "Voices of Waves," gives the crowd a little more time to relax. It's not that heavy compared to some of the band's other songs but is unmistakably DIR EN GREY. It is at this point I hear the lilting lines and acoustic guitar of "VINUSHKA" and get hyped. This is one of those songs you know will get the crowd moving once more. It starts off slow but builds up with Kyo's voice becoming more and more frenzied and Kaoru and Die's guitars mirror each other until you reach a crescendo when the whole room explodes. The crowd strains against the fence as Kyo's voice goes between harsh whispers and guttural screams. A tired attendee stumbles out of the crowd and plops down next to me where staff immediately tend to him and lead him to the back. Rocking a little too hard, perhaps?

Back to Arche with the instrumental "and Zero" followed by "Chain Repulsion," "Revelation of Mankind," and "Uroko." These four showcase Kyo's range nicely and the sounds of Arche. Suddenly perennial favorite "The Final" starts. Somehow it is almost the end of the night. How did that happen? I mean, I knew the setlist in advance and still it somehow snuck up on me. This song has been a part of DIR EN GREY shows for, well, forever. Fans always go wild when it comes on even though it is the harbinger of the end of the night. The band exits to cheers.

The crowd chants "Dir! En! Grey!" until the quintet arrives back on stage. The three-song encore consists of "The Fatal Believer," "Child Prey," and finally "Un deux." The beginning has become the end, and this time it actually is the end. Time to go back to real life but the cult of Kyo and company will continue onward.

DIR EN GREY has a few more shows left in this tour but no more in this neck of the woods. At the Los Angeles show on Thursday someone fell off the upper deck but was luckily not seriously injured. I know a few people had this tour as the first one they've ever gone to and they picked one that sets the bar very, very high. We can only hope the band comes back soon. Thank you to Goldenvoice for the opportunity. It’s always a pleasure to see these guys play.

After leaving North America later this week they will take a break until mid-January for a sprint around Japan. They have a headlining pair of show at the famous Nippon Budokan in early February which, for those able to make their way to Japan, are not to be missed.

Setlist:

Behind a vacant image
Sustain the untruth
OBSCURE

hageshisa
Merciless Cult
saku

tousei
VINUSHKA

and Zero
Chain Repulsion
Revelation of mankind
uroko
THE FINAL

Encore:
THE FATAL BELIEVER
CHILD PREY
Un deux

Album count:

Arche: 8
Withering to death: 3
Vulgar: 2
Dum Spiro Spero: 1
Uroboros: 1
The Marrow of a Bone: 1

DIR EN GREY "NEVER FREE FROM THE AWAKENING" TOUR15

11/2 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
11/4 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11/5 Los Angeles, CA - The Mayan
11/7 Mexico City, MX - Plaza Condesa
11/9 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
11/11 New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
11/13 Toronto, ON (CA) - The Opera House

"FINEM LAUDA" TOUR16 JAPAN

1/14 Osaka - Namba Hatch (fanclub and online sales only)
1/18 Osaka - Namba Hatch (fanclub and online sales only)
1/21 Aichi - Nagoya Diamond Hall (fanclub and online sales only)
1/22 Aichi - Nagoya Diamond Hall (fanclub and online sales only)

1/26 Kanagawa - Club Citta (fanclub only)
1/27 Kanagawa - Club Citta (fanclub only)

"ARCHE"

2/5 Tokyo - Nippon Budokan
2/6 Tokyo - Nippon Budokan