Review by kurisu

I dont know about anyone elso who ordered this but I received it on Monday! Yay for getting it a few days early! The first time I heard these 2 tracks were at Girugamesh's last gig in London. ALIVE is a very catchy and pretty heavy track, I've had it on repeat since I got it, its that good! The B-side, GAMBLE, is also a great track. ALIVE has to be the best singles I've heard in quite a long time. If you dont get this you are really missing out on one of this years best releases.

After seeing the setlist for this and seen thats its mainly tracks from 'Marrow of a Bone' I honestly didnt think it'll be all that great. But Dir en grey actually make the album sound amazing live xD. The last few tracks played is my favourite part of the dvd, they are some real classics and I wish that the band would play some of their older tracks like that outside of Japan for once :(. The main highlight of this release for me has to be the 2nd disc for one reason... 'ain't afraid to die' live! Now that is a song I would die to see live here in the UK. The cd is pretty cool, eventhough it wouldve been better if they didnt include tracks from disc 1 :/ as I was hoping to hear more from the Osaka-jo Hall live. Overall its a great set and a must for any Dir en grey fan ^__^.

This dvd is awesome. Disc 1 has the whole live on it, which is absolutely brilliant and the band seem really energetic. One of the best things about this for me is that what they play on the dvd is pretty much the exact same setlist, in the same order, that they played at their latest gig in London! So it brings back great memories xD. Shame this dvd didnt include 'ALIVE' or 'GAMBLE' though, as those were great at London xD. The 2nd disc is a great laugh to watch as it's just the band messing about in between gigs. I love the little clip of them playing 'stupid' but with Ryo on guitar, ShuU on drums, Nii on vocals and Satoshi on bass xD. Overall its a brilliant release from a brilliant band. You'd be insane to miss out on this.

First things first, this film is outstanding. Brilliant story, animation, effects and soundtrack, and now being on Blu-ray it looks all the more better and even more realistic than it did when it first came out. The 30 minutes worth of extra scenes are awesome and woven into the existing scenes very well and the revised scenes are great. The bonus features are mainly different versions of the AC Complete trailer so theres not much variation but it more than makes up for it with the first episode of the "On The Way To A Smile" OVA - "Episode: Denzel" which is very interesting to watch despite it being in Japanese only with no subs. Of course there is also the Reminiscence of FFVII and Compilation of FFVII that comes as standard. And now for what was the winning feature that made me buy this.. the FINAL FANTASY XIII demo! All I can say is that I cannot wait for this to be released. Winter 2009 it says at the end of the demo... I pray it'll be a worldwide release but I cant get my hopes up eh? The included FF Versus XIII and FF Agito XIII trailers are also outstanding.

OMG I GOT IT EARLY!!! THANK YOU CDJAPAN!!! Yes.. I received this EP in the post this morning and I LOVE it! The opening track 'MY <3 LEAPS FOR "C"' is just amazing. The second track 'Kawayu's Rock' is a nice and heavy but upbeat track that has possibly Miku's first scream/growl since Magnya Carta(?). Track 3 'ZETSUBOU' is a funky song that includes a piano track mixed in to great effect. Now.. track 4 'NYAPPY in the world 4 - Hannyaka Kyo no Theme -' completely refreshes the Nyappy in the world series of songs with a disco like dance tune and some absolutely brilliant vocals that really make the song fun, bubbly and increidbly enjoyable!. I havent watched the DVD yet, but I expect that the PV is, as per usual from An Cafe, awesome. The artwork is also really funky and the entire presentation of the EP is top notch. If you havent already...... the BUY IT NOW!!! whilst the limited edition is still available!

An excellent follow up to 'Dozing Green'! 'Glass Skin' takes an even larger step away from that of of 'Marrow of a Bone' with a generally quiet song played beautifully with skilled guitar work, a bass line that you can actually hear and outstanding drum playing and of course, Kyo's beautiful singing voice. The 'Undecided' re-recording is just as soothing and calm as 'Glass Skin' with its exceptional accoustic guitar work and again calm vocals. When I first heard 'Agitated Screams Of Maggots -unplugged-' I hated it to be honest, I had never heard anything so disgustingly bad before... BUT I have to say after a few listens it has grown on me, I am starting to put up with it. But the fact is, it still should never have gotten past the planning stage as it completly destroys the mood of this single and not to mention destroys one of 'MOAB's' only decent songs. And as for the 'Ryujoku no Ame [live]', It blew me away! It reminded me of when I seen Diru live in Oxford UK a year ago. Definitly the best version of the song I have ever heard! Overall a brilliant single (if you can get past 'ASOM-unplugged-') that just adds to the tension of the wait for 'UROBOROS'!! CAN'T WAIT!! Oh yeh, the sticker and poster rocked! :D

Dir en grey's first ever single. This single is legendary and shows what Diru can really do with their music. 'JEALOUS' in my opinion is possibly Dir en grey's BEST single ever!! Likewise with '-I'LL-' it was dissapointedly never released on a studio album or even 'DECADE 98/02'. The song structure is similar to that of 'SILENT JEALOUSY' by X, with the piano opening then the full assault of beautifully heavy guitars and of course Kyo's beautiful young voice. The solo by the way is just to die for, never again has their been a Diru solo this amazing (apart from 'raison detre'). The B-side, another lost legend, 'Unknown...Despair...a Lost, is just as amazing at the title track. The song is heavy and Die gets his first solo in this track, aswell as providing back-up vocals. The PV's for each song are also beautiful and also feature the band in their most extreme Visual Kei outfits (how I miss their Visual days...). The PV's of these 2 tracks along with the PV's for '-I'LL-' and 'KARMA' can be found on the (VERY RARE) 'MOUSOUTOUKAKUGEKI' VHS video cassette, that I managed to get a hold of a few days ago.

Dir en grey's second single release after 'JEALOUS'. '-I'LL-' Even now there aren't many songs that can beat this. The song is incredible. Brilliant vocals, outstanding guitar work, unbeatable bass and incredible drum work makes for one of Dir en grey's best singles to date, it's just and shame and plain wrong that it hasent been included on an album or even on 'DECADE 98/02'. An offcial singles collection would be nice! The B-side 'TORIKO' is another classic, that many new fans would not even know about. Likewise to '-I'LL-' it's and outstanding song that needs to be heard by Diru fans new and old alike!

This is the the bands first ever release and after listing to it, I can tell that this band has the potential to be very succesful. From the opening track 'EDY' to the last 'July VIIth', this EP is just pure amazing. Anyone looking for new bands, or just for something different, try this EP, you might just love it.. I did! The PV of 'EDY' is just awesome, and the making-of footage is just hilarious (pringle kiss!!!).

Vistlip's first single is, as expected (after the previous EP release [Revolver]), brilliant. The title track 'Sara' is a great upbeat track that could put anyone in a good mood, and the piano ending to the song is just so calming and beautiful. The B-side 'flash back blanky' is the complete opposite to 'Sara' in every way. It's an aggressive and heavy track that you can't help but love! And as for the DVD.. the PV of 'Sara' has been beautifully made and is very colourful. What did make me laugh though was every now and then during the PV huge fish appear on screen!

2nd single release from Vistlip. The title track 'alo[n]e' is a beautiful song with wonderful vocals and great instrument work as I've come to expect from the band. The B-side 'LIFE' is also another excellent track that seems to follow 'alo[n]e' in sound and mood. The PV of 'alo[n]e' is a beautifully made video and displays the feelings and mood of the song really well. If the band keeps up like this, they may just become my most favourite band. I just can't wait for 'Drop note.' now!

Title says its all. This has to be the Best album released this year, not just in Japan but Worldwide. The guitar work is beautiful, as with 'Lyrical Sympathy' and harmonise perfectly together. 'NOBLE' is noticibly heavier with songs such as 'SECOND FEAR', 'ZOMBIE' and 'TO THE CHAOS INSIDE'. All 3 of these tracks were written by TERU so i'm looking forward to more stuff from him! The new-take on 'THE REVENANT CHOIR' is fantastic. There isnt much change to the song itself, apart from sounding slightly heavier and the drums stand out a lot more. The opening has also been cut out so it jumps right into the song. It is by far my most favourite track on the album next to 'ZOMBIE'. The artwork on this release is absolutely brilliant, the photobook is amazing (just looking at Hizaki is enough to make a man (and women!) cry with Jealousy! LOL) and of course the bonus PV of 'ARISTOCRAT'S SYMPHONY' is brilliantly made and is very beautiful. And also, I cannot forget, the CDJapan only Postcard rocks ^_~

After watching a friends copy of 'THE CODE OF VULGAR[ism]', I didnt think Diru could get much better live. But then I bought this! This DVD is outstanding, its sheer brilliance. The choice of tracks the band plays are brilliant and are performed incredibly well. The most memorable parts for me are Die's 'yokan' solo (I'm a huge fan of Die! lol) and the entire encore at the end, that includes a super extended 'GARDEN' during which the crowd sings along to just the drums, its beautiful, Toshiya actully crys at this point!! 'JEALOUS' being one of Diru's best songs is even better live! And its great how they fool the crowd by starting to play '-I'LL-' but then 10 seconds into it they start playing '-ZAN-' whislt Kyo shouts out 'BAKA!' to the crowd. Simply an amazing concert DVD that any Dir en grey fans NEEDs to have in their collection, you will not regeret it!!!

After getting ahold of Alice nines. Alpha, I had to dive into their past. I dont regret it. As with a fair few J-rock bands now, it seems, that the further you go into their back history the heavier they get. Alice nine. are the same, 'KASO YUME ZOSHI' includes possibly the heaviest works by the band including the awesome 'Yami ni Chiru Sakura'! Deffinitly one for the hardcore fan and new fans alike, you will not be dissapointed!

After listening to some of their tunes that I downloaded, I had to but their what albums they had, only to find out that they were all out of print!! I was gutted. Soon after I heard about this and just had to pre-order it! This compilation does not disspointed not even in the slightest. It includes both of their out-of-print EP's in their full glory and a few of their earlier singles aswell. The inlay booklet has full art work from all the singles and EPs included aswell as little descriptions for each (in Japanese of course!) Shojo ~Lolita~ 23ku have a very unique upbeat sound that I cant help but love, give them a chance and you will too! Their are 1 or 2 heavier tracks like 888 ~kohaku tou no shojo~, which are just as great as the rest =] The DVD aslo includes 2 brilliant PV's aswell. My favourite tracks on this album have to be 06 - 888 ~kohaku tou no shojo~ 08 - yuugen kaiga ~metro picture~ 09 - shounen to ao 14 - Andromeda

This is one incredible EP. The whole EP itself is a lot more destructive and heavier than '13's reborn' with songs like 'Real my place', 'crime-tsumi-' and 'smash!!'. They also show their softer side with track 5 'freesia' not being as heavy as the others. All in all, this is a must have EP by one of todays best bands. You need this in your life.

From the first track 'Ryuusei Rocket' to the last 'Orange Dream', this album is amazing all the way through and not a single track that I don't love! An Cafe fans new and old will love this album. The tracks that stand out the most to me and are defnitly worth a dancin' to are 'NYAPPY In The World3', 'Baby King' and 'Kakusei Herosim'! Buy this album! :P

I bought this as a gift for a mate so I havent listened to it all the way through myself but... do I really need to? I mean c'mon it's hide! It's obviously an amazing album just knowing that it's from hide, having heard a few of the tracks on this album already I know it's brilliant. My favourite track has to be 'MISERY'!

'Volcano' is a lovely little DVD, even tho it only has 3 clips on it in total, it is so very worth buying if your a Girugamesh fan! The title PV itself 'Volacano' is brilliant and the 2 live clips of 'Jarring Fly' and 'shadan' are incredible, certainly brings back great memories of when I seen Girugamesh live here in the UK back in January!

As the title says, this EP is brilliant. I also have to say that at the moment this is probably my favourite GazettE release as I'm a huge fan of their heavier work and in heaviness, this EP does not dissapoint. I love all 4 songs on the EP especially 'oni no men' and 'Wife'. A must get!