Japan's critically acclaimed Dir en Grey has released a new full length CD, The Marrow Of A Bone. Formed over 10 years ago, Dir en Grey is bringing their strange blend of musical styles overseas to many already welcoming fans thanks to the 2006 Family Values tour. Originally sporting the "visual kei" movement, this Japanese quintet has made some changes to their look and produced a dark fashion that attracted a fan base that is nearly fixated with them. With this new obsession created, they are preparing to headline their own tour this summer to support The Marrow Of A Bone. It is no surprise that all of their shows have sold out already without a lot of promotion, some in record time.

Here's the kicker - most of the songs that Dir en Grey sings are in Japanese. In fact, the only lyrics I understood the first time I heard this CD were swear words. Who cares though, this CD is amazing. If I had to describe what they sounded like I would say that they remind me of a fine tuned Slipknot mixed with At The Drive In but having almost a Kings X feel to the more mellow sections on their music. Some songs are soft and passionate while others express pain and leave a mark.

Some may have heard that lead singer Kyo is a tad on the performance side when he sings and likes to subject himself to pain. Not for a moment should you even fathom that this is a modern day Marilyn Manson. These wounds are real and many a time Kyo has subjected himself to severe complications. Having blown out his vocal cords once already, Kyo continues to sing ranging from low to high pitches. Kyo is not alone of course. Accompanying him is Kaoru and Die on guitars, Toshhiya on bass, and Shinya on drums.