Last year DIR EN GREY delighted the fans with new material in the form of the “人間を被る” (Ningen wo Kaburu) single and the full album “The Insulated World”, of which the latter was a great example of DIR EN GREY’s “shock value”, even after so many years of them releasing shocking materials left and right.
But that doesn’t mean the guys have been sitting around doing nothing. They’re following up their full album with a brand new single, titled “The World of Mercy”.
The single itself exists out of three songs, and just like “人間を被る” (Ningen wo Kaburu) it comes in four different formats for fans to enjoy. A “special edition” with a DVD or Blu-ray disc containing 11 live songs, “limited edition” with a DVD containing 3 live songs, and a CD only “regular edition”.
Just like their previous single, we’re going to look at the regular edition today, because again this version has the most interesting materials for us.
The World of Mercy
DIR EN GREY are known for their experimental works, something I say over and over when we’re talking about this group. But “The World of Mercy” is a great example of this fact, since the title track spans a good ten minutes by itself. So while this is a single, it’s more worthy of the “journey” label instead.
With it’s ominous instrumentals combined with 京 (Kyo)’s high vocals create a unique world for us listeners, and is definitely worthy of being part of a movie soundtrack.
The title track exists out of multiple parts rather than being one long continuous song, and each part connects to the ones before and after it seamlessly, turning everything up a notch and giving each instrument it’s own chance to take the center stage while being combined with 京 (Kyo)’s screams and growls, but also with his higher vocals in the background – creating a scene like only DIR EN GREY can before it rolls back into the ominous scene from before. Sorrowful vocals are being combined with his typical long, high notes and deep growls until the end of this journey.
DOZING GREEN (Acoustic Ver.)
Similar to the formula used on the previous single, “The World of Mercy” also included an “older song” in a new format to it’s tracklist. For fans who are familiar with the band “DOZING GREEN” probably is one of the more recognizable songs from the group, but the acoustic take sheds a different light on the song through it’s softer vocals and the use of acoustic guitars (which by the way make the bridge of this song sound incredibly good – and I don’t even like the sound of an acoustic guitar that much…).
GRIEF [LIVE]
Again reusing the same formula as the previous single, the third track is reserved for a live version of one of the band’s “older” songs. “GRIEF” paints a very clear picture of what you can expect from DIR EN GREY on a live stage. The members aren’t the only part of this group that evolves and “grows towards the live stage” in this group, their songs do too. Each song is perfected for the best live performance even if that means some minor changes have to be made, and this one is no exception.
Conclusion
There is a lot that can be said about this single, but it all comes down to the fact that this one “breathes” the essence of DIR EN GREY as a band. It’s not a secret that this band has been around for a looong time, and that their music has brought them all over the world for many years, but you can also hear that influence from overseas return in their songs, resulting in the group pulling in listeners from all over the world.
While their music will always be “experimental” by the sounds of it, they’re pretty good scientists, because this experiment has not failed yet, hasn’t it? Following a full album is always a challenge, but “The World of Mercy” is a musical journey that definitely deserved it’s own single rather than being included on an album.
Their focus seems to be the question of “will this sound good live?”, which means that their live stage comes first and their studio version comes second, but that doesn’t mean the latter is less important to them than the former.
Release information
Are you interested in supporting the band by getting your own copy of the release? Here is something to get you started:
 (Limited Deluxe Version) | 01. The World of Mercy 02. DOZING GREEN (Acoustic Ver.) 03. GRIEF [LIVE] DVD TOUR19 The Insulated World 2019.04.15 SHINKIBA STUDIO COAST 01. 谿壑の欲 (Keigaku no Yoku) 02. 人間を被る (Ningen wo Kaburu) 03.理由 (Riyuu) 04. Ash 05. 赫 (Aka) 06. Ranunculus 07. 軽蔑と始まり (Keibetsu to Hajimari) 08. Values of Madness 09. 鬼眼 (Kigan) 10. THE DEEPER VILENESS 11. The World of Mercy (Scenes from Recording) |
 (Limited Version) | 01. The World of Mercy 02. DOZING GREEN (Acoustic Ver.) 03. GRIEF [LIVE] DVD TOUR19 The Insulated World 2019.04.15 SHINKIBA STUDIO COAST 01. 人間を被る (Ningen wo Kaburu) 02. Ranunculus 03. 鬼眼 (Kigan) |
 (Regular Version) | 01. The World of Mercy 02. DOZING GREEN (Acoustic Ver.) 03. GRIEF [LIVE] |
Artist: DIR EN GREY
Release: The World of Mercy (single)
Release date: September 18, 2019
CD number: SFCD-241 (Special edition with Blu-ray) / SFCD-243 (Special edition with DVD) / SFCD-245 (Limited edition with DVD) / SFCD-247 (Regular edition)
雪 (Yuki) is the owner and driving force behind Arlequin.
She originally started the project in 2009 as a photographer under the name of Arlequin Photography, but developed an interest in journalism and translation ever since. Because of these interests interviews and reviews were added to the project, until it eventually hit the limits as a "photographer" in 2021, and Arlequin Magazine was added to the mix.
雪 (Yuki) is a native Dutch speaker with a graphic design degree, which means she is also the main person behind Arlequin Creations.
After all these years she is still the main person who does interviews the interviews and live photos that you see on Arlequin, but also a large chunk of the reviews and behind-the-scenes work and communication goes through her.
She speaks Dutch and English on a native level, but also understands Japanese and German.