DIR EN GREY To Release Two 'Greatest-Hits' Collections In December

Japan's DIR EN GREY will release two "greatest hits" sets on December 19. The first one is a two-CD set, entitled "Decade 1998 – 2002", which focuses on the band's early years, starting with their debut release, "Akuro no Oka", the Joi TV series outro theme "Yokan", the "Jealous – Reverse" album of piano-arranged songs from their demo era, and more. All 21 tracks have been digitally remastered. The second collection, "Decade 2003 – 2007", focuses on the period of time when DIR EN GREY first started making its name known in the international music scene. The compilation includes such classics as "The Final", "Dead Tree" and "Saku". All 18 tracks have been digitally remastered.

"Decade 1998 – 2002" track listing:

CD1:

01. Akuro No Oka
02. Cage
03. Schwein No Isu
04. Yokan
05. 304 Goshitsu, Hakushi No Sakura
06. Deity
07. Rasetsukoku
08. Audrey
09. Myaku
10. Riyu
11. Jealous – Reverse

CD2:

01. Ain't Afraid To Die
02. Filth
03. Bottom Of The Death Valley
04. Gyakujo Tannou Keloid Milk
05. Kigan
06. Embryo (single version)
07. Mushi
08. Mr. Newsman
09. Umbrella
10. Child Prey

"Decade 2003 – 2007" track listing:

01. Obscure
02. Kasumi
03. The Iiid Empire
04. Drain Away
05. Sajo No Uta
06. Audience Killer Loop
07. Saku
08. Dead Tree
09. Merciless Cult
10. Kodo
11. C
12. The Final
13. Clever Sleazoid
14. Grief
15. Agitated Screams Of Maggots
16. Ryojoku No Ame
17. Repetition Of Hatred
18. Conceived Sorrow

DIR EN GREY recently posted the video for its new single, "Dozing Green", at Kerrang.com. It can also be viewed below.

Commented DIR EN GREY's Kaoru: "Mid-tour, during a sound check in Copenhagen, we took some time to play this new song on stage repeatedly, making minor changes as we went. This continued throughout the rest of the tour. The whole process actually benefited us a lot. I feel that the band’s unique mood and temperature is actually captured in between the sounds."

Shinya: "Thanks to all the time we spent working on that song, we were able to completely understand the character of this song. We now perform this song at every show on the current tour, but I still remember that I was able to get into the song smoothly even when we played it the first night."

Die: "I have to say that the song has gone through a drastic change from the original demo, in fact it sounds so different now I can barely remember what it used to sound like! As a result I believe that this song actually breathed a new sense into the band. In fact, this is the next and first step towards our new album."

Toshiya: "I agree with that. I am incredibly thrilled with the end result. The song has both depth and width to it. It took us a long time to come to this point, but this single is the result of working relentlessly without giving up."

"Dozing Green" was released in the UK on October 29, and will be supported by the following performances in the UK:

Nov. 12 - Oxford Academy
Nov. 14 - Sheffield Corporation