''Dum Spiro Spero'' (stylized as ''DUM SPIRO SPERO'', ) is the eighth studio album by Japanese
heavy metal band
Dir En Grey
Dir En Grey (stylized as DIR EN GREY and previously as Dir en grey) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitarists Kaoru and Die, ...
, released on August 2, 2011 in the U.S., and in Japan on August 3.
The album's three singles, "
", "
Lotus" and "
Different Sense", have all been remastered from their original releases. "Rasetsukoku" is a re-recording of the original song found on their 2000 album ''
Macabre
In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...
''.
Release and promotion
It was released in both a single-
CD edition, a deluxe edition
digipak
Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage.
Jewel case
A ...
with two bonus tracks ("Rasetsukoku" and "Amon (Symphonic Ver.)"), and a limited edition featuring the deluxe digipak, a DVD and two
LPs. This featured alternative versions of songs from the regular version of the album, remixes, interviews, studio footage, and more.
Music videos were released for all three singles; "Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami", "Lotus" and "Different Sense".
Artwork
The album art was designed by the band's long-time artist Koji Yoda. This art-cover probably represents
Tara, the "Mother of Liberation" in
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
. The bamboo scenery is very meaningful to the band. According to guitarist Die, "the bamboo conveys the idea of sacredness and serenity
.. Ultimately, it means to keep faith and hope alive even though you are living the worst:
While I breath, I hope."
Critical reception
''Dum Spiro Spero'' was met with positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 8 critics, the album has received a score of 74/100, which indicates "Generally favorable reviews".
In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote that "Dir en Grey are a band in their own genre at this point, and Dum Spiro Spero is the farthest-reaching testament to establish that as fact more than opinion." He also acknowledged the wide variety of influences on the album, ranging from
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...
and
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
to
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
, praising comparing vocalist Kyo's range to Mike Patton. Rock Sound described it as a "satisfyingly challenging, perpetually writhing musical beast".
PopMatters' Dane Prokofiev noted in a positive review that "their music is eclectic and hard to classify into any one subgenre—except that they have the added fangirl-ish oomph of flashy appearances, thanks to their visual-kei roots". Like Jurek, he praised Kyo as a gifted singer, particularly for his range. He also singled out bassist Toshiya as deserving of praise for his performance on ''Dum Spiro Spero'', "as his throbbing bass lines complement the technical guitar riffs well by adding a groovy kind of bad-ass attitude to the overall feel of the music. Without him, the guitar melodies of Kaoru and Die would most certainly sound naked and hollow."
Track listing
Release history
Charting
References
{{Authority control
Dir En Grey albums
2011 albums