On the eve of the longest and perhaps most important tour of their almost decade-long career, Dir en grey were putting on a brave face.
Though a guaranteed crowd-puller at home, the Tokyo-based band weren't quite sure how audiences would react to their theatrical brand of pop-metal during a eight-week trek through North America supporting California hard rockers Korn and Deftones. Their dark lyrics deal with such familiar heavy-metal themes as alienation and death, but screaming them in Japanese makes it difficult for kids who don't speak the language to connect.
What's more, the costumes and makeup that cause writers and fans alike to dub Dir en grey a "visual kei (style)" band stayed at home. That means the band has to rely on good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll swagger to make an impression during Korn's Family Values tour -- a traveling mini festival boasting two stages and nine bands.