DIR EN GREY is back in the US on a solo-headlining tour after 6 years, performing to a very enthusiastic fan base across the country. They sold out the Belasco in Los Angeles 2 nights in a row, and added a 3rd SoCal show at the House of Blues in Anaheim for later in the week. The entry line wrapped around the city block both nights in LA, with a diverse crowd of metalheads and Visual Kei fans anticipating a killer performance. As a general side note–never let anybody tell you that metal fans aren’t stylish. This crowd had some of the best show fits I’ve ever come across, which should be zero surprise to anyone familiar with the genre of Visual Kei.Originating in 1980’s Japan, Visual Kei (V-kei) drew inspiration from glam-rock and gothic metal styles, and molded a unique alternative music/fashion subculture to match. While they’ve since diverged from the genre across their 11 official albums, DIR EN GREY is one of the most popular bands to come out of the V-Kei movement/scene, so it would be remiss to not touch on their roots as it clearly still influences the fanbase to this day. The band, consisting of vocalist Kyo, guitarists Kaoru and Die, bassist Toshiya, and drummer Shinya, have experimented heavily with their sound over their career, with newer albums evolving towards a more hardcore and progressive metal sound. One thing they are dedicated to is pushing the limits in both songwriting and performing. After seeing them perform live, I understand why there were so many people joining the line that stretched down 11th and across Broadway at 3pm on a Tuesday to see this group. Everything this band does onstage is fantastic. Die’s solos will melt your face, light the melted bits on fire, and proceed to burn that to a crisp. Kyo has one of the most impressive vocal performances in metal, switching between pig squeals, haunting falsettos, and chest-shaking growls in quick succession. While day one and two were both named after their fourth and fifth albums, they performed songs from throughout their catalogue, including specific live versions that haven’t been performed in years. Notably for night one, they broke out the 2003 version of "KASUMI," which hasn’t been played since 2012. Even as the group closed their set with an impressive 4-song encore, featuring the 2018 version of "THE IIID EMPIRE," the band and audience kept up their high octane energy to the very end.Keep up with DIR EN GREY and upcoming tour dates here.