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Exclusive Interview: Kaoru And Die Of Dir En Grey

Published

15 years ago

on

I’m beyond excited to have had a chance to talk with Kaoru and Die, the guitarists of Japanese metal band Dir en grey, about the upcoming album, Dum Spiro Spero, how the March tsunami affected them, and their take on horror and its influence on the band. By now you probably realize that I’m a huge fan and I’m really thrilled that I’m able to bring you this exclusive interview. Don’t forget to check out singer Kyo’s Top 10 Horror Movie list and my review of Dum Spiro Spero.

direngreyband

First of all, thank you very much for this interview. I’m a big fan of Dir en grey and the new album, Dum Spiro Spero, is fantastic!
Kaoru: Thank you.
Die: Thank you.
So, jumping right into things with Dum Spiro Spero, the first several minutes of the album are incredibly creepy and unsettling. They set the tone for, what I feel, is a very diverse and very chaotic album that seems like it would be perfect for a horror movie. Was this something that you were aiming for?
Kaoru: It wasn’t intended to be particularly for a horror movie but the imagery that we were presenting was more of a, as you said, twisted and chaotic scene. Through that, we were trying to shun light and concepts. 
The various guitar tones and effects are incredible! I’m wondering though how the two you are able to make them fit so well with each other to create these rich textures?
Die: Concerning the guitar arrangement, we just take a long time. Even with the effects during the recording process, we take it down to the very tiny, tiny details and we make sure that everything is fitting correctly. It’s all just time, we take a long time to do this.
How, if at all, did the March tsunami affect Dum Spiro Spero or you as a band?
Kaoru: Well, the disaster happened during the time we were recording and so when that happened, we had to stop recording for a second and we were contemplating whether to keep recording or not. However, we decided to do what we had started and complete what he had, which was the album. We also felt that completing the album was a way to bring light and definitely hope for our fan base. 

Will there be a US tour in support of Dum Spiro Spero?
Die: Yes. The tour is at the end of the year.
The visuals of Dir en grey have always had a very dark edge to them. What is it about this style that appeals to you and to the band?
Die: Let’s say we were listening to pop music. There is not much of a deeper emotion that is conveyed through the music. However, we as a band like to take grotesque videos and within that art form, we want people to receive the beauty and depth of these images. 
Kyo gave us his Top 10 horror movies and it was a huge hit with the Bloody-Disgusting readers. I’m wondering what are some of your favorites?
Kaoru: I was actually not able to watch horror movies before and a lot of people had said to me, “You make music videos that are basically horror movies but you don’t watch these movies?”. But recently I am able to and concerning the ones I’ve recently seen, I’ve seen a few but I can’t remember them.
Die: I saw the first Saw in movie theaters and it was quite surprising. I was moved by the first movie. 
Kaoru, Die, thank you both very much! Like I say, the album is amazing and I really look forward to seeing what the rest of the world thinks of it!
Kaoru and Die: Thank you very much! Bye!
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Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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Music

GUNSHIP Debuts ‘Time After Time’ Music Video Featuring Unseen ‘Whistle’ Footage

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1 day ago

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July 29, 2026

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Whistle Gunship video "Time After Time"

Synthwave outfit GUNSHIP has released a new official music video this morning for their cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” featured on the soundtrack to Corin Hardy’s (The Nun, The Hallow) supernatural horror film Whistle.

To bring it full circle, Corin Hardy directs the music video himself, incorporating previously unseen footage from Whistle. More specifically, the new music video features an extended sequence from the film.

This collaboration builds on GUNSHIP’s longstanding relationship with Hardy, who previously contributed vocals to the band’s track “Cthulhu.”

“Working with Corin is a total dream,” said GUNSHIP. “He’s an old friend who we bonded with over our love for cinema and music, and we were honored to have our song featured in the film. After the Whistle premiere, we were chatting over a pint, and he told us about a beautiful pseudo ‘one shot’ sequence he was heartbroken to lose in the final film. We suggested resurrecting it and using it as a music video. Corin got it immediately, and the result is perfect. It’s heartbreaking, haunting and pure 80s noir soaked.”

Corin Hardy added: “I wanted Whistle to feel like a horror movie I might have watched around the late 1980s, alongside films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Lost Boys, and The Breakfast Club. Films steeped in teen-angst and heightened feelings. Music was such a huge part of creating the romance of those cinematic worlds. Gunship’s synth-drenched cover of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ was always top of my list. Their unique heart-on-your-sleeve sound was the perfect choice for a key moment in the movie. To come together post-release and create this extended music video is simply the cherry on top. Dan, Al & Al (Gunship) have provided the film a real companion piece in the world of Whistle… it makes me want my MTV again!”

It’s a fitting collaboration, as music serves a narrative purpose in Whistle. Music, the director told Bloody Disgusting, was a means of immersing viewers in this world and its characters’ perspectives. Hardy even touched on this particular track: “So in a way, the music you’ll listen to is effectively what Chrys is listening to, which is her dad’s record collection. Then there are other songs like the Gunship track, which is a Cyndi Lauper cover, which is more like Rel’s [Sky Yang] music. It comes in when we have a sequence in Rel’s romantic heartbreak moment. So yeah, I made a character list of who might be listening to what.”

Whistle sees a misfit group of unwitting high school students confronted with mortality when they blow a cursed Aztec Death Whistle, setting a terrifying chain of events in motion.

Dafne Keen (Logan, “The Acolyte“), Sophie Nélisse (“Yellowjackets”), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Jhaleil Swaby (“Supergirl”), Ali Skovbye (Grizzly Night, “Firefly Lane”), Percy Hynes White (“Wednesday”), Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”), and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead).

The supernatural teen horror movie is available to stream on Shudder now.

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