The Anatomy of DIM SCENE

What makes up the anatomy is nothing less than singular parts which come together to create one more generally classifiable entity. Much like the artwork encasing DIM SCENE’s contents, with the flaps and DVD art illustrating and labeling the individual components of the eye, lips, and ear, I would like to analyze The GazettE’s newest concert DVD to document the anatomy of a tour final. This is not just any tour final, but the end of the follow up tour for one of the most notable album releases of 2009, DIM.

The entire anatomy of DIM SCENE comprises of nothing more than a three disc volume of video and the memories bound to those who attended. Every song, every cheer, every last second standing singularly, yet nothing would be the same without each individual component. From the very beginning, every second leaves to question exactly what will follow, and the uncertainty that every planned moment could go awry.  For the many unable to attend who do not share the memories, however, this bound volume serves as all the experience they will be able to attain.

Right off the bat, this DVD commands the viewer’s attention leaving no second to waste. Album opener “Hakuri” understandably serves as the entrance theme. Masking the stage is a large curtain with silhouetted dead trees, the light shining from behind creating the blood red sky. Bright white lights announce the arrival of Ruki on stage, casting his shadow on the curtain. As “Hakuri” comes to an end, what seem to be large television screens radiate light across the stage, and the curtain falls. The television screens strewn across the backdrop turn out to be nothing more than images created by the large screens of LED lights. The screens, however, do not obstruct the lights shining from behind, creating a wild combination of projected images and soaring spotlight effects.

Those who formulate first impressions rather quickly might find it challenging to commit to the entirety of the DVD, because although DIM had many notable tracks which one would assume would create a powerful concert experience, the performances represented here might prove certain songs held in high esteem to be less than satisfactory. From “The Invisible Wall” to “Leech” the performances seem significantly less enthusiastic than one would expect, particularly on behalf of Ruki. “Hyena” following the same pattern proves that such might not solely be a problem with the newer songs. It would seem that concerns were focused primarily on maintaining image and sound throughout the performance at the expense of expression. The short camera shots of the arena show the crowd enjoying it immensely, but for recorded performances it falls surprisingly flat.

The various camera shots from the audience’s perspective expose the immensity of the Saitama arena. The elevated shots of the stage from the very back extract one’s every ounce of pity and direct it toward the audience members with such a distanced view of stage. Yet, the one who truly seems distanced is none other than Ruki. The enormity of the arena would seem to have created a huge disconnect with Ruki and the crowd. Arenas just don’t seem to work in favor of rock concerts, and personally I would much prefer a general admission venue on any occasion. The other band members would seem to be making the most of it, but the majority of what is exhibited on DVD is Ruki.

While “Distress and Coma” continues the unsatisfactory trend, a big surprise comes with “Shiroki Yuutsu,” which I had considered the most worthless track on the whole DIM album. Uruha’s live improvisation adding electric guitar slides to Aoi’s acoustic melody was definitely an impression booster. Nothing but a live performance could have changed my mind about it, and it will still remain to be a track I avoid, but now will retain a newly found respect. Now that DIM SCENE has proven album favorites to leave much desired and least favorites to be respectable live, this pattern would seem to continue with the numerous SE tracks from DIM, some of which seem more suitable in a live setting, while others remain inexcusable in recording and live.

“[ERIKA]” serves well enough as an interlude before slamming into arguably the best track from the album, “13 Stairs [-] 1.” Lo and behold, the performance takes a turn for the better as Ruki implements an expressive performance, mimicking a puppet with disjointed pop ‘n lock movements. “13 Stairs” marks the real beginning of where concerns are dropped and the real concert performance begins. “Headache Man” withstands the test and rocks hard. “WITHOUT A TRACE” brings out the dual acoustic guitars, building into a powerhouse ballad.

“[Kanshoku]” stands as the interlude leading into “Nakigahara” which proves to be ever more impressive live, as does the other main ballad “Guren.” Between the two stands the atrocity that is “[Shikyuu]” with its inexcusable wailing. The string of ballads leaves little left but a line of steamrollers ready to flatten. The wild and rocking “A Moth under the Skin” stands as one of the main highlights of the performance. Following up is the mid-era “COCKROACH” with its prominent bass groove and rap-rock twist. “IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS” which was decent on recording proves to be even more appreciable in a live setting. Throwing in another mid-era highlight, fan favorite “Filth in the Beauty” maintains its title as what might be the very pinnacle work of their career as a band. Switching gears back to DIM, “OGRE” ends up being more appreciable as the raw live vocals give more inflection than the monotone recording, but the nonsensical pace alterations remain nonsensical to me, thus not fully redeeming the song. “Discharge” brings back more mid-era GazettE, but the subsequent “DIM SCENE” proves exactly why the tour bears its name, creating yet another highlight of the performance, finishing off Disc 1.

Disc 2 has some enjoyable encore footage, but the majority seems to be much more appreciable in a live setting, perhaps working well as a persuasive tool to draw in viewers’ attendance to the actual performances. The encores contain all pre-Stacked Rubbish, pre-NIL material.

Overall, the ups and downs of DIM SCENE depreciate the value of some recent favorites in the prospect of live performance but also have the reverse effect of redeeming several duds. Anatomically, the SE tracks prove to be as friendly as an inflamed appendix and should require immediate removal. A few songs seem to have lost connection to the central nervous system but retain some functionality, avoiding the need for removal and leaving the opportunity for revival of the deadened nerve. Others previously thought to have deadened nerves seem to have improved miraculously.

Is the entity of DIM SCENE worth all expense? In the end, it does rival many other impressive concert recordings, and the ups far outnumber the downs. The footage quality is superb by all means. DIM SCENE does prove to be a healthy follow up to a reputable album.

Haven’t heard DIM yet? Check out Askew’s staff reviews in the September issue, free in the Downloads section.

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