I have to tell you something. I'm scared. Scared as I have never been before writing a review in all my 20 years. If I give this album a good rating, certain people I know will say I'm only trying to please the DeG fans. If I give it a bad rating, I face death at the hands of said fans, who will probably bash my head in with their Toshiya plushies. I'm serious. So, what am I to do? Every time I say I don't like a song, someone is going to go, "You just don't get it. You're not a fan, so you don't understand." *sigh* In the end, I'll just have to do my best. Of course, I could just skip the album altogether, but that wouldn't be right either. Ah, the stresses of running a website.

1. audience KILLER LOOP
Begins with some creepy ambient sounds, then a heart-rending scream! The guitars and percussion are hammering away at your skull, while some cool traditional sounding instruments add a little flair. When Kyo begins singing, everything drops out except for Shinya's drumming. Of course, the guitars come back soon, but I always like the contrast between soft and loud. This song has a nice balance in that respect. Kyo sounds great too, and turns in a very mature performance. By that, I mean he sings when he should and screams/shouts when it works. My one complaint is that this doesn't go anywhere for a while, but when it finally does, the results are good.
Rating: 4

2. THE IIID EMPIRE
I love the guitar riff that opens this song. However, it soon disappears for more loud, pounding guitars. Not that loud and pounding is bad, but the beat seems so similar to the first track. Kyo is sort-of rapping here, which doesn't earn any points in my book. Argh, this song has no melody at all. The percussion is superb, of course, and the guitar parts are pretty interesting, but overall it just annoys me. When Kyo finally sings, it's kind of muted and distorted, and short at that. Some people of course enjoy this kind of thing, but I don't. It makes me want to hit the skip button.
Rating: 2

3. INCREASE BLUE
Well, this one sounds a LITTLE different. But the formula is the same. Kyo is singing this time, but the vocals are very fast and hover around the same 3 notes. Kyo is capable of so much more. I like the bass in this song, and Shinya's drumming. Other than that... it's boring, a word I never thought I would use to describe a DeG song. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never does. Let's move along.
Rating: 3

4. shokubeni
Ooh, a dark guitar riff... and bass! Surprise! *ahem* Kyo begins singing quietly and in his creepy voice. There's lots of howling and little shrieks in this song, but underneath all that it is actually... pretty. The melody is very haunting and mysterious. I like it. I also like all the added sound effects and such. Still, I get the feeling we're building toward nothing. Where is the climax, the moment when you go "Ah, this is what I was waiting for?" After a while, it just gets repetitive. I want to give this song a 3, but it's got enough cool parts to justify a 4.
Rating: 4

5. sajou no uta
Ah, what is this? Sort of acoustic-y guitar? And piano? Well, this is certainly a change of pace. Kyo finally shows off his range, both vocal and emotional. The song is still hard enough to satisfy most fans (probably) but more melodic than the other tracks so far. The part where Kyo is almost whispering as he sings is very nice. The arrangement, on the other hand, almost sounds like something Pierrot would do. Almost. This song is pretty short, but a nice addition. I'm not sure it fits in with the rest of the album, though.
Rating: 4

6. RED...[em]
What kind of title is that, and what does it mean? It opens with some creepy electronic sounds and a nice little guitar riff. More of Kyo's quiet vocals, perhaps a little deeper this time. After the first few lines, things get louder again, but this time it sounds cool and interesting (as it should). This is also the first song on the album to hit the 5 minute mark. The chorus is very nice, and has some harmony. Then there's a guitar solo!! Thank the gods!! Of all the new songs on this album, this one is probably my favourite. It's a nice mesh of DeG's old style and the new direction they're headed in. Good stuff.
Rating: 5

7. asunaki koufuku, koenaki asu
This song is so fast, I feel like I'm struggling to keep up as I type. The beat is very simple and straightforward, but it definitely keeps things moving. Kyo turns in a particularly good performance here, but I'm not sure what mood this song is trying to create. It's short, too... I can't think of anything to say. It just... exists. I like it better than many of the songs on the album, but not enough to listen to it very often.
Rating: 3

8. MARMALADE CHAINSAW
Okay, that's just a cool title. The loud, choppy bass and guitar really set an ominous mood for this song. Kyo's vocals are perfect here, angry and insinuating, quiet and then accusatory. This is the first song on the album I've really felt like headbanging to (yes, that is a measure of goodness). Nice, dark harmonies in the chorus, awesome guitar work... this song has it all. It's not as bizarre as some of DeG's other great works, but it definitely rocks. I really enjoy Kyo's (?) falsetto part, too. This is a great song, no questions asked.
Rating: 5

9. kasumi
Being too lazy to write another review of this song, I'll just quote myself from my review of the single. "This song opens with some hard but pretty conventional guitarwork. It caught my attention immediately, which is a good thing. Kyo begins singing pretty quietly with less howling and growling than I'm used to. The melody is quite nice without being overwhelming, and keeps the tone quite dark. The chorus gives Kyo a chance to show off his range and reminds me oddly of a Pierrot song. The percussion is also very good, but again is nothing tremendous. The section at the end is probably my favourite part, because it is even darker and Kyo does that wonderful moaning thing with his voice. You know what I mean." In other words, it's a good song. It's also one of the most emotional on the album.
Rating: 4

10. R TO THE CORE
This song is very, very loud, which you'd expect from DeG, but you probably wouldn't expect an intro that is so... punkish. Yeah, the whole song has a kind of punk edge. Punk metal? That's not a real genre, is it? This song isn't even 2 minutes long. Feh. It could've been cool.
Rating: 3

11. DRAIN AWAY
This song opens with some very promising drum-work, and the chorus, which almost soars, a strange word to use for a Dir en Grey song. The verses, on the other hand, are muddled and have too much going on to be effective. The melody is good though. The chorus really sells it though. And Kyo's performance, which couldn't be better. You can tell this was a single. It has more polish than the other songs on the album. I'm sorry, but once more I can't think of much to say. If you're a fan, you've probably already heard it, anyway.
Rating: 3/4

Die is the coolest member. Really.

12. NEW AGE CULTURE
Don't expect Enya here, okay? Well, it does open with some random piano chords and cafe noises, but that's about all the "New Age" I hear. This song just stomps along - BANGBANGBANG - like that, with some weird falsetto backing vocals and synthed in noises. Oh, and a chorus of shouting guys, a la X Japan only harder. This song is just a mish-mash of stuff. Never once did I think, "Oh, that's a cool bit." Which is too bad, because I wanted to like this song.
Rating: 2
13. OBSCURE
Nu-metal, the bane of all true metal heads, finally shows up here. I actually don't mind this song, however... it's incredibly fast and harsh, without much polish, at least until we reach the verses. Those are the usual, subdued creepy Kyo singing, followed by guitars that threaten to smash through your eardrums and cause your brain to hemorrage. The chorus is much more melodic and singable, a little dramatic, and featuring more of those falsetto voices. Honestly, aren't we done with them? I guess I sort of enjoy this song a little. Parts of it are very cool. The rest is just so-so.
Rating: 3

14. Child Prey
Honestly, I will never, ever understand why this song is so popular. It consists of the words "Child Prey" shouted over and over, then a "whoa-ah-oh" part. I'll admit, it's got a nice, thrashy feel, but the verses are just so freakin' nondescript. The "kiss me deadly" chorus is catchy and really makes me want to like this song, so I guess it isn't a complete loss. I guess I miss the days when DeG's albums had that "Yoshiki production sheen."
Rating: 3

15. Amber
Well, at least DeG didn't skimp on the number of tracks. This is the token "ballad" although it's a little to loud and fast to qualify as such. I really do like this song; Kyo is in top form and the rest of the elements blend together so well. You can pick out any one part - guitar, bass, percussion - and hear lots of little details that make the song so great. And because it is longer (almost 5 minutes) it doesn't feel rushed like some of the other tracks. I guess this is the kind of song I expect from DeG. Whether that's a fair expectation or not is up to you to decide. I think this is the best song on the album, though, and is a nice way to wrap things up.
Rating: 5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5