Missa (EP)

Missa (stylized as MISSA) is the debut EP by Japanese visual kei band Dir En Grey, released on July 25, 1997. Being the band's debut release, it consists of their earliest musical output, such as "Aoi Tsuki" (蒼い月), one of the first two songs the band ever recorded.[3]

Missa
EP by Dir En Grey
Released	July 25, 1997 October 31, 2001 (re-issue)
Recorded	May 1997
Genre	Alternative rock alternative metal pop rock
Length	31:22
Language	Japanese, English
Label	East West Japan (1997) Free-Will (2001)
Producer	Dir En Grey
Dir En Grey chronology
Missa (1997) Gauze (1999)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Prog Archives	3[1]
Ultimate-Guitar	7.3[2]

Multiple songs off of the EP were reworked in one way or another throughout the band's career. "Garden" (stylized as "GARDEN") was re-recorded for the band's first video release, "Kaede" ~if trans...~ (「楓」~if trans…~), released in late 1997.[4] "Byō""Shin" (秒「」深) was remade for the Six Ugly EP in 2002. "Kiri to Mayu" (霧と繭) was remade in 2012 and included on that year's Rinkaku single.

Technically however, this was not the first time "Kiri to Mayu" was reworked. The song was originally called "Sangeki no Yoru" (惨劇の夜), but one day before the recording of Missa began, Kyo was asked to change the lyrics.[5] Throughout 1997, the song was only performed with the lyrics of "Kiri to Mayu". When "Kaede" ~if trans...~ was released, it came with a music video for "Sangeki no Yoru" and from then on, Kyo began to perform the song with its originally intended lyrics instead. A similar case was "Karma" (業), the other of the band's first two songs. They intended to include it on Missa, but decided against it and released it on "Kaede" ~if trans...~ as well.[5]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Kyo; all music is composed by Dir En Grey, except where noted.

Tracklist

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Kiri to Mayu" (霧と繭; "Fog and Cocoon")	Kaoru	5:06
2.	"「S」"	Kyo	3:31
3.	"Erode"	Toshiya	6:30
4.	"Aoi Tsuki" (蒼い月; "Blue Moon")		5:04
5.	"Garden"		5:27
6.	"Byō""Shin" (秒「」深; "One Second""Deep")	Kaoru	5:39

Personnel

• Dir En Grey
  • Kyo – vocals, lyricist
  • Kaoru – guitar
  • Die – guitar
  • Toshiya – bass guitar
  • Shinya – drums
• Kimisada Kato – Co-producer

References

1. "DIR EN GREY Missa review". Prog Archives. November 30, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
2. "Missa Review: It's when dir en grey looked like X Japan with the crazy poofy hair and the girly clothing". Ultimate-Guitar. May 31, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
3. "Dir en grey – 業 / 蒼い月". Discogs. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
4. Kaoru (September 23, 2018). 読弦 弐 [Dokugen Ni] (in Japanese). Japan: Ongaku to Hito Inc. ISBN 9784903979304.
5. "DIR EN GREY'S HISTORY". VICIOUS (in Japanese). Japan. May 1999.