刹那
刹那 is one of the three songs by Dir En Grey that were never properly released and only performed live in their indies era from 1997 to 1998. The other two are 藍紫色 and 新曲2.
The first confirmed performance of 刹那 was on May 31 and its last known performance was on September 15, 1997. Interestingly, the song is commonly listed on three other known setlists, those from October 28 and 30, 1997, as well as February 21, 1998. Even a live report and setlist of the October 28 live, published in SHOXX #59 (January 1998), gives the song's title as "刹那". However, audio recordings of the October lives confirm that Dir En Grey performed Unknown…Despair…a Lost and not 刹那.
In FOOL'S MATE #198 (April 1998), Kaoru is asked about 新曲6 (Shinkyoku 6) ("New Song 6"). He explains that he felt the need to change the song's title because the song became too different. Because of this interview and the aforementioned setlists, along with a general scarcity of information about their indies era, many fans believe that 刹那 was remade into Unknown…Despair…a Lost. However, this is most likely not true. It's currently unknown which song Kaoru meant.
You can listen to the May 31, 1997, performance of the song here.
Trivia
- In 2020, Kaoru used the setlist of the June 14, 1997 live, where this song was performed, as a t-shirt design. This marks the first known time the song was officially recognised by the band since their indies days.