DIR EN GREY (formerly stylized as Dir en grey) is a Japanese alternative metal / avant-garde metal band formed in Osaka, Japan in 1997 from the disbanded visual kei band La:Sadie's, that have maintained a consistent lineup of 京 (Kyo) on vocals, 薫 (Kaoru) and Die on guitar, Toshiya on bass and Shinya on drums. Originally a visual kei band, the band has dropped that style since around 2005 when they released their fifth full-length album, Withering to death.