DIR EN GREY (formerly stylized as "Dir en grey") is a Japanese rock band consisting of vocalist and sole lyricist 京 (Kyo), guitarist and band leader 薫 (Kaoru), guitarist Die, bassist Toshiya and drummer Shinya. The band was formed on February 2, 1997, after performing one show as the 黒夢 cover-band DEATHMASK on January 24.
Except for Toshiya, the members already played together in one or more former bands, most notably La:Sadie's, the direct predecessor of DIR EN GREY. La:Sadie's disbanded on January 15, 1997.
The band name is a combination of German "dir", French "en" and English "grey" and was thought to mean "Grey Silver Coin" (灰色の銀貨 "Haiiro no Ginka" in Japanese). It was adapted from the song "Dir en gray" on 's . Except for Kaoru and Shinya, the band members use stage names.