Withering to death.

It was published in Japan on 9 March 2005, and it is the first Dir En Grey album given an official release in Europe, North America and South Korea. In June 2006 it reached number 42 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart, Amazon.com listed it among the top ten hard rock and metal albums of 2006, and in September 2007 Rolling Stone Japan placed it 34th in its hundred greatest Japanese rock albums of all time. In Japan a first-press limited edition came in a digipak and slipcase with a tan cover and a red booklet, while the standard version has a black cover and a purple booklet. The American and European releases took the black cover and added a DVD whose video differed by territory — "Saku" in the United States and Britain, "Dead Tree" in Germany, "Kodo" in France and "The Final" in South Korea — along with live edits of "Merciless Cult" and "Machiavellism" and footage from Tour04 The Code of Vulgar[ism]. Yoshinori Abe co-produced and programmed, Tatsuya Sakamoto recorded, mixed and mastered, Dynamite Tommy was executive producer and Koji Yoda directed the art. "The Final" was re-recorded for the 2013 EP The Unraveling and "Beautiful Dirt" for the 2018 collection Vestige of Scratches. The running order here is the original's as printed.