The Birthday Massacre have yet to disappoint. In fact, with each new offering the Toronto Electro outfit seem to continually push the envelope and defy expectations over and over again so it should come as no surprise then that on their 12th release they go further down the rabbit hole to come out the other side into an expansive new haven filled with all their synthetic signatures and grandiose Gothic overtones on an album that is undeniably TBM through and through.
Beginning with the vibrant title track, The Birthday Massacre deliver huge riffs and huge heart before lead single “Dreams Of You” takes listeners to the stars with a glowing anthem built from ’80’s inspired synths, chunky riffage, and Chibi’s glistening bravado behind the mic. “Cold Lights” is bleak and ominous but shifts into this pulsating beauty while “Stars And Satellites” is a crushing Electro behemoth as it lurches to its’ inevitable conclusion. “One More Time” is slightly more hopeful in tone, dwelling in the ’80’s again but not necessarily lurking in a John Hughes coming-of-age dramedy but more within a fantasy flick…think The Neverending Story and The Goonies or Cyndi Lauper and Limahl collaborating so The Neverending Goonies if you will.
“Like Fear, Like Love” is a boisterous bouncing beastie driven by big beats and the low end in general that bleeds into “Once Again” which has that same witchy magic of early Stevie Nicks but plugged into The Matrix. While decidedly a different Doom-laden deity than “Anesthesia” from the oft looked over Life Is Killing Me, “Precious Hearts” carries that same kind of Type O Negative torch in terms of lush Gothic anthems for a song that’s a definite stand out on Fascination with its’ immediacy and earnest sonic substance. A fitting conclusion to The Birthday Massacre’s latest, “The End Of All Stories” is all things lethargic and languid as it slowly lumbers along like molasses enveloping all in a warm comfort blanket of Electro bliss.
Fascination arrives on February 18th via Metropolis Records. Pre-orders are available now for perusin’ and purchasin’ in a variety of formats by heading here or here. For the latest on The Birthday Massacre, including dates and tickets for their upcoming tour with Julien-K, follow them across the socials by clicking here, here, or here.