You've been waiting with uncontained anticipation *rolls eyes at own joke* and the time is finally here!
I give you....
Originally called Imagica, The Birthday Massacre formed in 1999 in London, Ontario with an original line up of
Chibi-lead vocals
Rainbow- guitarist
Micheal Falcore- guitarist
Aslan- bassist
Having rehearsed for months, the band played their first live show at Diversity night club in London on October 28, 2000. It was here that the band released their limited edition demo(there were only 40 hand numbered copies). This cd contained the song “The Birthday Massacre” which was later renamed “Happy Birthday”, and was recorded on a 4 track cassette recorder (some of you youngsters out there may need to look that one up!). A month after the show, the band recruited O.E. to play live drums.
In 2001, the band relocated to Toronto (Dank left the band a short time before this). They immediately began working on a new cd that would be available on their website starting May 31, 2002. In order to avoid confusion with a California metalcore band with the same name, Imagica became The Birthday Massacre.
In July of 2002, the band released the limited edition CD Nothing and Nowhere.
In 2003, Adm joined the band to play live keyboards, and O.E. left to pursue his own band, Isle of Dogs, and was replaced by Rhim on drums. During this time frame, the band designed their interactive website NothingAndNowhere.com that contained hidden objects and unreleased music. They also chose the color Violet to represent all themes, as they associated it with fantasy and melancholy.
On July 20, 2004 the band released their EP Violet, independently as they had all previous recordings. In the fall of 2004, the band was signed to Repo Records and Adm resigned. Throughout 2004, the band finally toured outside of Canada and in the US with bands such as 51 Peg, Deadstar Assembly, and Crossbreed.
In 2005, The Birthday Massacre signed with Metropolis records, re-released Violet, and began a series of International tours. Owen joined the band on keyboards, testing many nicknames before going with his real name.
In 2006, the band tour North America on their Broken Minds tour. They then toured Europe with Das Ich, Jesus on Ecstasy, and Dope Stars inc. They were seen as the shining new hope for the alternative scene, remixing many songs including Straight to Video by Mindless Self Indulgence.
Walking with Strangers was released in 2007 and made Billboards “Top Heatseeker” list. At a show in Hamburg with Psycho Luna, the band’s performance was recorded and used for Show and Tell.
With the song Looking Glass, the band recruited extras from their fanbase and handcrafted over 35 masks for the music video. It was released with on the Cd by the same name in May 2008.
2009 found Chibi and the boys on tour with I am Ghost and Dommin in North America and Europe. They also participated in a contest called “Book the Band”, which they won! The band then took a year off from touring in order to create more of their signature music.
On September 14, 2010 the band made their comeback with the release of their next album Pins and Needles. They began a tour in America with Otep and Raggedy Angry, then continued to tour with Black Veil Brides and Aural Vampire.
The band also launched a new website TheBirthdayMassacre.com that was created by Owen. He would go on to help create an online comic called Disappointing Monsters.
The band’s latest masterpiece Imaginary Monsters was released in August 2011.
With its electronic, industrial, new wave gothic rock sound and unique internet presence, the band has become a fast and withstanding favorite amongst those within the alternative scene and beyond.
I personally love the band and was, after months of searching, able to find a copy of Looking Glass. I’m still on the lookout for any of their other albums. (Come on local album stores, you can do it!)
Well there you have it! My second official band review of all time. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
*All information and images belong to the band and/or original owners.
Also, I will be having another poll for another band review up soon!
Peace, Love, Music<3
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