The Birthday Massacre
Walking with Strangers

THE REVIEW

Halfway between the fairy tale settings of L. Carrol and the dreamlike atmospheres of Tim Burton, the Canadians The Birthday Massacre return with their new "Walking With Strangers," released by the German label Repo Records.

The Canadian band, now reaching their third album, presents a charming lady behind the microphone but (luckily for us) doesn't serve the usual gothic metal soup in the "Little Red Riding Hood VS Big Bad Wolf" style nor another carbon copy of the numerous Evanescence and/or Nightwish, which frankly nobody needs anymore...

What you will find in this album with its shadowy violet hues is instead a sound that skillfully combines the guitar harmonies of gothic-rock with danceable rhythms of industrial/synth-pop, wrapping everything in a dark-new wave patina over which stands the ethereal and sensual voice of frontwoman Kibi, a sort of Alice lost, not in Wonderland, but in the world of Nightmare Before Christmas.

Musically speaking, the proposal of the six Canadians reminded me of that of the Italian Love Crave or a female version of the Romans Dope Stars Inc after an overdose of the 18 volumes "One Shot '80"... If you are fans of the aforementioned bands, you already understand what I am talking about, otherwise, the advice I feel like giving you is to run and listen to songs like Kill the Lights, Falling Down, Unfamiliar or Walking with Strangers, highlights of an album that, apart from the overly sentimental Movie placed at the end, doesn't register any drop in tension throughout its 48-minute duration.

Canada once again confirms itself as a land rich in musical talent, and this new work by the band originating from Toronto only confirms this: 12 synth-rock gems that will move you and draw a bitter smile from you worthy of the best Jack Skellington!