THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE
Canada's The Birthday Massacre return with their fifth studio album, 'Hide and Seek', to deliver another New Wave, synthpop, industrial rock amalgam with a distinct gothic twang. And it's interesting stuff. Considering the lyrics have been touted by guitarist Rainbow as "decidedly darker and more meditative than much of our past work", this isn't always reflected in the music. Most of the songs are loaded with fairly uplifting sonic charms and some ridiculously catchy melodies which are punctuated and underpinned with passages of darker music. The darker vibe, more often than not, is implicit rather than explicit - The Birthday Massacre are all about latent melancholia and subtle gloomy atmospheres rather than anything overtly bleak. An underlying layer of synth based menace or an occasional burst of aggressive guitars maintains a darker essence to their music throughout although, overall, 'Hide and Seek' is a far more buoyant album than one might expect from the goth aesthetic the band have adopted and the promise of a lyrically darker outing. This is in no way a criticism; rather, the optimistic/pessimistic dichotomy in these ten tunes gives them a lot of depth so, depending on your mood, it's likely you'll get something different out of each listening experience. This is definitely an album to feed your mood rather than create a mood due to its sonically ambivalent nature. As such, it's an album with longevity potential despite its immediate accessibility.
'Hide and Seek' sounds magnificent too with a very polished production and, mixed by Rainbow and famed producer Dave Ogilvie (whose impressive credentials include production work with Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, Killing Joke and Queensryche amongst others), the layers of music are all clearly audible. And Chibi's vocals shine through the mix with her serene tones and occasionally aggressive delivery (such as on 'Down'). There's nothing drastically innovative about The Birthday Massacre's music although they've succeeded in crafting ten well-honed compositions within the parameters of their mixed-genre composite. A tad short at just under thirty six minutes, 'Hide and Seek' leaves me wanting more. That's no bad thing, of course, although I'm sure some will feel a little short-changed by its succinctness.
'Hide and Seek' sounds magnificent too with a very polished production and, mixed by Rainbow and famed producer Dave Ogilvie (whose impressive credentials include production work with Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, Killing Joke and Queensryche amongst others), the layers of music are all clearly audible. And Chibi's vocals shine through the mix with her serene tones and occasionally aggressive delivery (such as on 'Down'). There's nothing drastically innovative about The Birthday Massacre's music although they've succeeded in crafting ten well-honed compositions within the parameters of their mixed-genre composite. A tad short at just under thirty six minutes, 'Hide and Seek' leaves me wanting more. That's no bad thing, of course, although I'm sure some will feel a little short-changed by its succinctness.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Out of Line Music
Album
HIDE AND SEEK
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
35:45
RELEASE DATE:
8th Oct 2012
TRACK LISTING
1) Leaving Tonight
2) Down
3) Play With Fire
4) Need
5) Calling
6) Alibis
7) One Promise
8) In This Moment
9) Cover My Eyes
10) The Long Way Home
2) Down
3) Play With Fire
4) Need
5) Calling
6) Alibis
7) One Promise
8) In This Moment
9) Cover My Eyes
10) The Long Way Home
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Canada
"An underlying layer of synth based menace or an occasional burst of aggressive guitars maintains a darker essence to their music throughout although, overall, 'Hide and Seek' is a far more buoyant album than one might expect..."
