Violet Review

Date Of Release: October 25, 2004

The Birthday Massacre is a Goth rock, New wave, Dream pop, Alternative rock band, that formed in 1999 in London, Ontario, Canada. The band's members consist of: (Violet lineup)

• Sara 'Chibi' Taylor (Vocals)
• Michael 'Rainbow' (Rhythm Guitarist)
• Michael 'Falcore' (Lead Guitarist)
• Aslan Osiris (Bassist)
• Rhim (Drums)

---

The band first formed while Chibi, Rainbow, Falcore, Aslan, and a former bandmate Dank, were all in college. Rainbow and Falcore were childhood friends and had already started making music back in high school. So they already had some knowledge of what direction they wanted to go.

During their early years the band went under the name Imagica. The name was inspired by the fantasy novel of the same name, written by Clive Barker. They later changed their name to The Birthday Massacre to avoid confusion with another band, the name was taken from one of their earlier songs. As stated by Chibi: "It kind of works well for the music that we're making. Sort of contrasty, you know? Birthday, and massacre. Light, and dark. Cute, and evil".

The band has released 9 studio albums and have formed a loyal cult following. They often times interact frequently with their fanbase. Talking to fans through forums and encouraging them to make their own content.

The Birthday Massacre has been able to remain popular for a decade, despite receiving little mainstream coverage or radio play. They often refer themselves as the "Black Sheep" of the Canadian music scene.

The bands's musical style is a mix of New Wave, Electronic Rock, Goth Rock, Dark Wave, Dream Pop, and at times Industrial metal. On a couple songs, they tend to have soft and melodic verses before the chorus takes a dark tone and surprises the listener. Or sometimes the song will straight up be a dream pop song that sounds like it came straight out of the 80's. The Birthday Massacre is one of most unique bands I've heard as of recently.

I first came across them when I was in about middle school I wanna say. During that time I spent my free time drawing, with that I would play music while I drew. It was during one October that I remember listening to theme songs of horror movies to get me in the "mood". That's when I clicked on a video that claimed to be the theme song to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, except it wasn't. What I got instead was the song Blue by The Birthday Massacre. Of course, at the time I didn't know it was them but I remember that song blowing my mind. I eventually found out it was from them and that song has stuck with me throughout the years to this very day.

So that leads us to today's review of Violet by The Birthday Massacre. As I said earlier, this band has got to be one of the most unique bands I've heard as of recently. Their unique mix of beautiful, bright, melodies and dark, menacing, choruses are simply put, awesome. All the while you have a touch of industrial metal and electronica all throughout the album.

---

Songs

Prologue
There isn't much to say here, it's mostly just dark ambience with some light synth use. Nevertheless, it does let you know what you're about to get yourself into.

Lovers End
Kicking off the album we have Lovers End, a dark wave song. Throughout the verses the song has this gothic and atmospheric vibe to it. The song utilizes synths and at times borrows elements from industrial metal, mainly the guitars and drums. When the chorus hits, the song suddenly gains an almost hopeful and bright sound, yet there's something about it that makes you think otherwise. Chibi's vocals are killer as well, she effortless shifts her voice between beautiful, melodic, singing to deep, almost growl-like vocals.

Happy Birthday
This song was originally named Birthday Massacre before the band took the name and renamed it. This song is just awesome! It's a nice mix of Techno, Industrial metal, and Synthpop. At times it reminds me of the album Sehnsucht by Rammstein. The synthesizers sound very nice, so does the drum machine. There's a part in the song where it's mainly the drum machine, synthesizers, and guitars playing and it just takes you to a whole other planet. The chorus is very catchy and Chibi's vocals are drowned in reverb that compliments the instruments perfectly.

Horror Show
Synthesizer overload is up next. This song is like if New Order, Siouxsie Sioux, and Rammstein had a child. The synthesizer intro at the start is a cool way to kick off the song. All throughout this track sounds straight out of the 80's, especially with Chibi's clean and bright vocals. The bass line really sticks out on this song as well.

When it comes to the lyrics of their songs, TBM are very imaginative and choose to paint an abstract picture with their songs. So most of the time, a lot of their music isn't meant to have a meaning or tell a message. They instead choose to tell a story. That being said, this song seems to talk about people who you thought were cool once and wanted to be with, instead though they turned out to be ugly and selfish, or, a "horror show" if you would.

Violet
This is perhaps the brightest and most upbeat song on the album. First and foremost, Rhim absolutely murders the drums on this song! Especially with that cool drum roll he does at times. Like the previous track, this song also has a strong 80's sound that I definitely enjoy. This song has a very dreamy sound to it, maybe it's due to the synthesizers and the drums. The song throughout is happy but there's one little part in here that takes a sharp turn where it gets heavier before it slowly truns back to it's original state. Chibi's vocals are especially vibrant and beautiful on this song.

The lyrics to this song leave it open to the listener's interpretation. I've read people's ideas of what this song could be, ranging from being about a psych ward, to being about a person creating their own prison of past regrets. Nevertheless the lyrics are beautiful, one of favorite verses being, "And so the broken record plays, as you throw us away. We're never enough. We're drowning in cliches, so desperate to love. We're twisting every word they say. So we sleep through the days".

Red
Up next we have another interlude. Again not much to say here. Dark ambience, synthesizers, and space sound effects are what's being played on here.

Play Dead
The 80's sound takes a step back in favor of a goth rock sound. The keyboard used for this track compliments the synthesizers nicely. Rainbow and Falcore's guitar riffs are awesome on this song and effortlessly mixes well with the keyboards and synthesizers. Chibi's vocals have this sense of a light in the darkness, the instruments being the darkness and her voice being the light. This song is also very reminiscent of early post punk songs.

This song tells a story of a girl who is getting bullied at school. Someone at school offers her the solution of killing her bullies so they don't harass her anymore. Underneath the pressure she decides to go through with it. A pretty crazy story but taking a look at the lyrics you start to see how things line up. For example, "And as our pretty faces die. Our broken hearts will wonder why. The make-up just won't hide the scars of time. And boys are so cruel, so don't let them find you tonight. And girls are so vain, so put them behind you tonight". This verse shows the bullying she's enduring and what she plans to do about it.

Blue
Next up is the song that introduced me to the band, and what I consider to be the highlight of the album. The start of this song is menacing as all hell, it's innocent and evil yet purely evil in the end. The whole song is an industrial metal song, the verses are styled in a 80's dream pop fashion while the chorus reverts back to industrial metal. Chibi does an amazing job of switching her vocals from beautiful to deep growling. Falcore and Rainbow's heavy guitar riffs are just plain brutal! Overall a very kickass song, catchy as hell too. I had to stop myself from repeatedly listening to it while I was writing this review up.

The lyrics to this song are beautifully poetic, honestly it reads more as a poem than a song. My favorite verse goes "Fate changes faster than the death of light. You supply the envy and I'll provide the spite. Reflections cutting every face in two. Casting shadows in the pale shade of blue". I don't know what it is but just hearing these lyrics being sung the way Chibi sings them feels magical.

Video Kid
Perhaps the most electronic song off the album, this track also has a dose of industrial metal injected into it. I love how Rhim manages to make the song feel bouncy with his drumming. The dark power chords from Rainbow and Falcore are also awesome. I just adore how much more it leans towards electronica. The keyboard is also a very nice addition to the arsenal of instruments.

Regarding the subject matter, this song seems to be about a woman who sees men as 'toys' and nothing more. The first verse of the song lays it all out for the listener, "Next phase, next craze, next nothing new. Got the pretty boy beat him up black and blue. Broke the sissy boy's teeny toy heart in two. Turned him into a video kid like you". it's as clear as day, but then again the song could have an entirely different meaning, you never know with TBM.

The Dream
Diving back into the dark wave sound. The Dream sounds like if you were in a dark and damp cave. There seems to be reverb on almost everything on this song. It makes for an interesting sound, though at times it can be too much. It leads to the guitars being drowned out at times, the same goes for Chibi's vocals. The drumming is pretty plain but still sounds good. Overall it's a pretty alright song.

Black
The final interlude of the album, this one is definitely more nightmarish. It sounds like the aftermath of an apocalypse, death everywhere. It's a pretty chilling ambient track.

Holiday
This song starts off with a very cool sounding synth opener. There's something about the tempo of this song that just sounds so good to listen to. The chorus is also very catchy, so much so I can't help but sing along. Chibi's vocals on this song really 'pop', especially with the synths and guitars going off in the background. This song is beautifully haunting as well, it sticks in your mind even after listening to it.

Nevermind
The final song off the album, and a definitely a surprising one at that. The mood and tone of this song is bright and uplifting, a polar opposite of the previous tracks, besides the song Violet. The bright guitar riffs coupled in with the happy synthesizers make for a weird but great tone. It's weird because you're already accoustomed to the dark atmosphere of the previous songs. One way to look at it is, this song is the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Nevermind is about a girl who hypes herself up to date a guy she had an 'incident' with at a christmas party. But quickly realizes that the guy has drastically changed from what she remembered about him from the party. To which she then grows cold towards him. The nature of the lyrics, coupled with the bright and happy-go-lucky tone of the song makes for a great closer to this album. It's a song that doesn't take itself seriously and haves fun.

---

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Violet by The Birthday Massacre is one of the most unique sounding albums I've listened to as of recently. It's an album that integrates elements of various generes to create an awesome and fun sound. I had a great time listening to this album for the first time. The band did a phenomenal job recording this album, it makes me excited to see what else they have in store.

So if Goth rock, Techno, or 80's Pop/New wave is your thing, or hell if you're at all interested, definitely give this album a listen! The Birthday Massacre are massively underrated and definitely deserve some more love.

---

If I Had To Rate It Out Of 10: 10/10

Songs I Liked:

• Lovers End
• Happy Birthday
• Horror Show
• Violet
• Play Dead
• Blue
• Video Kid
• Holiday
• Nevermind

Songs I Disliked:

• None!

My Favorites

• Lovers End
• Happy Birthday
• Horror Show
• Violet
• Play Dead
• Blue
• Holiday
• Nevermind

For Those Interested In Checking It Out Here's A Preview Song: