Although The Birthday Massacre too often falls back on the chainsaw guitars and exaggerated loud/soft dynamic of goth bands like Evanescence, this Toronto band has a self-awareness and a sense of goth history that the Evanescences of the world don’t. They temper their brutal, industrial riffage with smart nods to Depeche Mode and Siouxsie & the Banshees, and they have some fun with their stylishly dark image, filming creepy videos that nod to classic Italian horror movies and modern J-horror conventions (while cleverly presenting the opportunity to dress their slinky singer in costumes like a Japanese schoolgirl outfit). The group does an 8 p.m. show tonight at the Rave with Mindless Self Indulgence.
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