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So before we start, I'm asking for an open mind, here. I absolutely adore The Birthday Massacre, but I can realize quite easily how they're not everyone's thing. But they're quite an amazing blend of genres and emotions once you give them a listen.

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, The Birthday Massacre formed in 1999 and self produced their first two albums, Nothing and Nowhere and Violet. The albums did well, and built the band a large enough fan base, that they were approached by record labels in 2005, and this obviously aided in their reach of fans. The band mixes heavy music and electronic sounds with lead singer Chibi's feminine voice. Female singers may put you off, especially in a genre such as this, but give it a listen before you write it off. Their lyrics, I've noticed, have two very distinct vibes to them. One, is the heavier, darker sounding ones, and the other have a lighter, more fairytale theme. A lot of the times if one song from them isn't your thing, you can try a couple until you find something you can get into.

I was first introduced to The Birthday Massacre at random, really. A friend of mine asked me I was going to their show that night. I admitted to not having heard of them at all, and I was sent a link to the video for Blue, and I have loved them ever since.

I got the chance to see them live last summer when they were touring with Mindless Self Indulgence. Their live show is full of energy, and completely involving. The best part about it was the crowd, though. Fans of this band are very intense about them, and in today's world of wishy-washy on the fence fans, it was an awesome thing to see. The crowd played off the band, and the band played off the crowd.

I was even lucky enough to get to talk to Chibi, and that interview will be linked at the bottom of this page. She has a lot of interesting things to say, so if you're interested in the band, you should definitely give that a look.

Basically, what it comes down to is even if you don't initially like what you're hearing, click around a bit, and you might. And even if you don't, make sure to go to nothingandnowhere.com and appreciate the bands website. They want the band to be an "audio/visual project", and I truly think they've succeeded in this. Certain songs just make the band feel like an experience.

When I first entered Birthday Massacre’s MySpace page, I found myself noticing two things, almost instantly. One: There are six members in the band. One really doesn’t see that very much anymore. In fact, even five seems like a lot of people nowadays. Two: I was almost terrified to listen to them. As to why? The very first picture you see of the band, as Doctah J has mentioned already, is an exceptionally dark looking one. The band members are portrayed as almost smirkingly evil, in a way that only really heavy metal artists may appear; or so I had once thought. After much contemplation, and even more of the "You can do it!" type of self pep-talk, I found it in me to man up and click the play button. What then followed was what could only truly be described as incredible. By no means was I expecting this band to be good! Enjoyable, even!

I took quite a liking to "Kill the Lights"; a catchy little tune that had a little bit of a Metric vibe, with softer note and tones in all the right places. Birthday Massacre has a near cryptic vibe to their music, the kind that I really can’t help but love. And guess what? No screaming! In the end, I should have had more faith in Manda; and you should too. Click the link and listen to some Birthday Massacre, right now. After all, has our bosslady EVER purposely hit us with an unenjoyable band? Didn’t think so.

Okay before I start I have to throw in my stfu moment - cover of "I Think We're Alone Now," by Tiffany. WIN! In all honesty it takes a lot for me to enjoy female vocals. I don't want to sound mean or sexist, because there are quite a few that I love, but it's true. I hate to say it, but The Birthday Massacre is a good example of why. Some might say her voice against the heavier music is great contrast, and it is, I just can't get into it. I really really like the music. Very similar to stuff I listen to, but I keep expecting heavier vocals. Don't get me wrong - I am in no way saying she isn't a good singer, because she is! She has a wonderful voice. I just can't get into it with this music. However, I do really like the song, "Kill The Lights." In this song I feel her voice and the music are perfect together.

Even though The Birthday Massacre aren't really my cup of tea, I still recommend giving them a listen for sure!

I hadn't heard of the Birthday Massacre before Manda introduced them as this month's band. To be honest, when I first cued up their myspace offerings, I prepared myself to search for something positive to say about the band. The first few riffs, combined with their band picture, had me expecting a completely different sound than what they actually are.

At first look, the Birthday Massacre would appear to be a goth-metal band, which is a style that I normally do not listen to. However, once I got past the first few riffs of "Red Stars," braced for heavy, screaming vocals, I was pleasantly surprised by Chibi's, the lead singer, melodic vocals. The vocals are both beautiful and haunting, and I find myself listening to their myspace samples over and over again. I especially love the songs "Looking Glass" and "Happy Birthday."

The more I listen to the Birthday Massacre, the more I like them. The combination of the electronic-processed instrumentals and the female lead vocals remind me of a slightly edgier Shiny Toy Guns, which is a band I happen to love. Plus, the Birthday Massacre did a cover of Debbie Gibson's "I Think We're Alone Now." If a electro-goth/rock band can pull off a cover of a cheesy 80s pop hit, then they rank high in my book.

If you enjoy Shiny Toy Guns, want to expand your music horizons, or just want to listen to something new, check out the Birthday Massacre. You will not be disappointed.

I first heard of The Birthday Massacre many years ago, and I had given them a brief chance back then and I remember...really not liking it at all. But like Manda said, "Keep an open mind"... so I am loading up their MySpace and giving them a second chance, let's see how it goes!

On first impression, before the music has even started, it doesn't seem like much has changed since back then, but this is about the music. The first song is "Red Stars" let's give it a go!

Now I am not really one for industrial/electronic music, I could take it or leave it unless you give me something extraordinary to get excited about. This song isn't bad, Chibi's voice is good and the instrumentation is good as well. Upon listening to the rest of the songs on their page, I'm gravitated towards the cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" (mostly because I'm a total cover queen). Chibi's voice fits the song perfectly! The rest of the songs aren't bad, but to be completely honest, I wouldn't go out of my way for it. That being said, if it was on, I wouldn't turn it off.

I think this is a great band to illustrate how different the tastes of our staff are! I think that with a band like The Birthday Massacre, you really need to give it a go on your own, so hit up the MySpace link at the bottom of the page and find out for yourself how you feel about The Birthday Massacre!