| Artist |
| The Birthday Massacre |
| Title |
| Walking With Strangers |
| Format/Cat |
| CD |
| Label |
| Repo Records |
| Style |
| Industrial |
| Date of review |
| 10th December 2007 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7.5/10 |
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Having been propelled into the big time by their second album Violet, the Canadian sextet return with their latest release that boasts the additional production talents of Dave Ogilvie in order to further refine their sound. In many ways, this seems to be a more mature album which is only to be expected of course but if Violet was the result of teenage fears & anxieties then 'Walking....' is the early twenties perspective (if you get my drift) with the sound of children playing, which acts as a backdrop in places, giving the album something of a nostalgically bittersweet edge, as if recalling happy childhood memories (which the cover also refers to, albeit with the feel of a dark fairy tale!) & while Chibi's vocals are as distinctive as ever, they lose their girlish premise on such tracks as 'Falling Down' & 'Goodnight', sounding far more womanly & the music likewise sees them expanding their sound. Personally, I do feel that they do lose a little bit of their uniqueness on such laidback tracks as 'Unfamiliar' & 'Science' which just kinda rolls along (that's the most accurate way of putting it!) & while it's easy to imagine their fans waving their hands from side to side whenever they play 'Movie' live I just wish the first line didn't remind me of the Born Free theme! One definate surprise was 'Redstars' which is easily the heaviest track they've ever done with some scorching grunge-like riffs & heavier drums well to the fore; this might well appeal to more traditional rockers who don't care for their more gothic overtones, I guess. For those that do, however, there's the action-packed title track as well as 'Weekend', both of which are full-blooded anthems that deserve to be played LOUD from start to finish as well as 'Looking Glass' & the opening 'Kill The Lights' which kicks the album off on a real dynamic note with the band's trademark combination of melodic synths & overwhelming guitars that come across like a musical avalanche well to the fore. The well-loved fave from the band's early days, 'To Die For', which originally appeared on their debut Nothing And Nowhere shows how they've progressed in a relatively short space of time & has lost none of its magic in the intervening period, sounding as dynamic, emotive & as full-blooded as ever, just like the album as a whole & while I don't think it's quite as good as Violet it is an important step forward for the band that is sure to appeal to their existing fans & maybe even gain them a few new ones at the same time!
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