DIR EN GRAY, Birthday Massacre – Irving Plaza NYC – December 17, 2011

By Justine Perez

As a New Yorker who loves going to shows, Irving plaza is one of my favorite venues. Irving is also near one of the coolest place in the city, Union Square. I was super stoked to hear that my favorite band Dir En Grey was playing a show at Irving. Many people were talking about the opening band for the tour, The Birthday Massacre.

The Birthday Massacre is a band based in Toronto, Canada. Their music is a mix of synthrock, new wave and industrial rock. Most people were a bit surprised that they were opening for Dir En Grey, but after all, discovering new music is always a plus. When the band came out, the crowd, for the most part, were pretty welcoming. TBM were energetic, had a great stage presence, and Chibi, the lead singer, has a unique voice. They performed 10 songs including the fan-favorite "Blue." They ended their set with the song "Red Stars."

This year, Dir En Grey released their highly anticipated new album called Dum Spiro Spero. This was their first North American tour, Age Quod Agis, on the album. Dir En Grey played a total of 18 songs, including an encore. They performed a fair amount of old songs, but everyone’s favorite part of the night was when they performed "Mazohyst of Decadence" live. As a major Dir En Grey fan myself, listening to this song is as close to a religious experience I’ll ever get. Another fan favorite performed was "The Final and Rasetsukoku" to end the night on a brutal, heavy and unforgettable note.

That being said, The Birthday Massacre is definitely a band I’d recommend to anyone who is a fan of industrial rock.