Deathstars: Calgary Cancellation

It is always irritating on some level or another when a band cancels a show, or can’t play a date for which you have tickets for. Especially when you bought the ticket specifically to see that one band play. I somewhat lucked out; I had considered purchasing tickets for the Septic Flesh, Moonspell and Deathstars show in Calgary earlier this month. 

The intent would have been to see Deathstars, as I have not had the opportunity to see them since 2007. Myself and a friend were planning on making the trek, but ultimately decided that other aspects of life were going to prevent us from doing so. In hindsight, a great decision. Why? Turns out Deathstars did not play the Calgary date. Reasoning? The drive from Vancouver to Calgary was deemed too long for the bus driver. This is the post from Deathstars’ Facebook page:

“We are not able to make the Calgary show unfortunately.

After heavy consideration due to the routing of the tour the band is forced to cancel the show in Calgary tonight. 

Without risking the safety of anybody on the bus with too long hours for the driver, it was a critical decision that had to be made. 

The band is of course very sad not being able to do the show, but hope to come back soon and make it up to everybody who had been looking forward to the concert.”

It appears that Deathstars did not play Indianapolis, for the same reason that they did not play in Calgary. The Portland date was a no-show as well, although for a good reason. (The bus was rear-ended traveling from the previous show). Having made the drive from Edmonton to Vancouver (or Vancouver to Edmonton, which is roughly 200km further than Vancouver to Calgary) in a single day multiple times with either one person doing all of the driving, or two people sharing driving duties, it is definitely not an impossible task. To me, claiming that the tour routing is too difficult is a pretty lame excuse. The other bands in the lineup managed to drive the distance. If there was concern about driving distance, why was this not considered in the planning stages of the tour? Why not have two people who are able to divide driving responsibilities? It seems like a serious lack of foresight from whomever was tasked with planning, and ultimately, likely left many fans disappointed. 

Again, I am glad that I didn’t drop my responsibilities and drive to Calgary for the show. If I would have bought a ticket, I definitely would have been disappointed that the band I had wanted to see decided to drop the date. I would have been on the verge of being infuriated with the excuse given, knowing perfectly well that even though the drive from Vancouver to Calgary traverses a few mountain passes, it is still able to be done in a single day. It seems unprofessional to cancel due to the reason given; if Deathstars do decide to play either Edmonton or Calgary in the future, it makes me wonder if I should even purchase a ticket. 

Deathstars - All The Devil's Toys

Industrial-styled metallers Deathstars just released the music video for 'All The Devil's Toys', a track from their upcoming album titled The Perfect Cult. Upon first listen, I kind of like it. It reminds me of the material found on Synthetic Generation (2003). The video itself quite obviously speaks to a theme that seems to be running rampant throughout society in the last few years.

Take a look for yourself: Deathstars - All The Devil's Toys

The track listing for The Perfect Cult will be:

1. Explode
2. Fire Galore
3. All The Devil's Toys
4. Ghost Reviver
5. The Perfect Cult
6. Asphalt Wings
7. Bodies
8. Temple Of The Insects
9. Track, Crush and Prevail
10. Noise Cuts

(On another note: Having seen the song posted as both 'All The Devil's Toys' and 'All The Devils Toys', I wonder which one will actually appear on the album...)

Deathstars - Upcoming Album

'Synthetic Generation' - The first Deathstars album

So it seems that industrial metal band, Deathstars, will be releasing a new album in June. While I honestly haven’t paid much attention to Deathstars as of late, I’m wondering if this might be one of those albums I pick up on a whim. Their first two albums, 'Synthetic Generation' and 'Termination Bliss', were on pretty high rotation in my discman for a while. (Yes, I was still using a discman when a lot of people were getting iPods and other devices). The fact that I was listening to Deathstars on a discman might give some hints to how long ago it was that I was giving their albums some serious listening time. While the aesthetic might appear cheesy to some, I actually kind of like the visual interest component. This has always been a band of big (and quirky) personalities. 

It looks as if Deathstars have had a few line-up changes over the years, as the line-up I seen them with at Ruisrock no longer exists in quite the same capacity. I never did pick up Night Electric Night, which was released several years ago in 2009. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of industrial metal. Despite this, every once in a while I do enjoy (obviously) some Deathstars, as well as a bit of Rammstein and Pain. But that’s about as far as I go into the industrial metal scene. 

The new album, titled ‘The Perfect Cult’, could be worth picking up. If nothing else, it will be a bit of a throwback to when I first really seriously started getting into metal. Deathstars seem quite proficient in the industrial metal/rock genre. Industrial always feels like it belongs better in a club than being played at home, and unfortunately I haven’t found the time to go to a rock/goth/metal club just for the sake of going to a club for a number of years now. What would be interesting would be a North American tour so I could get the chance to see Deathstars again and compare my experience from years ago to a new one. 

Trailer for 'The Perfect Cult'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKM_WBi3pk8