
The perfect band is one that sounds so terrifying that potential audiences don’t know if they should risk their lives (and hearing) attending their live shows or if they should report them to the cops. A Place To Bury Strangers has built this kind of dubious reputation, and with each new release, they nurture it. They don’t just sound louder than anyone else. But in an era of eerie characters making safe, predictable music, they have the gull to sound like a car crash.
They are the object of envy, loathing and outright hatred for every black metal band springing out of places like Scandinavia or New Jersey. Surely, black metal, with its dark attire, facepaint and lore of church burnings, was out to be the scariest ticket in town. But, no, those bands are predictable. There’s nothing clear about where A Place To Bury Strangers’ music will end up or where it will make you, dear listener, end up.
A Place To Bury Strangers’ “Bad Idea” sounds like garage-rock music projected out at the audience in a fit of violent rage. But it also sounds tight and melodic. The combination of beauty and pure ugliness echoes the two cities that have most left an imprint on the band – grimy New York and artsy Berlin. And, just like a party in any of those places, it’s hard to know if you’re having a good time or being hypnotised and corrupted for some unspeakably evil plan. Probably a bit of both. That’s why I need very few bands with face paint on as long as A Place To Bury Strangers is knocking about.