Blackhearts Ball Slices Through Friday the 13th at Therapy Café

Mike Ritchie February 17, 2015 Dayton

Def Leppard said “Love Bites,” The Vinnie Vincent Invasion warned “Love Kills,” and on this 13th day, the water logged guy with the machete regularly slaughtered those making love. So it was fitting on Friday, February 13^th, everyone’s favorite pre-bloody Valentine’s Day, the Therapy Cafe held the Blackhearts Ball. Hearts, candy and flower’s done darkwave, experimental, shoegaze and industrial style, with lots of balloons to kick around. The masquerade masks, stilettos, makeup, leather and lace were on display and it didn’t really matter who wore what.

The inaugural Blackheart’s Ball was the creation of Curse of Cassandra and something they hope to repeat every year when love fills the night and the guy with the miners outfit and pick axe comes back. Why not celebrate Halloween twice a year?

The Anti-Valentine’s Day event was an answer to society and the media’s almost scolding message, that if you are not involved with someone you are unable to buy them our holiday jewelry, romantic dinner specials and sweet nothing’s. Valentine’s Day is a day that plays on people’s best and worst emotions. If you were single, looking and not in the mood for all that lovely-dovey commercialized crap and a free online communication weekend wasn’t in the schedule, the only candle light needed, was to burn something with. The ball was an event to bring people together regardless of romantic status and celebrate what lies in the shadows at night. If you were looking for something safely insidious and be among your fellow non-mainstream folk, the ball was the place to be.

COC put together a bill that celebrated the Ohio underground music scene with Hematosis. A band firmly established in the underground while Cassandra and Where the Nameless Dwell try to build a stronger underground Dayton scene. For those who remember and mourn the great night clubs of yesterday when 1470 West (now Club Masque), The Asylum, The Foundry and others ruled downtown, while Club Vex stands strong, Richter has said that they’re pushing for more of a goth/industrial presence at Therapy. They played to the crowd from the unluckiest day of the year’s early night to the early darkness of Valentine’s Day.

Formed in 2014, Dayton’s dark, shoegazer’s of atmospheric ambience Where The Nameless Dwell opened the show with a collective hair raising look representing vintage 80’s, punk and classical noir. Singer, guitarist Preston Krafft sported Neo-Victorian classical garb with keyboardist Mako Chernobyl sporting Mohawk and leather, reminiscent of a young Doug Pinnick. Jeffrey Linder on lead guitar/vocals and Nate Jobe on drums dressed a ‘bit’ more casual with Scott Loy standing out so to speak as the cellist.

Taking shoegaze into a darker realm, WTND take Pink Floyd elements with a cello going darkwave, creating melodious, erratic, dreamscapes. They create music of abstract dreams, with Freddy’s claw-glove coming through the guitars without warning. Crackling of spinal cord guitar notes with the cello lending a melancholy mood. Kind of like waking from a dream hearing Eurythmics and Flock of Seagulls before you are fully awake.

Starting with the subtle Radiohead beginning of “System in My Brain” with traces of REM. “Hanging by A Thread” had a dreamy understated Pearl Jam feel with a more far off dismal quality. “Try to Say Goodbye” immediately hit with trippy guitars through cascading castles of memories and visuals at dusk. A few other tunes ‘only available live’ at the moment included “Dream of a Perfect World,” “Instead of Only Me” and “The More I Fall Apart.” They finished with a little Tears for Fears, though it was too early to start “Sowing the Seeds of Love” they closed off with “Mad World.”

Dayton’s newly transformed trio Curse of Cassandra played in the middle, to the delight of both genders. With a rain of flying undergarments and a bisexual vampire movie on behind them, caped S&M whip carrying storyteller Electra Complex’s soothing, seductive, breathy coo kept the audience’s attention. The electro, pop, synth group played songs from their new Night CD along with a few older ones. They started with the icy cool vocal breeze of “Shiver.”

With Asher Black supplying the classical, tension-anticipating sounds at the moment of seduction. With Wolf pounding out the hot blooded pulse of the set. “Hunger” brought out those closed door appetites that go unspoken and only happen at night. She jumped into the audience going fifty shades on “Bite,” introducing the temptress that delivers, when she put her lips, there. She wanted a victim, that night. CD opener “Blonde” started with fingers through the hair. Then they went…. where!?!?

They “Cursed” the audience with illumination but the vast majority saw it as a gift as breathtaking fire-dancer Ali Matta took over the floor, spinning and weaving the flames. Flowing to its bright, hot kiss as the rhythmic music took over. By the end everyone wanted the blood mark of damnation. Your pretty mouths brought out the “Twisted” sister in Electra. Being entangled in chains, brought the “Sex Addition” to the surface for the 18 and up crowd and all the private taboos into public light. They finished, going cosmic on the mechanical baby-doll feel of “Stardust.”

Cincinnati’s Hematosis came decorated in macabre, occult ritual and baptized the stage with flame. The duo consisted of Omen on vocals and Rev-D on keyboards and programming along with the tag team seduction of the Nekrodancers, NekroNikki and NekroJenna.

Hematosis could be described as the dark night-shade brought out by the spellbinding macabre they create. Their sound is built around industrial walls and visual landscapes filled with lyrical thrills and body shaking chills. Top shelf, closed book discussions are opened in public forum away from screen guarded private chat rooms, presented unedited in the raw. Their show goes far beyond performance with mind-slicing music, giving voice to the listener’s most suppressed tucked away feelings, encouraging a release of negativity through dancing. They have shared live crowd conversions with My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Whore In Babylon, Chakra, and Razorbliss among many others and talented locals.

Opening with a hand full of flame and the black robbed beauties in cult like ceremony, “Sin” poured from the stage with dark atmosphere as the bitter cold of heavy night fell outside. Forgive them father, (they light a candle burning incense in a dark room) they know what they do… and they don’t care. Second song brought the “Second Coming” and the bright blazoned white lights with a more enchanting Nekrosizing invitation. “Odium’s” dance floor beat preceded “Nekrodancer’s” razor sharp synth delivery. It was rapid body movement spell-casting, playing the devils game.

Omen took an opportunity to pass out some pretty, wilted flowers to the lovely ladies in the crowd during “Already Dead.” It was a gothic gentleman’s romantic gesture that said: Roses are red, violets are blue, here’s some flowers my pretty, careful the thorns don’t prick you. Unfortunately, black roses were not available. Forget the crossbows, guns and samurai swords. It’s “Zombies Killing Zombie’s,” they might be brain dead but they know how to bite and tear. Omen sang clean on the NIN inspired “Nothing to Come Back To.”

The hills are “Bomb Struck,” the trooper’s ran for cover. “Fatal Hour’s” dance-centric feel accompanied its robotic tinged vocals with a slight hint of Fear Factory. “Glitch” played with Skinny Puppy. Omen, wreathed and coiled his tortured vocals over the raw, open musical tendons on “Nerve Endings.” They finished with the classic “Closer” and we all got closer to God.