Mick Mercer
http://www.mickmercer.com/
Darkness in the heart, and art, of things is
hardly the preserve of
Goth alone, and there are many mutant strains at large in Rock wherever
you care to tiptoe, but not so many in the post-Grunge area, which is
why the raw, basic tendrils of Hate In The Box flail and glue
themselves to petrified onlookers so easily. Think of a more capricious
Babes In Toyland in a more focussed, fanciful lyrical domain. They call
themselves Horror Rock, so the guitar stylings are out in the open, and
invest much of their work, particularly the visuals, with a welcome
dose of vinegary humour, and the website galleries indicate they’re
wild live.
Dark Realms
Magazine
http://www.monolithgraphics.com/darkrealms.html
NYC's morbid storytellers Hate In The Box are back
and spreading more
of their unholy gospel of rage and decadence. The beautiful and
talented frontwoman rainbow Blight, whose wonderfully demented mind is
truly an asset in this tragic world of shattered dreams and broken
dolls, offers clever lyrics and vocals that grab the listener by the
throat in an unrelenting grip -- a delivery somewhat reminiscent of
early Lydia Lunch, but with a unique vocal style in a class all its
own. Keyboardist Optimus Crime provides creepy atmosphere to the fast
paced songs, which are loaded with punk rock attitude and are as catchy
as the Plague (but a whole lot more fun). The only exception being
"Broken Stitches Reopened" which is accented by an ominous organ and
slow funeral drum beat. Among the standout tracks, Porcelain is a
raw-edged rocker, Candy Coated Razorblade is sweet poison and Papercut
Kisses is destined to be an anthem for dark and demented souls
everywhere. Razorblade Fairytales delivers a delightfully wicked blend
of raw aggressive rock and twisted nightmares
Warren Ellis
http://www.warrenellis.com
Hate In The Box stick a used needle in that metallic vein of electro/goth/industrial/IDM that I think Deathboy once tagged as "futurepunk." I like sawing guitars, hails of tinny breaks and girls singing about bad things.
Sleazegrinder
http://www.sleazegrinder.com/
I think the trailer for “Three on a Meathook”
(1973) said it best:
“Little broken dolls that keep on dancing, long after the music stops”.
The voice-over guy was talking about the dead girls hanging from hooks
in the barn, but he could just as easily have been describing the
topsy-turvy, bloody carnival world of Rainbow Blight and Optimus Crime,
the cyborg twins that serve as the throbbing nucleus for NYC’s screech
n’ burn, goth-dustrial brat rock apocalypse, Hate in the Box. Rainbow’s
the sexy/scary raggedy Anne vampire girl up front, howling like a new
machine that uses candy and designer drugs for fuel, enraged that
everything isn’t as pretty as she is, and determined to rearrange it by
sheer force of will until it is; and co-conspirator Optimus is the
mysterious madman behind her, cooking up green-lit gurgles and grinds
from impossibly complicated bio-tech weapons and plotting strange new
strategies for world domination. They are the new teenage flesh, so far
beyond our puny human concepts of pain and pleasure that we can’t
possibly understand exactly what the moral of these Razorblade
Fairytales are. We can only allow ourselves to be mesmerized by the
Alien Sex Fiend meets the Undertaker and his Pals cyber-shock-punk of
it all, and drift off into fitful slumber, dreaming of electric sheep.
I have seen the future, brothers and sisters, and it is all wrapped up
in yarn and latex, and screaming it’s head off.
Candy For Bad
Children
http://www.candyforbadchildren.com
For quite some time now I have been engulfed in
the discernible
pleasures of Razorblade Fairytales. However, it was not until my
subconscious released the song “Porcelain” to my REM cycles two days
ago that I found just how truly compelling the album can be. The
playful singsong of the vocals is hauntingly addictive; a rhythmic
outpouring of fractured innocence. The core of the album, consisting of
dark, organic musical undertones, often beautifully contrasts with more
upbeat overtones and tempos. Notably unavoidable physical imagery is
also burned helplessly into the mind, radiantly crafted through flowing
vocals and intricate lyrics. Razorblade Fairytales is overall nothing
short of brilliantly combined polar opposites fused together, twisted
and turned, sliced and mended into an audio-visual work of art.
Memo Juez
http://www.livejournal.com/users/memojuez/36451.html
I first heard of Hate in the Box, an up and coming
NYC area band, from
a concert flyer posted at girlsinbands by cyanidebonbon. A few mouse
clicks later and I am listening to the infectous vocals of Rainbow
Blight on a couple of full length Ogg Vorbis downloadable files. I was
so impressed I ordered this CD right then and there. RazorBlade Fairy
Tales' first cut Porcelain opens with a dark keyboard/synth intro by
Optimus Crime shortly joined by an overdriven rhythm guitar. Rainbow
Blight soon starts in with When you cry it makes a sound, --like knives
on Porcelain in a voice and inflection that makes the listener ask "Is
that Gwen Stefani?" Any confusion is quickly eradicated as Blight's
powerful and emotionally charged vocals suck you into a world of
razorblades that make the tears of dolls run red. Through-out the
entire album, the musical arrangement is straightforward and
uncomplicated with a nod to the heyday of Industrial Metal of the early
nineties with a Gothic Metal flavouring. Optimus Crime is extremely
adept with his keyboarding and musical layering production skills that
give the likes of Jason Slater (SRC) a run for his money. Crime's hooks
have meat hanging from them. If you are tired of the same old radio
friendly garbage pumped daily into your life, then RazorBlade Fairy
Tales is a refreshing jaunt out of your watered down musical mediocrity.