Crime was the least of my worries on Saturday night as I ventured to QXT’s in Newark NJ to check out the NYC industrial metal band Star Killer in their first official New Jersey appearance. Lead singer Jasin Cadic grew up in New Jersey, so putting on a show for us here in his home state was a priority.
For over 20 years QXT’s has been the only club in the area where you could hear new wave, goth, 80s, industrial, and punk all in the same venue. As a lifelong Jersey resident, one of the reasons why I never went to the club wasn’t because of the crime in Newark, it was mostly because I doubted that I’d fit in. I listen to the genres of music that their DJ’s spin but visually I always figured I’d have to show up looking like I was the lead singer in a Cure cover band. But, upon hearing that Star Killer would be playing a show at QXT’s I threw all my apprehensions out the window because I knew I had to see them live. For months and months I’ve been listening to their EP (which is available HERE for a limited time free of charge) on my iPod and looking at a few videos from YouTube of shows that went down elsewhere. It was New Jersey’s time to feel the power of Star Killer live, and damn it was a spectacle.
I was in luck, it was superhero night at QXT’s. Glowing lights drenched the scantily clad Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy who were dancing all up on each other. It seemed like a typical night for them, although there was no trace of Batman anywhere. There were other girls dressed as characters from the film Kick-Ass as well as a couple of female Robins too. Holy supertight latex Batman!
As we arrived at the bar I noticed our female bartender’s costume. “Black Spiderman, right?” I asked her. “NO! VENOM!” she snapped back at me dumbfounded that I didn’t know who she was supposed to be dressed like. The Sexy Armpit cut her some slack and decided that her blood wasn’t made up of geekoglobin like mine and she was probably unaware of the origin of Venom. When she bought the costume I’m sure it said “Sexy Venom Costume” because every costume for a girl is “Sexy,” but this one really looked more like your basic black Spiderman costume from Secret Wars. Too confusing for untrue believers. Nevertheless, she was completely attentive and appreciative of her tips. My partner in crime for the night, Money Marc and I hung out and soaked in the scene until Star Killer finally stormed the stage.
Just before it was announced that the band was about to go on there were a few people who trickled out to the offshoot rooms in QXT’s. They really missed out because Star Killer stunned the crowd. For those in attendance who stayed to check them out, it was obvious from their banging heads and lots of crowd feedback that they liked what they were witnessing.
Star Killer’s aggressive onslaught of industrial metal featured songs that are immediately memorable and always get me pumped such as their single “As The Sky Is Falling.” As he introduced the song, singer Jasin Cadic even gave a shout to The Sexy Armpit for being big supporters of the band which was pretty f*cking awesome of him. The stage was lit up with green lasers and blue and red lights as Star Killer tore into many songs from their EP as well as an incredible cover of Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself For Loving You.” If you are as unsure about getting into a new band as I was about heading to QXT’s, get over it and download their EP now! Star Killer will definitely appeal to hard rock and metal fans, especially those who are into Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Korn. Click Here for our full review of Star Killer’s debut EP