Deadstar Assembly to Creep Out Culture Room

The dark circles under Deadstar Assembly's members' eyes either mean they're literally the undead or that they're wearing a ton of makeup to create a calculated effect. For members Dearborn, Dreggs, Mubo, Kriz D.K., and the Dro, aesthetically, at least, the band's self-categorization of "death pop" is an appropriate one. Band photos featuring members sporting the full-on vampire hiss, morose gazes, and the whole "Robert Smith two days after he was hanged and surfaced in a river" look, along with songs titles like "Already Dead" and "Blood Bags," really drive the nail into the coffin.

The poppy metal tunes feature high-speed drumming, thrashing guitars, and more than a touch of industrial synth, which indicates that the dark, heavy rock 'n' roll that emanated from our sunny shores in the early '90s still has a place in the hearts of area bands. Since 2001, when frontman Dearborn started Deadstar Assembly as a solo project, the slickly packaged band has released three albums and two DVDs, one of which shows the members trashing the remains of a ruined hotel and playing with a cockroach.

Upon returning to South Florida from a North American tour, which took the band to Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit in support of its third album, Coat of Arms, Deadstar Assembly plays its homecoming CD-release party at Culture Room.