POP MUSIC REVIEWS : DEATH WISH

It was clear right away that Christian Death’s show Friday at the Whisky was supposed to be a VIP (Very Important Performance). The tip-off: Lead singer Valor introduced the concert by saying, “I’d like to open today’s Mass with a prayer. . . .”

If that sounds strange or silly, you should have heard what followed. The evening became highly entertaining for all the wrong reasons as the veteran local group dispensed a string of moody, affected gothic-rock pieces built around overwrought “poetry” that would embarrass a high school sophomore. Much of the band’s highly mannered material resembled a Halloween sound-effects record on the wrong speed.

There were a few songs that included attractive, atmospheric textures and Edge-y guitar figures. And the nonstop slide show provided an intriguing backdrop, with images often cutting and colliding in staccato bursts a la Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” video. However, there’s something wrong when the visual aids are far more involving than the music they’re aiding.

And the slides didn’t exactly make the evening less pretentious or alter the fact that a little of Valor’s tortured, Bowie-esque yodeling goes a long way. Especially when that yodeling involves lyrics like “Apparitions, intimate fantasy / Infant pages with her virginal grin.” Huh?

Lacking even a hint of humor, it all made for a very different VIP: Very Indulgent Performance. Christian Death also plays the Lhasa Club on Wednesday.