| The World According To
Pantychrist |
| Danyell DeVille:
Diabolical Screaming
Emma-O: Six String Armageddon Lexxi LaRoux: Subsonic Devastation Emma Sunstrum: Infernal Pounding |
| With
a take no prisoners approach the band made a
stir quite quickly in the local Hamilton music
scene and the tremors soon spread to other
cities. Danyell dominated the stage with a fury that had every eye riveted. Like some kind of possessed being she would flail across the stage, no concern of what might be in her way. Not content to climb speaker stacks or throw herself onto the floor, she would take the show into the audience. Smashed bottles, thrown drinks, destroyed microphones and a little blood were the norm. Izabelle played the first bunch of shows in her underwear, effectively putting the 'panty' into Pantychrist. Patty would demonstrate her ability to multitask by having a volunteer come onstage and become her 'beer slave'. This person would be responsible for pouring beer into her mouth while she played. It was usually a 50/50 split of how much went in versus how much went on her. The band issued a demo cd called 'ShEPeed' in early 2004 that was snapped up immediately. Pantychrist became a solid fixture on the local scene, and interest in the band was coming from lots of different areas. The group secured festival spots on NXNE and Canada Music Week and issued an industry only cd 'Demo-lition Dirty' for distribution at these showcase events.  AMP Records capitalized on the
growing buzz by releasing Pantychrist's 'Never
Love Anything' cd in 2005.It achieved international notoriety for it's combination of fast punk blasts interlaced with catchy melodies and straight to the point lyrics. It hit the #1 spot on Hamilton radio station CFMU'S playlist and achieved #157 on the nationwide radio airplay charts. A very respectable showing for a hardcore punk record and it subsequently sold out of all copies. Around this time the band were contacted by a couple of film producers who were interested in filming the group for a documentary about women in the Canadian Music Industry. They came and stayed with Pantychrist for a week, capturing them at home, at work, and as a band at shows. The footage was compiled into a 15 minute segment called 'The Girls Of Pantychrist' that was slated to be part of the end film. The project was then put on hold when the producers funding ran out. Pantychrist issued a dvd entitled 'Skirting With Disaster' in March 2006 that mixed 'The Girls Of Pantychrist' feature with some raw live footage of the band. Issues within the group itself started to come to a head near the end of the year as the Sisterhood of Pantychrist foundation of solidarity crumbled. 2007 opened with the band parting ways with Patty and enlisting ex G-Men drummer Nick Tops to fill in until a suitable replacement could be found. During one session at the practice studio, Pantychrist's set was recorded live off the floor and nine songs were taken and issued as a limited edition self titled cd that  that
was primarily available at shows. The band was
once again followed by a film crew who were
capturing material for afilm to be titled 'The Rise Of Pantychrist' which would document the group as part of a succession of Hamilton bands. Finding a new female drummer turned out to be more difficult than originally anticipated and with various personal issues needing attention, Pantychrist went on hiatus after June 2008. There was every intent of the band returning and the first order of business was to fill the vacant drum seat. Another exhaustive search was launched to find a new drummer and this time the band found success with a couple of suitable candidates. 2010 found Cari Corpse behind the Pantychrist drum kit and the band stepping onstage for the first time in over two years. The group continued to work up new material, but scheduling and availability limited the progress. Following an appearance at Toronto's 'Terminal City Ricochet Urban Punkfest' in 2011, Jen O'Cyde took over bass duties and the group issued 'Break It Down', a retrospective cd compilation that combined the group's out of print older material with a batch of newly recorded tracks. Pantychrist hit a new period of productivity and the band recorded six songs for Suburban White Trash Records, but 'ThE GiRLs NeXt DOoR' 7" record was put on hold when Izabelle Steele left the band in 2012. Guitarist Emma-O stepped into the fold and the decision was made to discard most of the previous material and focus on delivering an album that was fast and intense but takes some twists and turns. An infectious combination of punk, metal and melody with strict attention paid to the songwriting, Danyell has referred to the new material as "a better representation of what Pantychrist was". An amusing video was uploaded to YouTube of the band taking part in the 2013 Hamilton Zombie Walk plus an added raw performance of the song "I Spy". The first official release from the revitalized unit was the track "No Gods No Masters" which appeared in early 2014 on the 'Assault & BATtery: A Benefit For Bat World Sanctuary' compilation. It became one of the top 5 most listened to and downloaded tracks on the album and was featured on radio and podcast year end Top 10 lists. Pantychrist played a bunch of festival shows with the most notable being Toronto's World Pride Festival where the band shared the stage with Pansy Division and Ginger Coyote. The arrival of 2015 brought some changes to the band. Cari Corpse retired from the drum throne due to knee injuries and she was replaced by Emma Sunstrum. The group added guitarist Statia XII Ace and towards the end of the year released a version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" that was the lead off track on Cleopatra Records 'Riot Grrrl Christmas' compilation. Pantychrist have been playing select shows and are presently recording the tracks for their long overdue and eagerly anticipated new album. The 2017 Pantychrist touring lineup consists of vocalist Danyell DeVille, guitarist Emma-O, bassist Lexxi La Roux and drummer Emma Sunstrum. |
| The
age old question of why do women go to the
bathroom in pairs might now have an answer: To start a band!! Hamilton, Canada's Pantychrist formed in 2003 after the chance encounter of four women in a ladies washroom. Guitarist Izabelle Steele and vocalist Danyell DeVille met bassist Amy Hell and drummer Patty Rotten in this most unlikeliest of settings. Upon discovering that they all had similar musical aspirations they decided to form an all female hardcore punk group. Amy and Patty were playing with a local outfit called The Bitter Ex's and Danyell had done time with Die Human Die from Kitchener. Right from their first practice together the band concentrated on creating their own compositions which were far removed from the glossy poppy punk style that most female bands were playing. Trying to find a name that would reflect the abrasive and hardcore nature of their music and not lump them in with those other 'princess punk' bands proved trying. A couple of different names were considered before deciding to call the outfit Pantychrist. |
| Photography
by Glenn Lowson www.glennlowson.com |