“Squirrelly Arts is a very hazardous substance to your health. Indulge at your own risk.”

So reads the warning on the About page on the local metal band's website. 

Heed their advice.

Perusing around their website, it’s pretty easy to get a feel for what the band is about. I’ll leave it up to you, the curious, not-so-faint-of-heart reader to find out the lewd and gruesome details, as the majority of their elaborate mythology will not be mentioned here.

The music of Squirrelly Arts has a decidedly nu-metal flair that’s reigned in by synth-driven, industrial backbeats, almost as if a '90s act like Coal Chamber or Korn had a seven-string, guitar-slinging love child with NIN’s “Pretty Hate Machine” album. 

In their live configuration, guitarist ZOMB13’s big, chugging riffs churn on top of the precisely programmed electronic drum grooves and keyboard textures provided by Synthmaster J. 

The dual vocal tag team of Vikki SexXx and Synn Hellscream add a dynamic to the group that not many other acts have, keeping things interesting musically, and leaves the audience guessing who’s going to take the next line. 

Vocally, it’s readily apparent that Vikki, the group’s main vocalist and front man, draws much inspiration from the tone and general bravado of the aforementioned '90s new metal groups, while Synn’s sound is more reminiscent of the famed “pig-squeal” vocal style.

As far as the group’s showmanship is concerned, it’s at their live shows where one is able to grasp the full scope of the kind of debauchery that is only hinted at on their web page.

The Squirrelly Arts crew have what they do down to, well, an art form. 

Anyone who bore witness to their set at the IB Sports Park’s Halloween Metal Show last year (where, I feel it’s worth mentioning, they exhibited consummate professionalism and good taste in “toning down” the vulgar nature of their act in light of it being an all-ages show) would vouch for that.

Even though it was a Squirrelly Arts – Lite evening, it didn’t stop them from donning their outrageous costumes and having their way with a Justin Bieber piñata. 

It’s that kind of playful, depraved sense of humor that appeals to their fans, and is perfectly embodied in their lyrical subject matter, ominously danceable riffage and highly stylized imagery. 

This band has clearly gone the extra mile in many areas that most local bands don’t even consider, and it will be the sum of these efforts, coupled with their work ethic, that will likely help them succeed.

You can catch Squirrelly Arts headlining "LOVE SUCKS: A Valentines Metal Show" along with the bands Hocus, Under The Stone, The Blaculas, and Subtraction, next Friday, Feb. 11, at the IB Sports Park, where they will be performing a special tune penned in celebration of (or in defamation of, depending on how you look at it) Valentine’s Day.