Psychedelic Lunch

Welcome to our “Psychedelic Lunch” series, Women Of Rock Edition, where we find out how deep the rabbit hole really goes and explore psychedelic tunes from the 60’s to today. Weekdays At Noon EST. Enjoy the trip!

Gen Vincent of The Genitorturers

The Genitorturers are an industrial metal band from the United States, with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They are dubbed “The World’s Sexiest Rock Band”.

For bands that take the stage at any of the Fetish Revolution events, the term “tough crowd” can take on an entirely new meaning. The annual party is equal parts sexual dream (or nightmare, depending on who you ask), bondage carnival, alternative lifestyle symposium, and lingerie fashion show.

It’s one thing to perform for a crowd of people when they are staring back at you from behind zippered bondage masks and masquerade makeup, but it’s quite another to compete with the other entertainment of the evening — flogging shows, live suspensions, and sexy vendor demonstrations.

In fact, lead singer Gen alludes to the fact that their past shows — long before everyone could whip out cell phone cameras — were far more erotic then the band’s present shows, since there was more anonymity and actual “underground” scene.

Do not think for a minute that they’re a gimmick or joke band. While some piercers may just be following the latest hip trend (what’s next, coolness through amputation?), the Genitorturers’ music and performances are an extension of their lifestyle and beliefs. They’ve made the most of their shock appeal, garnering appearances on Hard Copy , Playboy Latenite , HBO’s Real Sex , and Fox TV, but they don’t do it just to shock.

Their live shows offer a chance to experience the alternatives first-hand. Bondage apparatus, live piercing, and fetish performances are all part of the S&M lifestyle, and part of Gen’s stage each night. Participants are taken from the crowd — on any given night you could speak up and be pierced or punished, if you think you deserve it. Sometimes worshipful, sometimes penitent, always enthusiastic (to say the least), the audience is always willing to go to great lengths to please their Mistress of Ceremonies, Gen.

Musically, they’ve evolved from a fairly raw black metal band to a group of tightly professional performers, playing a more sophisticated blend of goth and industrial metal. They’ve played all over the world at venues ranging from dingy nightclubs to rock festivals.