Interview:	THEATRES DES VAMPIRES
Title:	Blood is life

These Italian occultists are well known in their country for an vampyric and theatralic Black Metal style, which contains much elements of horror and myths.

In the scary Theatres des Vampires are currently Lord Vampyr (all vocals & infernal poetry), Necros (keys, samples & back. voc.), Blutsauger (bs.), Incubus (lead guit.), Mortifer (guit.) and Blasfemator (dr. & back. voc.). 


The two beautiful as well as sinister princesses Justine and Scarlet are responsible for charming female vocals. The new release „Jubilaeum Anno Dracula 2001“ comes with a pretty cruel looking frontcover artwork, which fits perfect to their unique music.

It delivers again seven evil, demonic and atmospheric hymns, which let the blood of every undead bloodsucker quickly boil… Keyboarder Necros, one of the founding members of the bloody horde, answers the questions.


„There are some changes in the line-up. Strigoi has left the band and the new, `Jubilaeum Anno Dracula 2001`, was recorded with a new guitar player: Mortifer. As soon as the recording session ended, we changed again guitar player. So now Morgot replaced Mortifer. Morgot was an old member of the band and he was present in the Demo of 1995 and in the first CD of 1996. (Actually he was one of the first music partners of Lord Vampyr, in the 1989 in fact they played together with a band called Sepolcrum, one of the first gothic metal bands and Italian cult band of underground Italian music world.... in 1992 they dismissed Sepolcrum and they founded a band called VII Arcano… A Gothic Metal band with Doom influences. They released together in 1993 a 7” called: `Gather My Blood Forever`, one of the first 100 % vampiric albums of the history of Metal music... In that 7” the influence by Lord Vampyr during the composition was clear and links with Vampiric themes were unconfined... In 1994 Lord Vampyr founded Theatres des Vampires leaving VII Arcano... Nowadays, VII Arcano changed completely their kind of music in a old school trash metal with influences of Swedish and Morgot felt not close to him this kind of music and left his band to join again to Theatres des Vampires... So now you know quite everything about our old story!) So welcome back Robert `Morgoth`! The rest of the band is always the same… We are a stable band from this point of view.”

How did press and of course the fans honored the last album? 



„The press was generally very good and also fans did like a lot `Bloody Lunatic Asylum`. I suppose that also for this new one the situation will be very good. I think `Jubilaeum…` is better than `Bloody…`. It is not a real Long Play album but it contains seven tracks for 40 minutes music… It can give an idea of the future of the band. More orchestral parts, atmosphere and evil.”


What is behind the band name Theatres des Vampires?



„Simple. Lord Alexander `Vampyr` the band founder, was a great fan of Anne Rice´s novels. In 1994, when he started the Theatres des Vampires project, he decided to give the name in honor of this great modern story teller. Its meaning is inside the name… Vampires that pretend to be human that pretend to be vampires… This is 100 % Vampire music, man! Music for Vampire written by a Vampire.” 



What is behind the title „Jubilaeum Anno Dracula 2001”? 



„This is a tribute to the historical character that has contributed to the creation of the myth of the vampire which gave inspiration to Bram Stoker for his famous novel. We wish to celebrate the 570 years of the birth of an immortal myth. A myth that give inspiration to our music and to all the vampire lovers all around the world. Can I say more?”

What is the main concept or theme on „Jubilaeum Anno Dracula 2001“? 



„All of them. We have always tried (so, not only with this last one) to explore every single aspect of the vampire figure. Starting from the historical Lamia and Strige arriving to the modern ones, taken from literature and films naturally! Vampire is something that is deep inside our culture. I suppose that people is interested in vampire, because they have fear of death and I can understand that everybody dream to be immortal. In our lyrics we explore dualism of blood and its symbolism. The dualism blood-life is present in a lot of myths. For instance, a story of Babylonian origin, told by philosopher Beroso, tells about mankind origin from blood of the god Bel. In other traditions, the blood of Medua has the power to rise the god Asclepio. Even the Christianity builds its `blood's myths` on Saint Graal symbol or on the symbolic act of exchanging blood to wine in the Eucharist like the dionisiac ryte of consecration and adoration. According with some thinker, `vital fluid` would be the true source of eternal youth and unique weapon able to cure `illness` of physical decadence and death. There is not surprise, then, if there is more than a similarity between the Babylonian vampires Ekimmu, Ardat and Lamatsu and the Jewish Lilith or the Greek vampire Lamia. But anyway all the things I’m saying are `old story`… Everybody that likes our music knows what we think about vampires…Which is our believe, our point of view on life and so on. Anyway as I always say, everybody is a vampire.”

Where was the new album produced, by which producer and how long was the work for the production? 



„As always we recorded the album here in Italy and then post production was realized in England at the Turan Audio Studios. We worked on it for around one month… Generally we work fast… Sound production was done by me and Lord Vampyr… But I feel this is the last time that we make by ourselves the sound production. For our future we will search a `big name` that can help us to do it.” 



How long has the band composed on the new songs? 



„For this album a very short time. We composed all songs in two months. But we were very inspired from Dracula, so, everything was easy. To make an album for Vlad Dracul anniversary was our dream from the beginning of our music career. So now we have realized our dream in this way.” 



 Who wrote most tracks for the new album? 



„Generally me (Necros) and Lord Vampyr. We compose all the songs. The arrangement is done by all the band together, but the main part generally starts in my house, at nighttime, me and my keyboard, Lord Vampyr and his guitar, nothing else… Now that Robert `Morgoth` plays with us again, I suppose that we will get an help also from him. Robert usually prefer Gothic-Doom style, instead me and Lord Vampyr like Black-Gothic… We will find a nice mix together!” 



Who has written most of the lyrics? 



„Lord Vampyr mainly writes, occasionally also Justine and Scarlet give an help. I generally work on latin lyrics choirs. At the end we mix everything together.”

What is your term for the Black Metal style of Theatres des Vampires? 



„`Vampiric Gothic Metal`… Because it is the mix of two styles, Gothic Metal and Black Metal, everything mixed with horror atmosphere and operistic choirs. The right music for a vampire…” 



What´s your opinion to Satanism and Occultism? 



„Generally we don’t like to talk about our personal opinions. But for you we will make an exception because we love your magazine. I believe that in the 99 % of times, who is saying that are involved in Satanism and Occultisms (especially in the music world) tells a lots of bullshit… The reason is simple. If I’m really involved in a secret society, I have some responsibilities. Main of all to maintain the secret. So if I go talking all around that I’m a real Satanist or I’m an idiot or it isn’t true at all. But I can easily say to you something. To burn churches, to crucify cats or to make sexual-masses don’t mean to be a Satanist. The real evil is something different… The real evil is innocent and pure, like a child… I hope you understand what I mean…” 



Would you prefer it to live as a vampire, immortal and mighty? 



„No one of these… I prefer vampires freedom. To be free to stay out of the common sense of humanity, beauty and holy…”

Please be so kind and bring the songs of the new album with your own words a bit closer! 



„Well we opened the album with a song called `Anno Dracula`.. It’s an atmospheric song, with in the background the words of Nietzche that explain well our idea of humanity and vampirism... Then, the CD begins with `Love Never Dies`. In this song the words are by Justine, at the beginning there is a choir in Rumanian language that means `You are the love of my life`, this song is linked with the idea of Dracula, given from Francis Ford Coppola´s Dracula. This is one of my favorite songs. Then, there is `Vampyrica`... It is a middle time song, with a female choir at the begin on a sad piano... Is a special tribute to Vampyria Gothic Cafe that helped us to realize our dream for a tribute to Dracula... `Dances With Satan` is a re-played and re-arranged version of the song also present in `Bloody Lunatic Asylum`. This is a funny experiment, with a little electro-goth feeling (a little), more operistic choirs than the original and more danceable. I like very much because this version is completely different from the original! It’s a very successfully experiment for me, 100 % better from the original of the last album. `Blutdivine` is our personal view of catholic religion! In this song an hypothetical Dracula lives his religious believes in a mix of love-hate (as the real one Dracula) But it’s a total blasphemous religious love! Dracula wants to drink the blood of Christ to save himself! `Brides Of Dracula` is a atmospheric song, film music score oriented... Here we have of Justine and Scarlet voices during all song! It is very dark and horror taste is everywhere! Another one of my favorites is `We Closed With Dracole Waide`... our special Requiem for Dracula... Words were taken out of a Requiem from Mozart and from the Diary of Dracula. Some parts are sung in old German language, because are taken from original book that talk about the real Vlad Dracula Tepes... For me this last one is the best of the album and the right conclusion of this tribute.”

Exists a relationship - in musical or lyrical ways - to Death SS, the Italian veterans of Horror Metal? 



„Not at all. I like Death SS but our style is completely different. Steve Silvester, the singer of Death SS, sings in a way more oriented at 70’s style (A mix between Ozzy and Alice Cooper). Lord Vampyr sings in a Black Metal style and sometimes with a clear voice very similar to the Gothic Rock one. Death SS play an Horror Power Metal (in the past CDs). Theatres des Vampires are a mix of Gothic Metal and Black Metal. So, why to find this relationship? Only because we are both Italians and we like the horror atmosphere? I never heard symphonic parts in Death SS tracks or Black Metal screaming or Gregorian chants like in Theatres des Vampires music is.”

Have you already made plans for a tour?



„Unfortunately our tour was deleted for a lots of technical problems. Main of all is that we are eight members, so we need big stages. Big stages means a lots of investment of money for the label and probably Blackend Rec. haven’t the power to organize a proper tour. So let’s wait a bit if situation will change. But we are doing some spot gigs here in Italy. 9th February we will play in London and in some other places in England and I suppose that probably we will play also spot gigs in Germany too, for sure on May we will came on a festival near Lörrach organized by Metal Forces and I suppose that we will make three or four gigs more in Germany in the same period.” 



What country do you prefer to play once a tour with the band?



„In Germany naturally! We love your country.” 



How does a live show of Theatres des Vampires - horror effects and coffins on stage?



„Well, as you know the stage is designed from David Bracci, one of the effect maker of Dario Argento. We use some gore effects in a dark atmosphere, to create the right feeling with the people that came to see us. Is not really `much`, because we don’t want people came to see us only for the show but also for our music. Anyway we like `to act` a lot in a stage. It’s always theatre at the end… Anyway, I feel that you want to learn more about it… but I can’t. We want that people will have a big surprise!”

Main plans for the future, musically and privately?



„The musical plans are Top Secret, but we are working a lot to let the band have the proper exposure. Private? Is the same… Our life is the music…” 



Your hopes in the new album? 



„No hopes as always, because we make music for ourself… We don’t need to be famous and sell 100.000 copies of an album to continue to make good music. We love what we do, so everything is perfect like that. But if you mean hopes in the future is another story, but unfortunately is completely Top Secret!” 



We are at the end of the questions. Is there something special about the fans or victims to say?



„What I want to say to our fans is not so `politically correct`… And I’m afraid that if you write what I have to say and what I think about this shit society and my final solution to it, your wonderful magazine will close in a minute… People that love us already know what I mean and what I want to say. People that hate us is something that I don’t care, so is not a problem. Everything else is superflous. Carpe noctem… Till the last drop of blood.”

© Markus Eck, 15.01.2002

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