Rock Eyez Webzine
Rock Eyez
Rock Eyez Webzine


 

Interview with
Theatres des Vampires
Fabian  and  Sonya Scarlet


Fabian
(Keyboards - Theatres des Vampires)

Fabian - Theatres des Vampires

Disclaimer: The following interview contains subject matter that may disturb or offend some readers, please proceed with caution.

Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: May 13th, 2005

http://www.theatres-des-vampires.com

First I would like to thank you for granting Rockeyez.com for this interview.
Thanks to you my friend.

In 1995 you released your first demo called 'Nosferatu eine symphonie des grauen' can you tell fans anything about that release?
Well a lot of time has passed and it’s difficult to say anything new about this release.

At the beginning of our band, we played a kind of Black Metal with a touch of Gothic Metal inside... Nowadays our band has completely dropped the sound of the Black Metal atmosphere... The demo is quite difficult to find, but I know that there is a bootleg of it out there... If I remember right it’s available on line at: www.masterpiecedistribution.com... They might have sold out of all the copies they had in stock... but you can always try contacting them... so you can hear what our band sounded like 10 years ago.

Did the band still have that vampire image during that time?
Well, the vampire atmosphere and lyrics are always in our band... and during our live gigs we use a lot of blood. Scarlet our singer slashes her arms to let the fans drink her own blood... but we have toned down our “theatrical” image of vampire a little bit. In 10 years of music a lot of bands change and our theatrical aspects have changed with us. Theatres des Vampires the band has a continued evolution.

Were you in any bands before TDV and did you release any material?
Not personally. Our guitar player Robert “Morgoth” had a release in 1993, a 7-inch, with a different Moniker “VII Arcano”. The 7-inch was the first time ever that a band explored vampirism in their music... as far I know.  Then in 1994, VII Arcano switched the name to Theatres des Vampires.

As a young child did you collect anything?
Well... actually I still collect a lot of stuff!!!! Personally I love the 1:6 scale action figures from WWII... I have a large collection of Axis figures... so do the Germans, Japanese and Italians.

Were keyboards your first instrument?
Yes... 10 years ago I tried to learn bass guitar and acoustic guitar... but without a very good result.

Tell me what image means to you?
In rock music and metal music, image is important... sometimes as important as the music itself. I love to have a dark image on the stage... it’s my attitude.

Who do you admire as a keyboard player?
Claudio Simonetti, from Goblin... he is the composer of almost all the soundtracks of Dario Argento’s horror movies.

When you were growing up what was your dream?
When I was very young.... I wanted to be a fireman. But after I set myself on fire at the age of 11... I changed my mind... I felt that being a musician would be much better.

What was the first concert you attended?
I really don’t remember as it was a long time ago.

What was the first record you bought?
Well if I remember correctly it was “Headless Cross” by Black Sabbath. I remember right it was 1989... No! Sorry! It was “A Kind of Magic” by Queen in 1987.

The band is from Italy. How is the gothic music scene there right now?
Well, there are some good acts... but they don’t focus too much on their music... so normally they have no future. There are some bands that come out of the underground like Lacuna Coil... or ourselves... but normally this doesn’t happen at all.

Anyway, here in Italy it’s very difficult coming from the underground. There are few places to play concerts, and there is no help from the government... in the end Italy is a kind of theocracy with the Vatican and the Catholic Church... so this type of music is considered poor by the media (this is the music of Satan!!)... Hopefully one day we will rise up from this Christian dictatorship... and the things will change.

Can you tell us any other bands to watch out for?
Lacuna Coil... if you are talking about Italy...

What happened to Alexander your front man?
Alexander... I really don’t know what say about him. Years went by that he didn’t like our music... I really want him to come back to the Dark throne style...but the rest of the band likes Gothic Music. He wasn’t the compositor of the band, he tried to force us to change our composition to a black metal direction, and he knew his time with the band was over...

You have a new release coming in September. Will Sonya Scarlet do all the vocals?
Scarlet was the logical evolution of the band... early on the media and the fans were focused on her... so yes, she will be the front woman and this will help the band to grow again. Our next album will be named “Pleasure and Pain” and will be released in November 2005. But with a different label! Not Plastic Head. Yes! This is the surprise, we changed our label. We are still in good contact with Plastic Head, and I know that in 2006 they will release our first DVD live. But they suggested to us to find a new label for the band, because the band is getting too big for them to handle. Plastic Head is a label with a big catalogue and cannot handle us in the right way. So we shifted to a new label that will invest a lot in distribution and promotion. We signed a VERY good contract with them. But it’s still a secret... we will give this news in our newsletter at the end of May... so you have to wait to discover who will be our next record label. Anyway the new album will have a lot of surprises, with GREAT guest stars... you will find out whom in the near future. I cannot say anything else.

Tell us what it will be like to see TDV live?
A bloodbath... this is the term to best describe our shows.

Do you plan to come to the USA for any shows?
Well, actually it’s not easy for a European band to play in the USA... we are trying... but it’s not easy at all. We will see in the near future what will happen, the new label has good USA distribution, so this is the right start... then we will see.

I love the video for “Lilith Mater Inferorum”. Who came up with the concept for that video?
Myself. I proposed the idea to the Director of the video David Bracci (he is a Dario Argento collaborator), he liked the idea, and so he moved in this direction to make it happen.

How will the band change with Scarlet fronting the band?
Not so much... the lyrics will be much better, because Scarlet knows the English language perfectly. Musically we will be similar to our last album “Nightbreed of Macabria”. Honestly I feel that Gothic Metal Music works much better with female voice. So I’m sure that our next album will be more successful.

How would you describe the music of TDV?
This is music for vampires... made by vampires.

Do you plan on making more videos?
Hopefully yes...

Do you have other projects you are working on?
Not at the moment.... there is too much involved in the production of Theatres des Vampires.

What are the plans for TDV for the remainder of 2005?
We are editing a live video that will be released as a DVD... then we will have to finish our next album and naturally organize an upcoming European tour... a lot of work!

I am going to mention a few words. Tell us what comes to mind.

Sex - Blood

Image - My own theatre

Show - Your theatre

Blood - Sex

Religion - The Opium for human mind

War - Just rubbish for Jewish people

Contract - “Hey guys! This year we have to make an album!”

Family - I’m my own family... with my cat naturally.

Day off - No day off for me... I work in the holiday too on my musical projects...

 


Sonya Scarlet
(Vocals - Theatres des Vampires)
Sonya Scarlet - Theatres des Vampires

Disclaimer: The following interview contains subject matter that may disturb or offend some readers, please proceed with caution.

Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: May 13th, 2005

http://www.theatres-des-vampires.com

Were you in any bands before TDV and did you release any material?
TDV was my first and only real band I didn't release anything before. Years ago, it was impossible for me having a serious band as I was completely fucked up. I had a band when I was in high school but it was just a band of alcohol addicts - it was so fuckin' funny anyway.

As a young child, did you collect anything?
I've never had this kind of attitude because I got tired about everything very often. I hate any kind of collections; you just lose your time doing something boring. When I was child, I changed toys and books very often, breaking everything every month.

Tell me what image means to you?
I think image is very important; it's the first thing that this world usually seems to care about you. In the music business, having a cool image is one of the first things. You can tell me that music come first, this is true, and this is the main thing to be considered but music walk together with us. I think clothes are my second skin, I’m the same person dressed up as you can see in my pics or naked (as you can see as well), so for me it is exactly the same. This is a way of life, you must believe in what you are. I also think that a beauty dressed in an empty body is like a good painter without a soul, so empty and cold, just a copy of millions of others, its dust, that's all.

Who do you admire as a vocalist?
I like Diamanda Galas,Tarja, the Nightwish singer, Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy.

When growing up what was your dream?
Living in an ancient castle hidden by wood, lost somewhere in the north part of Europe with few people. This is still my dream.

What was the first concert you attended?
My first concert was a Malmsteen gig when I was 13, not bad.

What was the first record you bought?
The first record I bought was Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses. I still love it, sex, alcohol, drugs, and fuckin' rock n' roll.

Alexander left the band a few months ago. You will be the front person in the band now. How will that affect the style of the band?
We're working on the new album. Obviously it will be different because now I’m the only singer of T.D.V. and because the band has got a new inspiration, stronger than before. We're working hard all together in the best way and I’ll use my voice in different ways. There are also some special male guests on it. It will be a surprise.

How did you come up with your stage image?
My stage image is not different from what I am in my everyday life, as I said before this is a way of life...

Maybe I’ve got a stronger image now, it makes me feel free, without compromise, I hate compromise...

I'm completely free to do what I feel on stage, dressed up or not is what I give to our fans is the most important thing. I give them my energy and my blood...

Does TDV use blood during your live show?
I think blood is the most important thing for humanity. The blood is life... through blood you can love or hate someone, you can kill or you can die... I cut myself on stage asking to fuck my blood, this is not for show that is my real blood, my life, and I give it to people that believe in us Forever in blood... forever damned with me.

I watched the video for “Lilith Mater Inferorum”. Are you the one kissing the other woman?
Yes, of course... a bloody kiss... the other girl is a close friend of mine... obscure and beautiful. Isn’t she?

Are you married?
No and never in my life... no compromise.

I am going to mention a few words. Tell us what comes to mind:

Vampire - The research of eternal life through blood...

Video - snuff movies

Ego - my ego...I love it and I hate the most part of humanity, so miserable.

Recording - our CD, I love when we record a new CD, it's very hard but also a big satisfaction.

Men - I hate men.

Death - A pale lady, as cold as ice, a macabre and wonderful inspiration for a lot of great poets in anytime. The only thing that you can be sure will not leave you...

Internet - Public relation, work and research quite boring but useful.

Press - A way to be known all around.

Ritual - It’s a secret world... never talkin' about it.

Love - I prefer hate.

I just want to thank the both of you for taking the time to answer our questions. I will look forward to the new release from TDV.
Thank you Brian.

Is there anything you would like to say in conclusion?
Thanks to people that support TDV and believe in us... we're here also because of you.

Bloody kisses
Scarlet

 

 
 
 
 
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