The band's members expressed a fascination with vampires and anything connected to them, earning themselves and their music the title "vampiric metal" from their contemporaries. The band created a coherent image of vampirism in their stage performance and within the lyrical themes and atmospheres of their music, which contributed heavily to the gaining of their fan-base.
During their career, the band was first primarily influenced by symphonic black metal, but later tended to include differing influences, including: classicalmusic, opera, darkwave, deathrock, gothic rock and several electro-industrial sub-genres. Throughout this stylistic deviation, a few characteristics of the band's music have remained consistent; melancholic atmospheres and lyrics, vocal styles of akin to gothic metal, and their vampiric image.
The band has produced ten albums in ten years with the English label Plastic Head, and has gained more recognition within the metal scene in Europe, South America and Russia, partially due to the band's participation in various festivals around the world. These include: Vampyria III in London in 1999, Gods of Metal in Italy in 2000, Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig in 2003 and in 2006, Gotham in London in 2004, Female Voices Festival in Wieze, Belgium in 2006.
In 2003, the band toured with Christian Death throughout Europe, and recorded an album with Valor of Christian Death and Gian Pyres of Cradle of Filth as special guests.
The band's shows have always seen a reasonable level of attendance, and have become more dramatic over the band's career, incorporating fireworks and "out of line" appearances by Scarlet.
Since 2004, Sonya Scarlet has remained the solo vocalist and front of the band, replacing her previous role as backing vocals.
Scarlet sometimes cuts herself with razors at performances, freely letting fans drink her blood, promising them the gift of immortality. In 2005 several English clubs forbade her performing the display of bloodletting, because it violates English laws against the incitement to commit suicide.
On 28 November 2005, Aural Music released the album Pleasure and Pain. Distributors throughout Europe bought the album and it was published with permission in Europe, South America, the USA, Russia, and Japan.
On 19 March 2007, they released their album Desire of Damnation. Desire of Damnation is a double CD, with live songs from The Addiction tour 2006 and some new studio songs and remixes.
Guitarist Robert "Morgoth" left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Stephan Benfante.
On 2 May 2008, they released their 8th studio album Anima Noir. With this album their sound evolves once again, taking the route of electronic/industrial gothic metal while still retaining vampiric lyrics.
In November, 2008, Theatres des Vampires announced that they would go on a temporary hiatus due to both personal and health related issued of vocalist Sonya Scarlet.
On 14 January 2011 Aural Music released the album Moonlight Waltz, their ninth studio album. A music video for the song "Carmilla" was filmed on August 28 and 29, directed by David Bracci, who worked on most of Dario Argento's films in the past decade, and has also directed the "Lilith Mater Inferorum" music video.
The name "Théâtre des Vampires" was inspired by a fictional location created by Gothic fantasy writer Anne Rice of the same name. Rice's Théâtre des Vampires is a Parisian theater, in which vampires pretend to be mortal actors, their performances consisting of the feeding on mortals disguised as part of a play and staged in front of human audiences. The location is mentioned in several of Rice's books, including Interview With the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat.
Official site: http://www.theatres-des-vampires.net
Altar for the Black Mass
Theatres Des Vampires Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ready for the sacrifical ceremony
The black priest invokes the demoniacal entity
seize the chalice and drink the blood on the altar ready for the black mass
Black candles... Red velvet on the altar
A naked virgin laying ready to give her soul to Satan
The Black priest invokes the demoniacal entity
seize the knife and made himself a cut on the hand
and the virgin suck the wound
Red velvet on the altar...
A naked virgin laying ready to give her soul to Satan
He fell Satan has arrived.. the body and the soul of the virgin for Satan
She will become his sister.. on the Altar!
The lyrics to "Altar for the Black Mass" by Theatres Des Vampires describe a dark and disturbing ritual. The setting is an altar, surrounded by black candles and covered in red velvet. A naked virgin has been brought forth, ready to be sacrificed in a demonic ceremony. The black priest invokes a demoniacal entity and drinks blood from the altar. He then cuts his hand and the virgin sucks the wound. Satan is summoned and takes the soul of the virgin, who becomes his sister on the altar.
The lyrics are a vivid depiction of satanic worship, with all of the gruesome and unsettling elements included. The language used is graphic and detailed, with a focus on the ritualistic aspect of the ceremony. The use of color, particularly red and black, creates a sinister atmosphere that enhances the sense of horror. The repetition of certain phrases such as "black candles" and "naked virgin" further emphasizes the ritualistic nature of the event.
Overall, the lyrics to "Altar for the Black Mass" provide a glimpse into a terrifying world of satanic ritual and human sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
Black candles around the altar.. A naked virgin laying!!
In preparation for a sacrificial ceremony, black candles are arranged around an altar where a naked virgin lies.
The black priest invokes the demoniacal entity
The priest calls upon a demonic force to bless the ritual.
seize the chalice and drink the blood on the altar ready for the black mass
The priest takes hold of a goblet filled with blood and drinks it, in preparation for the black mass.
Black candles... Red velvet on the altar
The altar is adorned with black candles and red velvet, creating a foreboding atmosphere.
A naked virgin laying ready to give her soul to Satan
The virgin is prepared to offer her soul to Satan during the ceremony.
He fell Satan has arrived... He comes to take the soul of the virgin
Satan himself appears to claim the soul of the virgin.
seize the knife and made himself a cut on the hand
The priest takes a knife and cuts his own hand as part of the ritual.
and the virgin suck the wound
The virgin drinks from the cut on the priest's hand, further entrenching her commitment to the ritual.
He fell Satan has arrived.. the body and the soul of the virgin for Satan
Satan takes possession of both the body and soul of the virgin, claiming her for himself.
She will become his sister.. on the Altar!
The virgin will now be considered Satan's sister, cementing her place in his kingdom, on the altar itself.
Contributed by Hailey H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ranyta Violet
Puta que pariuu!! Isso é perfeito demais!!!!!!!!!!!
LadyLynd
Love the intro!! :D
SG CRX
first time i listen this song and i know the melody :O
Sinus X
Wow, its pretty nice.
Elias Simon
Haha, I guess we have a Shostakovich fan in the band! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwxAyoy7DMA if you don't know what I'm talking about)
Ktenko
Hail!
Roberto Ribeiro
POKÉMOON
deni roca
666