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
Anno Dracula
Theatres Des Vampires Lyrics
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Anno Dracula by Theatres Des Vampires is a gothic metal song that takes its lyrics from the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. The title of the song is a reference to the alternate history novel Anno Dracula by Kim Newman. The lyrics describe the dark, eerie atmosphere of Transylvania, where Dracula is said to have lived. The song is a homage to the classic horror novel, and it captures the essence of the novel's atmosphere through its haunting melody, dark lyrics, and intense vocals.
The lyrics of the song describe the brooding darkness of Transylvania, where Dracula is said to have lived. The lyrics describe the oppressive atmosphere of the castle, the dark and foreboding forests, and the overwhelming sense of dread that the characters feel as they approach the castle. The song captures the essence of the horror novel by invoking the imagery of the novel, and by creating a sense of unease and terror in the listener.
Overall, Anno Dracula is a haunting and powerful song that pays homage to one of the most iconic horror novels of all time. Theatres Des Vampires have done an excellent job of capturing the essence of the novel's atmosphere and translating it into a powerful, evocative song.
Line by Line Meaning
As the evening sun descends
As the sun sets in the evening
And the darkness calls its kin
And the darkness summons its counterparts
My heart beats louder, faster
My heart pulsates with intensity
As the dread invokes my sin
As fear stirs up my wrongdoing
Rising from my shallow tomb
Emerging from my small resting place
I embrace the ancient thirst
I accept the timeless craving
On the hunt for mortal flesh
Seeking out human prey
My hunger never curbed
My appetite is insatiable
My eyes meet yours, seductive
I look into your eyes, alluring
As I whisper, come to me
As I speak softly, inviting you
Into my arms, forever
To join me for eternity
Underneath my cloak of darkness
Beneath my shroud of obscurity
Lies the curse of centuries
Rests the affliction of centuries
The blood, the desire, the life
The blood, the yearning, the existence
All the power that I need
All the strength I require
In the shadows I await
In darkness I anticipate
For another night to feed
For another night to nourish myself
A victim to forever bleed
A person to bleed forever
Contributed by Liam O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.