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
Dracole Waide
Theatres Des Vampires Lyrics
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Rex tremandae maiestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis
Salva me, fons pietatis! Rex tremandae maiestatis!
"Hie faght sich hangar ein graussemliche erschröckenliche Hystorien
von dem wilden wütrich Dracole Weyde,wie er die leüt gespist hot epraten, und mit den Haubtern,in eine Kesel gesotten.
Noch dem mol skies er sie in dem stadel dorynnen,sie gessen hetten alle verbrennen.
Er meynt sie essen den Luten das ihr umb suns tab und kunden das nit verdienen."
My hands cut off the heads and bring the law! My law!
Violence, this is the greatest freedom! Violence!
John the Baptist uses water to baptize
I will baptise you with blood!
Utrum tentare sit proprium diaboli!
Rex tremandae maiestatis,qui salvandos salvas gratis
Salva me,fons pietatis!Rex tremandae maiestatis!
"I am Dracula. And I bid you welcome to my house. Come in, the night air is chill, and you must need to eat and rest."
I will kill you in the name of my justice, only my justice!
Empty desert! An empty desert, a desert empty!
Diabolus, daemon, inimicus, tyrannus, spiritus fornicationis!
After me the devil will be named Dracul... Dracul!
(Scarlet:) Hail Dracul! Rex Mortis!
(Justine:) Imperator mundi! Sit transit gloria mundi!
The song "Dracole Waide," by Theatres Des Vampires, speaks of the infamous cruelty and treachery of Johannis Dragulae, who was eventually captured and imprisoned for his atrocities against the king of Hungary. The lyrics invoke the religious imagery of a trembling king, begging for salvation from a source of mercy. The violent and bloody nature of the lyrics is further emphasized through the repeated phrases "violence" and "empty desert," as well as the comparison to baptism, which is traditionally associated with purity and innocence.
The historical context of the lyrics is that of the medieval period of Hungary, when the legend of Dracula was first emerging. The story of Dracole Waide, or Vlad the Impaler, is a dark example of this time, and is often portrayed as the inspiration for Bram Stoker's famous novel. The lyrics also reference the devil, who is said to have named himself Dracul after the infamous ruler.
The song provides a haunting glimpse into the darker side of history, and the lyrics offer a visceral interpretation of the violence and cruelty that were often present during medieval times.
Line by Line Meaning
Johannis Dragulae immanis atque nefanda crudelitas eiusque in regem Hungariae deprehensa perfidia et tandem captivitas...
The cruel and atrocious behavior of Johannis Dragulae, and his treachery towards the King of Hungary, and finally his imprisonment...
Rex tremandae maiestatis, qui salvandos salvas gratis
Salva me, fons pietatis! Rex tremandae maiestatis!
You, the King with dreadful majesty, who saves the saviors for free, save me, the fountain of mercy!
Hie faght sich hangar ein graussemliche erschröckenliche Hystorien von dem wilden wütrich Dracole Weyde,wie er die leüt gespist hot epraten, und mit den Haubtern,in eine Kesel gesotten.
Item er lies allen Petlern,ein gut mol geben.
Noch dem mol skies er sie in dem stadel dorynnen,sie gessen hetten alle verbrennen.
Er meynt sie essen den Luten das ihr umb suns tab und kunden das nit verdienen.
Here hangs a gruesome and dreadful story of Dracole Weyde, the wild and angry one, how he ate the people and boiled their heads in a pot.
He gave good meals to all beggars, then skinned them alive and burnt them in a barn.
He thought he ate people because they don't deserve the sun.
My hands cut off the heads and bring the law! My law!
Violence, this is the greatest freedom! Violence!
John the Baptist uses water to baptize
I will baptise you with blood!
I execute the law with my hands by cutting off the heads! My law! Violence is the ultimate freedom! Violence!
John the Baptist uses water to baptize, but I'll baptize you with blood!
Utrum tentare sit proprium diaboli!
Whether to tempt is a devil's own action!
Rex tremandae maiestatis,qui salvandos salvas gratis
Salva me,fons pietatis!Rex tremandae maiestatis!
You, the King with dreadful majesty, who saves the saviors for free, save me, the fountain of mercy!
I am Dracula. And I bid you welcome to my house. Come in, the night air is chill, and you must need to eat and rest.
I am Dracula, and I welcome you to my house. Come in, the night air is cold, and you must be hungry and tired.
I will kill you in the name of my justice, only my justice!
Empty desert! An empty desert, a desert empty!
Diabolus, daemon, inimicus, tyrannus, spiritus fornicationis!
After me the devil will be named Dracul... Dracul!
I'll kill you in the name of my justice, my justice only!
Empty desert! A desert without anything, completely empty!
Devil, demon, enemy, tyrant, spirit of fornication!
The devil will be named Dracul after me; Dracul!
(Scarlet:) Hail Dracul! Rex Mortis!
Hail Dracul! King of Death!
(Justine:) Imperator mundi! Sit transit gloria mundi!
Emperor of the world! Glory of the world passes!
Contributed by Thomas T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.