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
Les Litanies De Satan
Theatres Des Vampires Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dieu trahi par le sort et privé de louanges,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Ô Prince de l'exil, à qui l'on fait tort,
Et qui,vaincu,toujours te redresses plus fort,
Toi qui sais tout, grand roi des choses souterraines,
Guérisseur familier des angoisses humaines,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui, même aux lépreux, aux parias maudits,
Enseignes par l'amour le goût du Paradis,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Ô toi qui de la Mort, ta vieille et forte amante,
Engendras l'Espérance,-une folle charmante!
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui fais au proscrit ce regard calme et haut
Qui damne tout un peuple autour d'un échafaud,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui sais en quels coins des terres envieuses
Le Dieu jaloux cacha les pierres précieuses,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi dont l'œil clair connaît les profonds arsenaux
Où dort enseveli le peuple des métaux,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi dont la large main cache les précipices
Au somnambule errant au bord des édifices,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui, magiquement, assouplis les vieux os
De l'ivrogne attardé foulé par les chevaux,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui, pour consoler l'homme frêle qui souffre,
Nous appris à mêler le salpêtre et le soufre,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui poses ta marque, ô complice subtil,
Sur le front du Crésus impitoyable et vil,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Toi qui mets dans les yeux et dans le cœur des filles
Le culte de la plaie et l'amour des guenilles,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Bâton des exilés, lampe des inventeurs,
Confesseur des pendus et des conspirateurs,
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
Père adoptif de ceux qu'en sa noire colère
Du paradis terrestre a chassés Dieu le Père,
PRIERE
Gloire et louange à toi, Satan, dans les hauteurs
Du Ciel, où tu régnas, et dans les profondeurs
De l'Enfer, où, vaincu, tu rêves en silence!
Fais que mon âme un jour, sous l'Arbre de Science,
Près de toi se repose,à l'heure où sur ton front
Comme un Temple nouveau ses rameaux s'épandront!
The lyrics of Theatres Des Vampires's song Les Litanies De Satan speak of Satan as a benevolent figure, capable of understanding the human condition and taking pity on those who suffer. He is depicted as the most knowledgeable and beautiful of angels, betrayed by fate and deprived of praise, and a prince of exile who is always able to stand back up when defeated. He is also referred to as the king of the underworld, a familiar healer of human sorrows, and a teacher of love even to the outcasts of society. The lyrics also describe Satan as the creator of hope and the consoler of those who suffer, and they portray him as a protector against falling into danger.
Through the lyrics, the singer calls on Satan to take pity on their long misery, implying that the audience can also call upon the benevolent aspects of Satan to ease their own suffering. In the final line of the song, the singer offers praise and glory to Satan, hoping that their soul may rest near him under the Tree of Science, where his rameaux will spread out like a new temple.
Line by Line Meaning
Ô toi, le plus savant et le plus beau des Anges,
Addressing Satan as the most knowledgeable and the most beautiful among the angels.
Dieu trahi par le sort et privé de louanges,
God is betrayed by his fate and is left without any praises.
Ô Satan, prends pitié de ma longue misère !
A plea to Satan to show mercy on the long-standing misery of the singer.
Ô Prince de l'exil, à qui l'on fait tort,
Addressing Satan as the Prince of Exile, who has been wronged.
Et qui,vaincu,toujours te redresses plus fort,
Even though defeated, Satan always rises up stronger.
Toi qui sais tout, grand roi des choses souterraines,
Addressing Satan as the king of underground things who knows everything.
Guérisseur familier des angoisses humaines,
Satan is a familiar healer of human anxiety.
Tu qui, même aux lépreux, aux parias maudits,
Satan even teaches love to the lepers and the cursed.
Enseignes par l'amour le goût du Paradis,
Through love, Satan teaches the taste of Paradise.
Toi qui de la Mort, ta vieille et forte amante,
Satan's old and strong lover is Death.
Engendras l'Espérance,-une folle charmante!
Satan brings forth Hope, a charming yet foolish entity.
Toi qui fais au proscrit ce regard calme et haut
Satan gives a calm and proud look to the outcast.
Qui damne tout un peuple autour d'un échafaud,
He is the one who condemns an entire population around the scaffold.
Toi qui sais en quels coins des terres envieuses
Satan knows the greedy corners of the earth.
Le Dieu jaloux cacha les pierres précieuses,
It was God who hid the precious gems out of jealousy.
Toi dont l'œil clair connaît les profonds arsenaux
Satan's clear eye knows the deep arsenals.
Où dort enseveli le peuple des métaux,
The population of metals lies buried in those arsenals.
Toi dont la large main cache les précipices
Satan's large hand hides the precipices for the sleepwalkers.
Au somnambule errant au bord des édifices,
The somnambulist who wanders near the edges of buildings.
Toi qui, magiquement, assouplis les vieux os
Satan magically softens the old bones of a drunkard who was trampled by horses.
De l'ivrogne attardé foulé par les chevaux,
The drunkard who was late and was trampled by horses.
Toi qui, pour consoler l'homme frêle qui souffre,
Satan consoles the weak man who suffers.
Nous appris à mêler le salpêtre et le soufre,
Satan teaches us to mix saltpeter and sulfur for comfort.
Toi qui poses ta marque, ô complice subtil,
Satan's subtle accomplice marks the forehead of the ruthless Croesus.
Sur le front du Crésus impitoyable et vil,
The forehead of the merciless and wicked Croesus.
Toi qui mets dans les yeux et dans le cœur des filles
Satan puts in the eyes and hearts of girls.
Le culte de la plaie et l'amour des guenilles,
The worship of wounds and the love of rags.
Bâton des exilés, lampe des inventeurs,
Satan is the staff of the exiled and the lamp of the inventors.
Confesseur des pendus et des conspirateurs,
He is the confessor of the hanged and the conspirators.
Père adoptif de ceux qu'en sa noire colère
Satan is the adoptive father of those who were expelled by God in his anger.
Du paradis terrestre a chassés Dieu le Père,
God the Father expelled them from the earthly paradise.
PRIERE
Beginning of the prayer to Satan.
Gloire et louange à toi, Satan, dans les hauteurs
Glory and praise to Satan in Heaven.
Du Ciel, où tu régnas, et dans les profondeurs
In Heaven, where he reigned and in the depths.
De l'Enfer, où, vaincu, tu rêves en silence!
In Hell, where he dreams silently, even though defeated.
Fais que mon âme un jour, sous l'Arbre de Science,
Asks Satan to make the soul rest under the Tree of Knowledge one day.
Près de toi se repose,à l'heure où sur ton front
The soul to rest near Satan at the time when the branches of the Tree of Knowledge spread over his forehead.
Comme un Temple nouveau ses rameaux s'épandront!
The branches of the Tree of Knowledge will spread like a new temple.
Contributed by Tristan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.