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
Medousa
Theatres Des Vampires Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’m the crone Goddess
in my dreadful aspect
I’m the three and the one
with a mortal faith
I’m Medousa
I’m the Gorgon
I’m the Mistress
of the West Gate of Death
I’m the guardian
of the underworld of deads
I’m the mistress
of the twilight and all beasts
From the right vein
I give back the life again
And from my left side
I will give you death and pain.
Call me daughter, sister, queen or even God
With my silent sight
I turn to stone the human flesh
Framed by..
Light and snake..
It’s not the venom..
But the glare..
Stop the blood..
In your veins..
There is the silence..
In my marble reign..
Rising from the ghastly fog
When the daylight has gone
You can call my name
And I will come…
I’m Medousa
The song "Medousa" by Theatres Des Vampires portrays the mythical creature from Greek mythology, Medusa, in her own words. The lyrics speak of her curse and her power as the crone goddess, the three and one with mortal faith, and the Gorgon carved in the temple of Didyma. She is portrayed as the mistress of death, the guardian of the underworld of the dead and the mistress of the twilight and all beasts. The lyrics also speak of her ability to give life and take away life as she chooses.
The song speaks of Medusa's silent sight which can turn human flesh to stone. She demands respect, whether she is being addressed as daughter, sister, queen or even god. She is framed by light and snake, and it is not the venom that causes harm, but the glare of her eyes which stops blood in the veins. The lyrics also speak of her rising from the ghastly fog when the daylight has gone, to answer the call of those who seek her.
The song mixes the symbolism of darkness, death, and mythological creatures to create a powerful image of Medusa. The lyrics describe her as a fearsome yet beautiful creature, who is both alluring and terrifying. The song reflects on the power of the myth of Medusa, a creature with the power to turn anyone who looks at her into stone.
Line by Line Meaning
My curse…
I am cursed
I’m the crone Goddess
I am the old, wise goddess
in my dreadful aspect
in my terrifying appearance
I’m the three and the one
I am the past, present and future
with a mortal faith
despite being immortal, I have faith in mortals
I’m Medousa
I am Medousa, the Gorgon
I’m the Gorgon
I am a woman with snakes for hair who can turn people to stone
carved in the temple of Didyma
my image is carved in the temple of Didyma as a symbol of my power
I’m the Mistress
I am the ruler
of the West Gate of Death
I am in charge of the entrance to death
I’m the guardian
I protect
of the underworld of deads
I protect the realm of the dead
I’m the mistress
I am the ruler
of the twilight and all beasts
I am in charge of the time between day and night and all creatures that inhabit it
From the right vein
If you receive my blessing
I give back the life again
you will come back to life
And from my left side
But if I curse you
I will give you death and pain.
you will suffer and die
Call me daughter, sister, queen or even God
I am many things to many people
With my silent sight
By looking at you without speaking
I turn to stone the human flesh
I can turn people to stone just by looking at them
Framed by..
Surrounded by
Light and snake..
Bright light and snakes
It’s not the venom..
It's not the poison from the snakes
But the glare..
It's the powerful stare
Stop the blood..
It makes the blood stop flowing
In your veins..
In the veins of those who dare to look at me
There is the silence..
There is no sound in those frozen bodies
In my marble reign..
In my kingdom of stone
Rising from the ghastly fog
Emerging from the spooky mist
When the daylight has gone
When the sun sets
You can call my name
Speaking my name
And I will come…
I will appear
I’m Medousa
I am Medousa, the Gorgon
Contributed by Zachary L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.