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
Opium Shades
Theatres Des Vampires Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You own my mind,
You own my sight
Bring me to your endless spell
You hold my life
You hold me tight
Eat my soul, eat my flesh
Drag me to hell
I won't go back
Eat my soul, eat my flesh
Take my will, take my hands
I won't go back
I feel your poison running into my veins
I feel possessed, I lose control
Opium shades
It's a vision or a dream
Through the light I see
The sacred river runs
Down to a sunless sea
A lifeless world
My visions hang me
The lyrics of Theatres Des Vampires' song "Opium Shades" depict a dark and intoxicating obsession with the spirit of delirious dreams. The persona in the song is entranced and under the control of this spirit, as indicated by the lines "You own my mind, You own my sight, Bring me to your endless spell, You hold my life, You hold me tight." The spirit is likened to a drug, with the repeated refrain "Eat my soul, eat my flesh, Take my will, take my hands, Drag me to hell, I won't go back." This can be interpreted as a metaphor for a self-destructive addiction or obsession, where the persona willingly surrenders themselves to the allure of the spirit.
The lyrics also express the physical and emotional impact of this obsession. The persona describes feeling the spirit's "poison running into my veins" and being "possessed, losing control." The phrase "Opium shades" captures the overwhelming and disorienting effect of this obsession, as if the persona is perceiving the world through a haze or altered state. The reference to a "sacred river" that runs "down to a sunless sea" paints a picture of a lifeless and desolate existence, perhaps suggesting that the persona's visions and obsession have isolated them from the rest of the world and left them feeling drained and empty.
Overall, "Opium Shades" explores the theme of surrendering oneself to an all-consuming obsession or addiction, symbolized by the spirit of delirious dreams. It delves into the dark and intoxicating nature of this obsession and the destructive impact it has on the persona's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Spirit of delirious dream
A powerful and intoxicating presence that exists in the realm of dreams
You own my mind
You have complete control over my thoughts and consciousness
You own my sight
You control what I see and perceive
Bring me to your endless spell
Take me under your enchantment that seems to have no end
You hold my life
You have dominion over my existence and well-being
You hold me tight
You keep me tightly bound within your grasp
Eat my soul, eat my flesh
Consume the very essence of my being, my innermost self
Take my will, take my hands
Strip me of my autonomy and control over my own actions
Drag me to hell
Forcefully transport me to a realm of damnation and suffering
I won't go back
I refuse to return to my previous state or mindset
I feel your poison running into my veins
I sense the toxic influence spreading throughout my entire being
I feel possessed, I lose control
I experience a state of being taken over by a supernatural force, losing my ability to govern myself
Opium shades
The alluring and addictive allure of dark and mysterious substances
It's a vision or a dream
Uncertainty as to whether this is a real vision or simply a figment of imagination
Through the light I see
Perceiving this otherworldly reality through a unique illumination or perspective
The sacred river runs
A powerful and holy force flows
Down to a sunless sea
Descending into a desolate and lightless abyss
A lifeless world
A barren and devoid environment lacking vitality
My visions hang me
These visions torment and weigh heavily upon me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Fabio Varesi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind