Theatres des Vampires haunted Transylvania

Last year, Sonya Scarlet and her colleagues played in Romania for the first time. They came back this year for two more shows, in Bucharest, but also in Cluj.
Theatres des Vampires started the European tour on April 13th, in Slovenia. After Maribor, they played in Zagreb (Croatia), Ankara and Istanbul (Turkey), and they entered Romania on April 19th. Along came two other Italian bands, JTR Sickert and Lunocode.
Many think that the artist’s life is a perpetual joy - the musicians come, sing, have fun, then they go towards the next destination. But this is only the nice part of it: two journalists from adevarul.ro felt themselves how it is like to be in a tour. After two days, out of the 18 days of their European tour, they knew how tiresome it is.
No matter how comfortable and solid a tour bus may be - be it 20 meters long and 4 meters high, plus a trailer for the instruments -, for those who are not used to sleep in the car it is really difficult. „After a while you get used to it, you feel like a child in a cradle”, a member of the „vampires’ caravan” said, trying to see the funny part of it.
But it’s not quite so, if you travel along the narrow curves of the road along Prahova Valley when you’re trying to sleep. The artists admitted that their biorhythm is affected. Some can’t rest as they should, and this isn’t their only problem. A stop at the gas station is useful for the driver who has to drive for up to 11 hours, but also for the musicians, who take advantage of this break and go to brush their teeth and to wash their faces. And the slightest unpredicted delay can upset the entire schedule.
A frugal breakfast at the tables inside the tour bus is less than sufficient in order to insure them the much needed calories for the day ahead. “The local promoters can offer us just a meal a day in the club, and, while time is so short, sometimes we are forced to choose between a dinner and a shower, while we can’t skip the sound check”, Sonya Scarlet told us. Moreover, the interviews for the media and other activities must also be included in their schedule.
On the way to Bucharest, an unpredicted stop - a routine check of the Bulgarian police - consumed two hours of their precious time, so the schedule in Wings Club had to be retimed. But, as the Bulgarian band Eufobia - previously announced for this tour - didn’t join the line-up, there weren’t essential changes in the schedule.
At 7.30pm local time, the first Italian band started the concert: Lunocode, founded in 2004 by the brothers Perseo (drums) and Paride Mazzoni (guitar), Giordano Boncompagni (guitar) and Francesco Rossi (bass). In the beginning, they played under the name Anima, but they changed their name into Lunocode in 2010, after they got signed by Spider Rock Promotion. The latter name is a wordplay between Lunokhod (a Russian word meaning „moonwalker”) and the English word „code”.
In the same year, they changed the singer: Daphne Romano became their new vocalist. In Bucharest, the redheaded girl warmed up the atmosphere, and the fans gathered in front of the stage. The musicians were a pleasant surprise for the Romanian audience. They played songs from “Celestial Harmonies”, an album released this year. But Daphne gave us good news: “We’re currently working on a new album, we already completed some songs”, she revealed.
For technical reasons, Tiarra (Romania) played earlier than expected: while the next two bands were using similar sound settings, a change in the schedule was necessary. The Romanian band also played for about an hour, their show being a delight for their local fans and a pleasant surprise for the Italian “guests”.
A more than pleasant appearance was the next band, JTR Sickert. The band from Modena, founded in 2005, evolved very fast, gaining success with their industrial/gothic metal sound. After they played at Viadana, in a concert where Dark Tranquillity, but also Theatres des Vampires also played, Sonya Scarlet was more than happy to include JTR Sickert in their European tour. Among the two Italian bands is a close friendship, as it was easy for us to notice during the two days we spent in the caravan.
A delicate female singer - Emy Zona - and a tireless male singer - Tiziano Panini, alias Billy T Cooper - made a perfect duo on stage. While her soft voice sang the slower parts, he made a dynamic show, dancing from the first to the last song. He didn’t stop for a second, and sometimes he was waving the LED-covered stand of his microphone above the heads of the front rows of the audience.
While in other bands the female singer is the one who changes her clothes during the show, for JTR Sickert the things were completely different: over his fishnet shirt, he put on several black jackets. He was also wearing a black top hat over his long hair, reminding of Slash. With a makeup resembling Lord Vampyr’s and full of attitude like Valor Kand, the Italian vocal still is an original artist, being a remarkable appearance.
But the long awaited band was, of course, the headliners, with Sonya Scarlet full of verve. Only a few knew that she wasn’t feeling very well when the tour bus was parked in front of the club, several hours earlier. But the short time she had was enough for her to regain her strength, so she could offer the best of her show. Being on stage made her to be completely herself: she seemed to draw her energy from the enthusiasm of the audience, like a real vampire.
In Bucharest, but also in Cluj, Theatres des Vampires used the same set list: „Keeper of Secrets", „Lilith Mater Inferorum", „Bring Me Back", „Angel of Lust", „Blood Addiction", „Le Grand Guignol", „Unspoken Words", „Moonlight Waltz", „Apart", „Anno Dracula", „Medousa", „Rain", „Wherever You Are", „Sangue", „La Danse Macabre du Vampire", while „Carmilla" and „Blut Divine" were played as the encore.
The lady-vampire showed her sharp fangs and she drank “blood” during the song “Sangue”. Many regretted that she didn’t include the moment when the flames sprung from the Necronomicon she opens. But from the songs that the audience vainly requested, the band could create another 17-songs-long set list for a show as exciting as the one they offered.
They included a new song though: “Apart”, one of the songs they composed for the soundtrack of “The Cult of Lamia”. In the movie, which will be released soon, Sonya Scarlet received a part. On this occasion, she co-operates again with the director David Bracci and the actor Abraam Fontana, after the video of the song “Carmilla”.
In Bucharest, the Italian singer changed three costumes, right on stage, behind an improvised curtain. What she couldn’t do a year ago, she did now: she could offer her exquisite dresses, which she decomposed, step by step, until an extremely sexy costume.
She also used head accessories, one of them in the style of the legendary “Medousa”, for the song titled such. If the first costume was mostly red, the second one was completely black, while in the end she showed a white dress. The fans didn’t leave the club until each of them received his share of signed posters, or photos with the artists, and the musicians remained in Wings Club long after midnight.
At about 3am, the caravan moved on towards Transylvania, with two extra passengers on board. While the Bulgarian band Eufobia withdrew from the tour, leaving several seats unoccupied, and the journalists from adevarul.ro used two of these seats. The artists spent a little while at the tables in the bus before they went in their „bedroom” upstairs.
So we could note some of their thoughts, shortly after the show. They were impressed again how enthusiasts they Romanian fans are. There was also a thing they regretted: „We really wished to visit Bran Castle, while it is known as Dracula Castle”, the drummer Gabriel Valerio told us. But the time was too short and no extra stop could be included in the schedule, so the castle had to wait for another trip to Romania.
If you can imagine a more difficult job than to tend a horde of rabbits, then you must think how it is like to coordinate a group of 19 persons. Each of them had their own needs, from ordering a vegetarian meal to creating the best schedule for the showers. Not to mention tasks like negotiating with the local promoters and solving virtually all the unpredicted problems that may appear. Francesco Grieco, the tour manager, did all this, and more: he replaced the driver during the last hour of the way.
So he was in charge of the long vehicle along the streets of Cluj, and he also had to coordinate the fast downloading of the trailer, full of instruments, in the shortest time possible. So he deserved a good share of the success of both shows, in Wings Club (organised by Stay Metal Forever) and in Irish&Music Pub (organised by Welcome2Cluj).
After they carried the large bags along the labyrinth inside the club, some of the artists went to the showers, others gathered for the dinner, while others went to do the sound check. In charge of the merchandise stand was Katia „Diktator”, so the fans could meet in person the one who created many of Sonya’s exquisite costumes. We could say that the group is like a really family, and some of them are a family indeed: Katia is married to the sound engineer Christian Ice, who took care of the settings for the entire tour.
The merchandise included a large range: the most expensive was the DVD „Moonlight Waltz Tour 2011” (80 lei, almost 20 euro), which was scheduled for release at the end of April, while the cheapest ones were the badges (4 lei, almost 1 euro). In between, there were T-shirts, posters, pendants, CDs and many more.
The concert started with a local band: for The Hourglass (Cluj) it was the first important concert under this name. Alma Vomastek and her colleagues prepared the audience for the feast to follow.
While the set lists were similar like those in Bucharest, most of the artists chose other costumes than in Bucharest. In Wings Club, the guys from Lunocode had to play in their „working costumes”, because of the tight schedule, as one of the band members revealed. Daphne charmed the audience in Cluj too, with her seductive eyes - the effect was enhanced by the dark makeup around her eyes -, not to mention her musical skills. In front of the stage there gathered several fans who occupied the strategic places, and they didn’t move from there until the end of the show.
The vocal from JTR Sickert was also well received by the spectators, and some of them already knew the songs from the Internet. „I’m for the first time in Romania, but I will certainly return in your country”, Tiziano told us after the show.
As expected, the headliners were in their best form, with Fabian Varesi on keyboards, Stephan Benfante on guitar, Zimon Lijoi on bass and Gabriel Valerio on drums. „We came home, in Transylvania”, Sonya Scarlet told when she came on stage. Maybe such a statement made the fans from Cluj to cheer louder than the Bucharest metalheads. The Italian countess showed three more costumes, two black ones and a white one, and of course a different, but nonetheless spectacular makeup.
For the local artists, such a show couldn’t be missed; among them was Andy Ghost (Altar), who took advantage of his day off in his band schedule to see the concerts. And at the end he didn’t miss the chance to have some pictures with the Italian musicians.
After the signing session, the vampires haunted through Cluj at night, but not in search of their next victim: they went to the hotel where they had a last shower before leaving for Budapest, their next destination. On the way, they admired the Transylvanian architecture and had a picture in Unirii Square, with St. Michael Church on the background.
While for the journalists this interesting, but tiresome experience ended, Theatres des Vampires continued their tour - they completed just half of it so far. After Bucharest and Cluj, they were scheduled to play in Budapest (Hungary), Bratislava (Slovakia), Czestochowa, Warsaw and Poznan (Poland), Torgau (Germany) and Prague (Czech Republic).
Sonya Scarlet revealed us how can she resist to such a difficult style of life: “I have a healthy life, I practice sports, and I don’t drink alcohol. I open a beer mostly because others do that too, but I almost never drink it to the bottom. I practiced ballet, and three times a week I go to swim. I have this style of life since I was five”. A similar life, and also from an early age, was chosen by Tiziano from JTR Sickert, as she also revealed. Too bad there aren’t more metalheads who buy tickets for their shows in order to reward all the artists’ efforts. And we can see such a sad situation at most of the metal concerts in Romania, for the last several years.
Many things were still left to be told, but, as another international rock star told us on other occasion, “what happens in the tour stays in the tour”.

The Romanian version, with more pictures, here.
Pictures from their concert in Bucharest, here.
Pictures from their concert in Cluj-Napoca, here.

Cronicile vampirilor, ediţia 2012 - Theatres des Vampires la Bucureşti şi Cluj

Dacă în 2011 Theatres des Vampires au concertat doar la Bucureşti, anul acesta au inclus, alături de Capitală, şi Clujul în traseul lor prin România. Şi nu au venit singuri, ci alături de alte două trupe italiene - Lunocode şi JTR Sickert.

După concert, fanii nu au ratat ocazia de a se poza cu artiştii.

Cum show-urile au ieşit bine, muzicienii şi-au permis un moment de relaxare.

Sonya Scarlet (Theatres des Vampires) şi Billy T. Cooper (JTR Sickert) şi-au dorit o amintire din România.

Celor doi li s-au alăturat şi ceilalţi colegi de scenă.

Artiştilor li s-au alăturat şi câţiva fani.

Sonya şi Billy T. Cooper s-au cinstit cu o bere la bar.

Bateristul Gabriel Valerio i-a învăţat pe fani cum se ţin corect beţele.

La Cluj, printre cei dornici de o fotografie cu Sonya s-a numărat şi Andy Ghost, de la Altar.

Andy Ghost s-a încadrat perfect în grupul italienilor.

Arhitectura din Cluj a fost pe placul "vampirilor", care s-au fotografiat în Piaţa Unirii, cu Biserica Sf. Mihail pe fundal.

Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy): "I am master of my own destiny"

On January 18th, Arch Enemy will play in Romania for the first time in their career. Shortly before their show, Angela Gossow agreed to answer to several questions.

„Khaos Legions” is a very Arch Enemy-esque album, but in the same time it is extremely varied. Is this one of the consequences of the fact that it has been released four years after “Rise of the Tyrant”?
Yes, we collected riffs, melodies and song writing ideas for a much longer period of time than for Rise Of The Tyrant. We naturally got a much more varied range of sounds by the time we entered the studio for Khaos Legions.

In many of your songs, you are dealing with atheism. Why do you think that people need a “master”, a “higher entity”, be it called God or in any other way?
A lot of people are afraid of responsibility, taking life in their own hands. They rather believe in a fairy tale, a higher deity that looks out for them and takes care of their problems and challenges. I chose to leave childhood beliefs behind and face reality as it is. I am master of my own destiny. I believe in science, not fiction.

Especially after the start of the financial crisis, which is also a social and spiritual crisis, people are waiting for help “from above” - from gods and also from governments. Will they ever understand that they are the only ones who can change everything, that they have to act themselves instead of waiting for someone else to solve their problems?
I hope so, but I fear not. Many people are weak cowards. They are afraid of changes, they are afraid to fight for a better future. They want a higher power, be it the government or a god, to take care of all problems. This way people will never be free but slaves to religion, to politics, to banks and corporate companies. But I am not alone – there is a strong atheist and revolutionary movement among the young people. I hope these new generations will turn things around. But so far it seems superstition and blind faith are ruling supreme. My way is to find the holes in the net and live my life the best ’atheist anarchist’ way possible in this society. Being a touring musician is the perfect escape.


In many countries - Egypt, Libya, Syria, people are fighting for a change. These events were one of your sources of inspiration for your video called „Yesterday is Dead and Gone”. But, if this change won’t be one for the better, will they have the power to continue their struggle?
I don’t know. I deeply hope so; otherwise all the sacrificed lives were for nothing. But it’s tough to live in a climate of threat and violence all the time. I have the highest respect for these people who risk their lives demonstrating against their violent, unjust, corrupt governments. Some tyrants fell, even got killed. So there is change happening. The frightening thing is that the conservative religious parties still get the most votes. Religion is the root of all evil – as long as these countries wont separate religion from secular government politics their lives wont change for the better.

Chaos contains the seeds of a new creation, also in mythology - Ginnungagap in the Norse mythology is a good example. Do you think that a new chaos is needed in order for a new, better world to be born from it?
Correct, kaos in Greek means ‘creation’ of something new out of, well, chaos. Right now we have chaos in many places of this world. It needs extreme measures to make big chances. Social chaos is an extreme state – but it has the potential to destroy the old dysfunctional system and built a new one. It really depends who will take the lead – the young, progressive rebels or the old, rich elite that will bring back more of the same.

You are an advocate of total personal freedom. What does “freedom” mean to you?
Freedom means I can roam this earth without being harassed for my colour, gender and race. It also means I can chose wether I want to drink alcohol or smoke weed. Freedom is also a justified tax system that encourages a healthy middle class, taxes the rich higher and the poor very low – freedom means everybody can afford an acceptable living standard, proper education, basic healthcare and chose their leisure time activities the way they want as long as they don’t damage others. Freedom is less government and state invention – give the people some responsibility back.


For your European tour, you teamed up with Amnesty International, but also with PETA2. Besides, one of the songs on “Khaos Legions”, „Cruelty Without Beauty”, is dealing with this subject. Can you tell us more about your message concerning this issue?
I fight for human rights, animal rights and environmental protection. AI does very important work, they are the human rights watchdog – and there’s plenty to watch and fight for in these times! Metal is rooted in Punk and used to be much more political. I think its time to get back to these roots and get socially aware and critical again. Time to fight the apathy!
I am a vegan because animals are being treated horribly by us humans, the massive meat production and consumption leads to a lot of expensive health issues and also severe environmental damage. I don’t want a part in that! I don’t want to hurt any other creature or this planet and I hope more and more people will follow the greener lifestyle.

Your messages are a wake-up call, but do you think they are perceived clearly enough? Or there are too many people who are coming to your shows just for the fun involved by a metal concert?
People can chose whether they want to enjoy us for the music and entertainment only or if they want to get inspired for the better. I give this freedom to our fans – because freedom of choice is the most important thing in life! I talk a lot about the things I believe in – whoever wants to know will know by now. I also give a lot of advice how to start changes, where to find information, how to get motivated. Take it or leave it – totally up to the individual.

You think that “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. What kind of experiences made you stronger?
I had to overcome a lot of prejudice to begin with. Being doubted actually made me work twice as hard. Also, a touring musician cannot call in sick, is exposed to many new and sometimes threatening situations, every day is different. I have had many times where I thought I couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone play a show. And I always performed. No matter how sick, tired or depressed I was. I really learned to overcome physical and mental pain. I am a fighter, have lots of discipline and stamina thanks to the many difficult situations I have encountered.


Too many perceive you only as “Angela the beauty & the hot chick”, and some of them seem to forget about “Gossow the artist & the songwriter”. What message would you have for this kind of people?
I don’t care what people think about me. My actions and my success speak a lot louder than their uneducated, ignorant words.

You are an inspiration for many metal females. What does this make you feel? Which would be the most important advice for them?
It makes me happy and proud. The metal scene has changed a lot in the last 20 years and woman play an important role in it these days. I love balance, yin and yang, dudes and gals. I love my metal ladies! My advice –be yourself, don’t be pretentious. Enjoy live, don’t take yourself too seriously. Never discriminate, stick together and celebrate this style of music that can give so much strength and power. United we stand. Gender is not important.

While you’re also the band manager, you created a clear schedule for the next two years. What shall we expect from Arch Enemy after the summer festivals? You announced a DVD and even a new album in two years or so.
We will finish the Khaos Legions touring cycle in 2012 (just play a few excl. shows in 2013) and then get down and dirty writing a new Arch Enemy record. We have also recorded our Japan Loudpark performance and my hometown show in Cologne professionally and will record a few more shows in 2012 for a new ‘World Khaos’ DVD. It will come out sometime in 2013; a new Arch Enemy album in 2014 and then the touring will begin again. Circles and cycles of metal madness!

After the release of “Khaos Legions” there have been many tours all over the world, and there still are several tours in sight. Would you afford to take some time for yourself when the “Khaos” tours will be over, in order to recharge your batteries? What would you do during such a break?
I will recharge my batteries in 2013. I can’t really stop working, I need to support myself and I get horribly bored otherwise. I am a workaholic, I LOVE to work and execute my plans with precision and success. Life’s too short to sit around and do nothing. I don’t enjoy being lazy.


Before you joined Arch Enemy, you have been a journalist yourself. Which would be THE question that you’d ask Angela Gossow? Meaning, which is the question you always waited for, but it had been never asked so far?
I have been asked every single question you can imagine, even the idiotic ones. I hate when people try to dig around in your very personal life. I have to say though, your interview questions are a lot smarter and detailed than the average interview I do. Kudos for that!

You played in many places of this world where few bands ever played before. Some people can’t imagine a metal concert in Dubai or Maldives. What can you tell us about these experiences?
Very surreal and eye-opening experience. We take so many things for granted they don’t have. I have met many people in Dubai from Iran, Iraq, etc. and they are still being imprisoned for wearing long hair and a metal shirt. They have so much passion for this music – for them it’s truly their anthems of rebellion, their fight songs. And not just party tunes. We had extreme Muslim groups demonstrating right next to our outdoor venue in The Maldives. You just know you are not safe, bad things can happen any minute. Makes one appreciate living in a safe country a lot more. And the fans there are so happy and grateful about any band that has the courage to go there and play. We are proud to have such great fans in these places and we are happy we can help make a difference for the better.

Until now, Romania has also been on the list of the countries where you never played before. Which are your expectations about the show in Bucharest?
I think it’s going to be raging mad.. Just like the Romanian people who are proud and very angry at their government at the moment, demonstrating on the streets. Our music is the perfect soundtrack to that. You have every right to be pissed off – come and channel that anger with us – Live in Bucharest, 18. January at the Arenele Romane club. One For All and All For One. We Are One! NEMESIS!