Give us a history of Theatres des Vampires.
The TDV band was born between 1994 and 1995 as a one-man band. The founder had already had different experiences in the metal music underground since 1989, realizing different promos with other bands. After a couple of months, Lord Vampyr (founder of TDV) found musicians to collaborate in this plan; on March 1995, the band entered the recording studio to record the first promo-tape, entitled "NOSFERATU, EINE SIMPHONIE DES GRAUENS," this promo met big success and in little time was sold out. On the wave of this success, 5 proposals arrived for realization of a full-length Cd, the band decided to sign for the newborn "Garden of Grief "; on December 1995 TDV entered the studio for recording the first Cd. During recording, however, the first problems began: the drummer, after recording his bases in a day, leaves the band and many errors on the songs too, also the relationships with the other components of the group crack so much that Lord Vampyr is alone in recording almost entirely the whole Cd. So it comes "Vampyrìsme, nècrophilie, nècrosadisme, nècrophagie." At the end of this unlucky period, Lord Vampyr began to look for more able and motivated musicians; after many months of searching a new line-up has come; three promos followed and two live-shows full of horror references and ghostly atmospheres; this change of look and the more mature songs bring to the band the first proposals for a second cd; the band signs an accord with "ALKAID RECORD" from Milan that will realize a new Cd in the first months of 1999.
Describe the music of T.d.V. to those whom have yet to hear your work.
Emotions, lived or only imagination.. in the music like in life, a continuous search is undertaken, it is a search for the acquaintance of the soul, the rediscovery of the own creed. With the music we tried to make others the participants of our experiences. What we want is to make those who listen to us to be receptive to our messages, we make this, recreating particular horror atmospheres, we don't want to be "bad" in the classical way that one would expect from a band of our kind, we build the musical structures to sad pulls, to aggressive pulls with a constant sense of grisly behind the shoulders. We create the songs like the music for a horror film, but in this case the film is the reality, it is your life.
What sort of topics do the lyrics deal with?
Generally we talk about vampire's stories... sometimes we take inspiration from books, sometimes with music… Ann Rice is a great font of inspiration….H.P.Lovecraft too… Sometimes we talk about stories of our life... Of our way to intend religion... Naturally we aren't Christian.. but we aren't true Satanist… let me use some words of Lestat…:

'Evil is a point of view. We are immortal. And what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we; indiscriminately He takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we; for no creatures under God are as we are, none so like Him as ourselves, dark angels not confined to the stinking limits of hell but wandering His earth and all its kingdoms.'

Tell us about your live performances. What can one expect who attends a T.d.V. show?
We are very theatrical… we use alot of make-up, and on the stage you will find crosses…blood… dead women… and so on… seeing us is like seeing a good horror film… Every time we try to invent something new…. In the last concert, a priest (not naturally) goes up on the stage and tries to exorcise us… but the singer is a very powerful vampire…. He takes the cross of the priest and breaks it… then takes the priest and gives to him the communion with the blood of a virgin… Funny!!
There is obviously a deep interest in vampirism within the band. Could you explain this more and tell us of its roots?
The singer is very interested in all about vampires… he knows practically every single film and book about vampires…. He studies alot of the stories of Romany and Transilavany… He tries to understand the vampire under the profile of the culture, not only for the legends… probably this is the way to find his religion…to find himself… Lord Vampyr is practically obsessed from all the things about vampires… Like me for the witches and neo-pagan cults….
Define to us why the name was chosen for the band.
Is a way to pay homage to Ann Rice… We love the ideas of a theatre of vampire… Theatre des Vampires is the name of a theater in Paris on the Boulevard du Temple in the Anne Rice novels Interview With the Vampire. The theatre was the coven of vampires who performed there. The vampires rested during the day in a subterranean room. It was in this theater that the child vampire, Claudia, met her doom in Interview With the Vampire. The theater was burned down by the vampire Louis in vengeance for Claudia's murder.
There is an old saying, ' The blood is the stream where the soul does flow...' your thoughts on this?
The ancient population gives alot of importance to the blood…. in magic the blood is very important for alot of rituals, and surely has a very powerful erotic power… I think that it is very romantic to offer your blood to your lover… and is very romantic to drink it from your lover too…. Personally I think that all these things are symbolic…. Your soul is in your body and out of it… and doesn't need the blood of other people to be more powerful… I say it…. It's only symbolic…. (naturally I give alot of importance on the symbolic magic…but this is another different story…)
Do you believe in the existence of the soul?
Naturally I hope in the existence of the soul… and I know that man invented it only for the fear of the dead…. For this reason I like my music…and I like all things that talk of horror, and I like neo-pagan rituals too… it's a way to find something that I need to find... the proof that the soul is real and not only imagination… I have a dream…. One day a young and beautiful witch will come to me from a very distant land, and explain to me the meaning of this life, of the soul and of all things that I want to know… This witch will give me the secret of magic… and probably I'll fall in love with her… But my soul KNOWS that this woman exists…so ...yes probably I believe in the soul…
Your music is very intriguing and unique... uniqueness is something that is forgotten all too often in the music scene these days. What do you think about the many bands who copy someone else's style? What bands, in your opinion, are some of the best of the scene today?
Well, I am out of the black metal scene... because I prefer to go in gothic discos and gothic places…..I also like to hear neo rinascimental music and so on….I prefer to hear different music.. because to hear my kind of music can influence me negatively…. Naturally I don't like bands that copy other bands…and also I don't like bands that define themselves Black-Metal only for the fashion of the moment. For me the true black metal is : Mayhem, DarkThrone, Dark Funeral, Marduk, Gorgoroth… nothing else. For this reason I don't think we are a true black Metal Band… We like to define ourselves: Theatrical Vampiric Metal….
What influences you outside of music?
...probably the religion…the dreams…the book… the life… lot's of different things…It's hard to say… We've lived alot of different strange experiences and we reflect this in our music...it is a death reflection probably…
Tell us about some of the things you do in your spare time, when not working on music.
Ok…personally I like to visit old places…and Italy is full of these places… I like the Etruschian Necropolis….I like to visit it…and castles too… but I prefer things more ancient…Roman ..Etruschian…and all the ancient population that lived in Italy in the very ancient days… Some of us still study….some study arts…some study music….other members in the band work. I personally work in the world of the arts…
Explain to us your thoughts on religion. Christianity?
Bad question…!!! I live in the land of the Pope…!!! I don't like it naturally…because my land is also the land of the witches…!!! I think that Christianity is the best way to close your eyes in front of all the things that are all around… I don't know if Jesus Christ was a man or only an invention… some things that he said are not so bad…and he surely was a very powerful man…but the way to live what he teaches…the way to put in practice his religion, is so bad…so horrible… that I refuse to believe in this kind of religion… The other thing that I don't like about Christianity is the way to see God…In the past God was a terrible and powerful enemy of all the people that were in competition with him…Christianity introduced the concept of God being very "happy" and that he"solves" all the problems and creates love and peace and so on…Strange that the same God changes over the years….don't you think? I really prefer the ancient cults…These cults are of my culture… this is what I like… I think it is the only way to find the light!
Do you find truth within the pagan religions of old?
Naturally yes!! I study a lot of the old Celtics runes, and the Etrushian too… I like the old cults… And I like to study all the things that are near the witchcraft…that here in Italy we call "Stregoneria"… I like the "Streghe" and their wood Gods… And talking about witches…. I drink, and yet it is not wine I drink, I drink the blood of Diana, Since from wine it has changed into her blood, And spread itself through all my growing vines... And this is to return on the meaning of blood in symbolic magic…
In your perspective, and if you had to say, what would the meaning of life be?
Probably I can make the same question for you! But ok… for me life is research… the search of our souls… If we find it we can go straight on to the next step… if we don't find it when we will die... we die… nothing else. Our soul is like a plant, it needs water to live… it changes and becomes bigger and bigger… Finding this water is the meaning of life..
Do you believe in the existence of life outside of Earth... somewhere out there in the cold stars?
Hard to say…I probably believe in it…but I think that if something exists it will be very different from the aliens of X-Files…Or probably they are only like ancient gods… I don't really know…
It's quite apparent, the world is facing innumerable problems like never before. Draw up any sphere of existence, and major problems are yours to find. What are your thoughts on the world situation, do you see a dark age ahead. Do you see any hope for things to really improve in the future?
Our world probably will die… the people are going crazy… too crazy.. The only law is the law of the market.. the law of money… We need to destroy these kind of things to reconstruct a better world... or in the future we will see very dark days… but probably this is our doom…a new dark age, when the ancient Gods will wake up from a long sleep, and will walk again on this earth… only the people that will open their "eyes" will survive…the other people? Food for the worms…
To end with a few music related questions, what can we expect from T.d.V. releases in the future?
In February the new album will be released… it will be a 10 track album… We also participated on a tribute for the "Death SS" that is one of the most important metal bands in our country… probably the band that "invented" black metal… After that probably we will be on tour in Europe.
Plans for live shows anytime soon?
Like I was saying we will be on tour after the release of this album, first in Italy, then some days in Europe, and then we will see… we have some requests to go to Brazil, and in the East of Europe. But we don't know, this country is very far and expensive to reach… it will be very funny to go to the North of America too…I don't know if the production label will organize something so far from "home"… Naturally if you know some places interested in our music…We will see you as soon as possible!
Alas! Your final comments and words of wisdom?
Think different! Every time, everyday…don't worry if people don't understand you… don't worry if people think you are mad or bad…. We need to save our souls from the nothing that is all around… We need to wake up our minds…open them… One day a new moon will be in the sky … a moon different from now… one day alot of people will die…and these people are dead today…. it's a kind of dead that walk...and talk…but are just as much dead…. Probably for these people there won't be a great difference from now and the future days… because for these people that don't really live it is the same thing to be dead walking on the earth or just buried in a coffin ….but for me and you.. and people like us…there will be a great difference… So continue your fight… and keep the black faith alive! Our day will come…

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