Darkfaery Subculture Magazine: June 2010: Version 10: Volume 1: Issue 3

CONTENTS

Staff

2,3 contents, editorial

Owner/Editor-inChief...Duvall GilchristMontgomery

4,5,6,7 Zeromancer

Co-Owner/Darkfaery Boy...Zenon Awful

8, 9 Reviews

Ideas, suggestions, management, support, Public Speaking...Pandy

(The Prince of Frogs, Guardian, and Vampire Biker Babes)

Regional Manager of Promotion/Staff Writer/Head Darkfaery Girl...TristaLou Wilmot

12,13 In Strict Confidence 14,15 Abney Park

Manager of Promotion/ Head Darkfaery Boy...James Wilmot

16, 17 Emilie Autumn

Metal Correspondent/Staff Writer...Jonathan Rex Myrick

20 Reviews 21 Interview with Melissa Marr

author

Staff Writer...Raymond Martin

22,23 Fashions by This Witches Stitches

Staff Writer/Darkfaery Girl...Creeperella Spookyboo

of the Wicked Lovely series

Staff Writer...Sara Young Photos: Allin KHG, Martin Cole and various cell phone photographers

C

opyright Š 1997-2010 Contents contained within Darkfaery Subculture Magazine are subject to US Copyright Laws and are the property of their respective authors, artists and labels. Commercial use prohibited.

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Realistically, the average person doesn’t live in a gothic-steampunk society. We are bound by the normalcy of the same old humdrum reality that is afflicted upon us from birth. We are taught to go to school, get jobs, pay bills, start a family, fall into place in exactly the same way as everyone else or we are less than human. I’ve never followed this pattern. For me school always seem to hold me back, it limited my imagination and if I deviated outside the path they set for me it meant I was a slacker on the road to ruin.

When it came to working a steady job and building a career in fast food or retail I was hopeless as well. I never felt as if I fit in with kaki slacks and those horrid uniform shirts. I just couldn’t bare the thought of them touching my skin. Maybe that is a little weird, I don’t know, but I just felt this need for something different. Something out of my reach.

I can say that I tried my best to carve a place among normal lifestyle, I hid my true nature, I pretended that I wasn’t full of fantastic ideas, but in the end when it’s just me I can’t stop myself from becoming who I really am meant to be. Who, what is that you ask?

Myself. In my head is the key to alternate universes. Places of mystery and strange, scary worlds. A place where people can dress or be however they wish and no one will judge or hurl insults. A place where your life is what you make it, not what square you fit into. It’s in this place that Darkfaery Subculture Magazine was born.

It woke one day and ventured out to find like minds, to bring together the dark beauty that remained hidden to the common eye, revealing what lurked just beneath the skin of those it considered family. It watches, it knows you, and it will release you from your bonds.

Until Next…

I Remain…

Duvall Gilchrist-Montgomery

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on this album we really didn‘t care at all.

There is so much history within Noralf, Alex and me from before and now we have taken Hello again, nice that you have some time this to our great advantage I feel. Plus the fact again for us to ask you about your new album that we have dared to push ourselves even harder this time getting were we wanted. today!

Your new album „Death of Romance― has now been released. Musically, how is the new al- Explain what did you mean by the album‘s title? Did you mean death of romance between bum different from the previous ones? a couple?

ALEX: The making of ―Sinners International‖ was such a huge inspiration to us. Finally we Kim: The Death of Roproduced, recorded and mixed the album our- mance is such a comselves and we found the perfect way to work, plex title to me. It just both technically and creative. With ―The Death doesn‘t tell a one sided of Romance‖ we continued and upgraded the story. To me this is our workflow from Sinners and the result is fantas- self-titled album. A tic. Better sounding, exiting, intense and a very reflection of the name personal album. I‘m proud! With Dan and Lor- Zeromancer. Zero and ry onboard we‘ve worked as a band 24/7. All romance aka no love. five giving the best we have and inspire each There is a history of other all the way. We are family now. You bands releasing their first album with the can‘t beat that! same name as their KIM: I feel this one is Zeromancer to the bone. band. But we were too We have sort of perfected what we did on Sin- young at that time and ners and taking it a lot further. We have dug a didn‘t have the neceslittle deeper into the dark aspects of the band sary experience in life since last time. I see the Death of Romance as to do so. Now we feel a deeply personal document for the band. It‘s a that we have the wrinkind of celebration of Zeromancer I think and kles, the age and the the unity we feel we are right now. Though it sophistication to get was hard work it has been the easiest puzzle to away with a grandiose do in our career. I believe it‘s our determina- title like this.

Of course on the pertion we can thank for that. sonal level there has Have you tried something that you haven‘t been innumerable exdone before or maybe you went back to the amples of broken hearts and romance getting roots? buried deep.

ALEX: As I said we found the perfect work- And these experiences flow and there was no reason to change much. stick with you like As an engineer I put a lot of effort into the thorns right through drums. The album needed to sound tight and your heart. There is punchy without loosing the feel of a live drum- hardly a song written by mer. I want Noralf to have a good time in the me which don‘t have a studio and it was up to me to be well prepared part of this inside. Maybe it‘s so that The before the session.

Death of Romance is NORALF: And he was. On a tight schedule the melting pot for them all. and, as I felt, not enough time for rehearsing You know when you write songs, and espethe new songs, Alex made my time during the cially in a short period of time like this you are recording much easier than I thought. He was somewhat inside of a bubble. Then this kind of well prepared and the drums came out really incubation time is over and the album is done.

However it takes a while until it all dawns on great, besides sounding better than before. you I think.

KIM: I mean throughout Zeromancer‘s career That‘s why for me an album you made might it has been really important for us not to draw not be totally clear to you until much later. to many similarities to our old band Seigmen. The title is very much inspired by a survey But we have eased up on that eventually and done on how long it generally takes for romance to die when a couple get married.

Interview Zeromancer

by PromoFabrik

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Two years, six months and 25 days: That is the length of time it takes before romance is dead.

Never mind the seven-year itch. Newlyweds have an even earlier milestone to fear: the two year slouch.

The press release compares ―Death of Romance‖ to ―Razorblade Romance‖ by HIM. How are those albums similar and dissimilar?

KIM: Seriously those are not my words. I believe it might be the grandiose feel over both albums. The title, romance and the Scandinavian aspect.

How did the recording process go?

ALEX: We always make demos first as a guide. Normally we do drums first and focus on the performance. We never have a busy track while recording drums. Noralf only wants the basics elements while recording.

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After that we track the basic elements and slowly build the track. We always make musical decisions that serve the song. In the end we do some additional programming and other recording before the mixing starts.

KIM: Yeah I mean the demos are a great guide for what becomes the final version. Sometimes we keep a lot from the initial recordings since they have the original feel which can be hard to recreate later. This is the story for the track

Trent Reznor (NIN) called him and bought a few.

Another incident is one early morning during the guitar recording a friend of ours, producer John Fryer popped by the studio. He said he wanted to mix a track on the album. We said….‖Hell yeah!!‖ We had this song called ―Mint‖ and we wanted it to be a little different sounding than the rest of the album. I wanted someone else to mix that song and when John said he wanted to mix a track for us, it felt like he was sent from heaven…ehh…I mean hell KIM: A lot of times when I track demos I sit with my acoustic guitars and try all kinds of stuff. Then I usually plug it by a Sansamp and have an insane overdrive that makes it sound really crazy. On several tracks you can hear it very clearly making whole riffs buzz with heavy distortion.

ferent tasks within the band. When I mixed the record I get so involved that I sometimes get too technical and easily lose the main focus of the song. To get feedback from the rest of the guys is probably the most important part of mixing a track. That combination is unbeatable. But I have to admit that it can be pretty hard to handle criticism when you‘ve been working fucking hard to make a song sound good. That‘s why I‘m so thankful that I was a musician before I started producing. I‘ve got a better understanding for how to communicate in the studio. If I‘m a little sensitive one day, I always tell the guys to go easy on me Who is the beauty on the album‘s cover?

ALEX: She is a young girl I noticed here in the city. She definitely had the paleness and the solitude we were looking for.

What was the photo meant to convey to the listener?

KIM: The girl lying in the burned out couch can be interpreted as being dead. The chalice on the ground is filled with poison. The flames there to dramatize it. The clothes she‘s wearing Do you drive each other tells you she sure dressed up for some special crazy while rehearsing occasion. Also make a note of the two snakes new songs and exchang- crawling on her head and shoulders. ing ideas?

I really adore the decadence of the shot.

ALEX: Not anymore.. well only if someone has a bad day. It‘s normal to get a little grumpy now and then, but being apart of Zeromancer is a blessing. We all take more responsibility for our selves than we used to and that makes everything a lot easier.

On your promo-photos you‘ve got a new look again. More leather and more military-like.

How did you come to this look?

ALEX: Actually the only leather in the picture is our boots! : Photographer Bjørn Opshal is a friend of ours. He owe us for life. A live picture he took of me was the reason he started as a photographer. It was also the first picture he sold to a magazine. As a 10th photo shoot anniversary we decided to do something big…… and so we did. 4 firemen, one clothes designer, NORALF: Well, I may 2 ssenographs, 4 people on styling, 3 guys have gone a little crazy rigging and so on. Almost 30 persons working some times. Mostly be- on that shoot. It‘s actually outdoor. cause of being frustrated Pygmalion Effect. over my own performance, learning new KIM: To us this is pure perfection. It‘s the rhythms. Might be because I want to play it exact shot I pictured in my mind when we Is there again some funny story that you can perfect the first time. Of course, that‘s an im- started creating the setting for the album. tell us about the production of the new work? possible task. But the great thing is that the There comes that Pringles box with dead flies guys push on and push on until the ideas work And will this new look find it‘s correlation in into my mind now... *laugh.. for the songs. the music and sound of the new album?

ALEX: No dead flies this time, but a lot of fucked up samples. We do send guitars through Moog‘s, bit crush pedals etc. We have a friend that makes some awesome pedals.

Norwegian made. They fucking rule! Even

In case there are tough decisions must be ALEX: We love to try out different settings all made, how do you play it out? Do you vote or the time and we enjoy doing so. I wouldn‘t call is one of you ―in charge‖ on such occasions. it a new look, but different.

ALEX: It all depends what it is. We have dif- KIM: Nothing is really random with ZMR.

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The images, the sound, the performance. It‘s one.

We always try to bind it all together and I believe The Death of Romance to be the finest example so far.

which the greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform. However our songs are never built up on one simple idea.

I never like to give away the whole truth. A couple of hints to throw into more confusion here is the old arcade game, Sinistar. The Is there going to be a video for any of the al- voice of Marilyn Monroe. The sound of a guy bum‘s songs? If yes, can you disclose some of jumping from an airplane getting his parachute your ideas in this regard? caught in the plane. The song itself is definitely the slowest and most mystified piece on the ALEX: We are working on it as we speak, but album. we never know until it‘s finished. Got some cool ideas but since we are control freaks and „Revengefuck“ is driving and fast. What’s the we have to rely on others than ourselves, it‘s message behind it and what does „V― stand hard to predict the final result. I‘m sure it‘s for?? going to be cool.

ALEX: I believe Kim had the lyric idea for LORRY: We like to keep the work within the Revengefuck pretty early. Actually from his ZMR-family. It‘s the same with this video. solo project Ljungblut, but he didn‘t have a The track will be Industrypeople. The same track that suited the lyrics. guy who did the Doppelgänger – video, is do- The cool thing about the process of this album ing the shooting of this video. And the same is V. I told Kim I had this rhythm part I really people as the photo-shoot you mentioned earli- liked and that triggered Kim to write a whole er do clothes and styling. Makes it easier and song. I was amazed that it was all it took for better, and part of the whole package.

Kim to finish his idea song. He even gave me In a week or so we will see the final result. We credit for it, but it was just a fucking drumbeat. are extremely exited to see the end result.

KIM: Yeah It‘s basically it, though I only had Let‘s go into the details of a few songs that I some phrases lying around not the whole lyric. pick out randomly now.

This one is pretty straight forward. RevengeThe Intro of „The Death of Romance― is called fuck can‘t be misinterpreted. It‘s an for an eye. „2.6.25“. What do the numbers mean?

Tooth for a tooth. Though not necessarily underneath the sheets.

ALEX: It‘s connected to the survey I mentioned earlier.

You‘ve been around in the gothic scene for 2 years. 6 months and 25 days. many years. How is the contemporary scene The length of time it takes before romance is different from the one of 2000 when ―Clone dead when you get married. your Lover‖ was released?

What can you tell us about the title track „The KIM: We really never follow the scene much.

Death of Romance―?

Being an isolated band from up here in the north we don‘t observe what‘s going on in the KIM: It was the first track written for the al- centre of the alternative dark style. We have bum. And that‘s how I work. I always start our own agenda and not much will obstruct with the title. And I knew even before the re- our ideas for Zeromancer. lease of Sinners that it was going to be the name of this album. I pictured the track to be You will face a longer period of touring now. grandiose with a mix of strings, programming What do you like most about it? and the organic feel of the band.

A lot would think this is a pessimistic message ALEX: Meet our fans and do some killers to send out, but I think of it the opposite way. shows. It‘s our way to show how much we Hence the sentence ―It‘s the death of you and respect and appreciate our dedicated fans. me, it‘s not the end you see‖.

They made our dreams come true and we‘ll never forget that. Hope to see some new faces What is the „The Pygmalion Effect― which is too. Playing live is the best feeling in the at the same time the slowest and deepest song world and I‘m fucking exited about the tour. on the album in my opinion...?

KIM: Being on tour is an escape from the daiKIM: It‘s referring to the phenomenon in ly life and everything I feel is stressful. I have 6

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chronic migraines and two heavy attacks every single day. This happens to be a lot less frequent when I‘m out traveling. I love the feeling of being on the move. Being places you have never been before. Feeling lost and lonely.

LORRY: Agree totally with Alex here. The meetings with fans are the most important.

They are the inspiration of every move we do as a band. And getting feedback from them, in person, is something I value so much. But in addition, I have to say that bringing the ZMR – family out on the road is something special.

Not only the band, but the crew around us has a special place in my heart.

What about your fans? Do you like to go out and meet them or do you feel more or less shy?

ALEX: Yes we try to meet and do signing sessions. Must admit that after a show I tend to be a little slow. (shower, beer, smoke…etc) I‘ll work on that for the forthcoming tour But I always go out and meet the fans.

KIM: Without our fans we are nothing. This is very clear to us.

LORRY: At the first few gigs I played with Zeromancer, in 2006, I felt kind of shy about going out to meet people after the show. I remember finding it strange that somebody should be interested in talking to me. But nowadays, I enjoy every second of these after show/meet-ups. Everybody is so nice, and it‘s quite nice to get a break from the backstage of familiar faces…

ALEX: I feel we have a rare closeness to out devotees. And now we are trying to get under their skin with starting up a new fanclub/street team by the name Industry people. As of now we have one team here in Norway plus one department for Russia and the States coming up shortly.

What country has the most passionate fans in your opinion?

ALEX: There are mostly fantastic everywhere.

I know it‘s sound strange, but it‘s true. The biggest difference is the local promoters.

Thanks for answering our questions and we wish you Good Luck and a safe journey on your tour!

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So full of beauty, so full of melancholy and yet so full of unbridled rock power. With "Sinners International", the lads from the north proved that they had once more recaptured the essence of their own debut. Radiant, vibrant and beguiling.

Shimmering, fascinating and mysteri-

ous.

"The Death of Romance" rises out of the darkness like the aurora borealis.

Back to the beginning and yet at the same time forward-looking. Dark romantic ballads with stunning hooklines in the form of driving, modern industrial rock.

Zeromancer are a new and perfect unity of sex, emotion and energy.

Rock music is finally once again that which it always should have been.

Unaffected and impressive, for girls and boys. The one, with a tear in the eye, is full of yearning; the other goes crazy for the pounding drums and

loud electric guitars. Never has one needed to be so little embarrassed about his/her feelings as with this powerful-romantic rock album.

"The Death of Romance" is a flawless construction of sweat-inducing industrial rock and a large dollop of emotion.

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The Prince of Frogs An historical paranormal romance by Annaliese Evans

Guardian A paranormal romance by Claire Delacroix

Review by Sara Young oh my!

Review by Sara Young

Faeries, vampires and ogres,

Annaliese Evans has them all, hiding in plain sight throughout 1750s Europe. Her exceptional storytelling turns sleeping beauty into a true fairy tale with a twist in Night‘s Rose (TOR, 2009) and continues to follow heroine Rosemarie Edenburg in The Prince of Frogs (TOR, 2009).

Rosemarie is not your garden-variety princess. Her mother is half-fairy, and she is not about to let a curse kill her little girl, even if it means striking a bargain with the dark fairy queen. Poor Rose wakes after a very long nap to a convoluted mess. Her family is gone, she has to work as an ogre assassin for the dark fairies for the next two hundred years, and to top it all off her marriage has been arranged. Well, at least her Fey de la Nuit liaison is nice looking, if a bit somber. Tall, dark and handsome Ambrose is almost the polar opposite of Rose‘s new apprentice, roguish halfvampire Gareth Barrows. Gareth and Ambrose battle each other almost as fiercely as the ogres, but it‘s just sibling rivalry. That dark fairy queen? She ran off with a vampire after she was banished for cursing the Edenburgh baby.

The Prince of Frogs begins with the ogres vanquished and Rosemarie Barrows happily married off to her betrothed, though still linked by fairy magic to Ambrose. Vampires and fairies have been working together for centuries to get rid of the ogres, but that peace is unraveling. Now one of the heirs to the Seelie throne has been murdered, and everyone in line has been called to court for protection, including Rose. But as she soon finds out, ―if there was one thing worse than being a quarter-Fey princess in the golden court, it was being the quarter-Fey princess‘s half-vampire husband‖. The murderous beast is still loose and fixated on Rose, the court is full of its own intrigues, and with heirs dropping quickly it‘s becoming a matter of eliminate or be eliminated.

In the midst of eminent war, battle for survival, and marital strain, magic-wielding, wing-sporting, rune-reading Rose‘s identity is called into question. If she isn‘t the real Rosemarie Edenburg, her marriage is invalid, another woman has obligations she knows nothing about, and just what in the world is she, anyway? The questions are hard, the answers are harder, and when push comes to shove Gareth and Ambrose might have some murkiness in their pasts, as well. ―‘Yes, there is a lust even greater than that for flesh sliding against flesh. The lust for blood, for the power that comes from –‗‖ a good read that delivers both. Full of page-turning predicaments, The Prince of Frogs does not shy away from a good spattering of gore, so squeamish beware! Expect anyone who kills ogres for a living to have a healthy appetite for love. The sex is abundant, graphic, and might make the reader want to grab a partner post haste. For those who prefer Grimm to Disney and thirst for innovative imagination, Night‘s Rose and The Prince of Frogs are excellent additions to the library.

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Claire Delacroix‘s Fallen trilogy [Fallen (2008), Guardian (2009), and Rebel (2010), available from TOR] delves into a fresh realm of romance. Her cast of heroes, heavenly beings sent to earth in mortal form, face a brilliant internal conflict between angelic divinity and mortal grit.

The earth they come to is in need of a little divine intervention. Twenty -second century America has seen nuclear disaster, and the new civilization isn‘t pretty. On the bright side, everyone has a palm pilot – built right into their left palm. Identification beads have been implanted at the base of everybody‘s neck, so missing persons are a thing of the past. One swipe from a sensor and John Doe‘s pertinent information pops right up. The president has a clairvoyant advisor, the Oracle, chosen at the Citadel of the Daughters of the Light of the Republic before each election.

Then there‘s the darker side. The elite cast the below-average and physically imperfect into slavery, where they toil in underground warrens (if they‘re lucky) or suffer in experimental labs (if they‘re not). A network of Shade Hunters waits to track down and dispose of wayward ―sub humans‖.

Guardian is the story of a shade called Twenty-three and a man named Raphael Gerritson.

Twenty-three has met heavenly angels. She knows the visions she sees come from them and she is destined to be the True Oracle.

The Citadel is going to install a false Oracle, and Twenty-three has a plan to stop them.

Raphael can‘t remember his past. His pesky palm keeps giving him orders and information he doesn‘t call up from sources he can‘t trace. He has an overwhelming urge to find some girl named Delilah and make her Oracle, and knows in his gut failure is not an option.

A series of twists and turns finds Twenty-three carried away, literally and figuratively, by Rafe, both pursued by the Shade Hunter of Shade Hunters.

Rafe‘s palm gives Twenty-three her own name: Delilah Desjardins. With freedom and a name, Delilah sees the world and everything in it, including Rafe, anew. The budding woman wants to learn more about the carnal things he can teach her, while the budding Oracle questions the mystery of his memory loss and the motives of his unknown bosses.

Delilah‘s touch brings Rafe‘s memory back with a bang. A fallen archangel charged with salvaging mankind, he must do whatever it takes to see his mission through, even if it means heartache.

Guardian is ruled by juxtaposition. Good and evil. Civility and intolerance. Love and betrayal. Faith and instinct. Duty and desire. Full of action and romantic tension with a taste of release, it is a visionary read from start to finish.

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VAMPIRE BIKER BABES Produced and Directed By: Walt Jenkins Starring: Georgia Cris and Hundreds of bikers, babes and some monsters too!

What happens when a vampire‘s sister (who incidentally works in the human world as a model photographer) is attacked and gang raped in a small, redneck, good ole boy town in nowhere Florida?

Don‘t the baddies know that when you piss off a vampire it‘s bad news?

This movie is entertaining no matter whether you like it or hate it. Kind of campy, silly at times with dialogue that will make you laugh because it is so bad, some skipping around that makes the movie hard to follow at some points and some overacting, it‘s still a lot of fun. The outfits are awesome (this one girl had on an outfit I‘d kill for!) and there are some really cool shots of Solomon‘s Castle in Ona, Florida. http://www.solomonscastle.com/ castlehistory.htm

All hell breaks loose.

Meet Carla…a nice girl, photographer and very proud of the fact that she just got asked to go to Daytona to shoot Bike Week. On her way to Daytona she stops at a local watering hole for all the area bikers. Of course seeing a hot woman, all alone, one of the local scum hits her up to have some fun. Though she keeps insisting that she doesn‘t have the time, he continues propositioning her.

Let‘s just say that all the other bikers who saw her walk into the store aren‘t so innocent either and as luck would have it, as she travels down the road after finally managing to get away from the creep, her car stops. Well, guess who rides up right then and asks if he can help her?

You guessed it…el creepo.

issue of Magazine

Twisted

Dreams

http://www.lulu.com/ content/1967262 Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/ twisteddreamsmagazine VAMPIRE BIKER BABES http://www.imdb.com/title/ tt1049414/ http://www.vampirebikerbabes.com/

The monsters are different and kind of cool actually. If you saw Ghostbusters, remember the dog thing that Rick Moranis turned into?

That is kind of what the monsters look like except that they are done in video game like graphics. It doesn‘t always fit well with the movie, but it‘s so cool (like a video game come to life) that you really don‘t care - you just want to see the rapists get eaten.

Loved all the guts too. Spent the entire movie trying to figure out what they used…raw chicken, pig guts, ham hocks, livers or pig feet, and that was half the fun - turning to my husband and saying, ―What is that?‖ ―Looks like pig guts to me,‖ he‘d answer.

You‘ll cheer as each of the gang raping jerks get theirs and even though they break the But help is the last thing he gives her. Gang raped at the local park by a band of heathens, cardinal rule of the vampire world--vampires don‘t howl and they certainly don‘t howl like she is left for dead. That‘s when sis Vanna werewolves. In fact vamps and wolves hate (who embraces her vampirism by the way) each other and this was long before the Ungets a call from the local hospital. Uh oh… derworld movies, and sometimes the vampire teeth and how they bared their fangs to be From then on out it is a mass of vampire gatherings, dead bodies, reliving Carla‘s rape baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad, made me guffaw with via sharing the memory, and more dead bod- laughter--all-in-all, Vampire Biker Babes is a fun ride for those who like authentic bikers ies. Bring in some crooked cops (all related to the biker rapists of course,) vampire killers (not actors trying to look like bikers,) lots of women in leather and vampire revenge! and you have the perfect small town cover up.

Not quite…

This review originally appeared in the February 2008

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In Strict Confidence www.promofabrik.de Interview: Dietmar Fels & Astrid Kerber Hello Dennis, thanx for taking time to answer a couple of questions pertaining your new album ―La Parade Monstrueuse―. In our last interview you outlined the theme of the album as ―a dark, strange circus world‖. What is awating the listeners?

Dennis: First and foremost it has to do with the artwork. We have taken the theme of circus or cabaret and created our own world based on that.

Would that be correct to assume that the topic of circus serves for you as a metaphor for the illusory world, the same you deal musically with?

Dennis: No. As I said the topic has to do with the artwork. Musically we work absolutely independent from that.

As a kid have you been often to a circus?

Does it fascinate you?

Dennis: Sure I have been to a circus as a kid but I don‘t really like it. In any case I feel sorry for the animals. They do not belong there and it cannot be a good life for them.

However I admire the acrobatic numbers very much. I find the circus life interesting but it doesn‘t get me excited.

We‘ve got an impression that the new album sounds much harder that its forerunner. Was it planned like that from the very beginning or did things develop in this direction as the production proceeded?

Dennis: Yes, it was planned in advance. We wanted to make the sound more raw compared to ―Exile Paradise‖. Naturally, not all songs are this hard.

Is this hardness a result of rage against all those things pretence?

Dennis: No, no. I‘m a very laid back person.

Rage and anger aren‘t my thing.

Who was responsible for the unusual artwork?

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Dennis: It is impossible to mention just one person. The general idea was mine but it took 12-15 people to realize it. From the models to the makeup artist, stylist, photograph and illustrator. It certainly took many hundreds of working hours to get the final result.

The limited edition contains a bonus-CD with many remixes. Did you pick them yourself?

Dennis: Yes, sure. Nobody tells us what to do in this regard. We made a remix for ASP in the past thus he offered his work in return.

I‘ve been in contact with Rhys Fulber for a long time and was very glad when he agreed to remix our song. X-Fusion was also a very conscious choice since I was looking for a gaudy remixer. I‘m more than content with all the results.

Moreover, there is a remix contest for ―My Despair‖.

Could you take stock of that?

Dennis: Like in the past we have got the whole range in terms of quality.

From very ―unique‖ remixes to true pearls it‘s all there. I have only got a chance to hear about a half of them and I‘ll take more time to listen very soon.

The original version of ―Set Me Free‖ you sing as a duet with Nina in two languages. What is the idea behind it?

Dennis: Actually it is just a stylistic device to underline certain things. It has no specific meaning for the lyrics.

We are very excited about the remix by ASP. What can you tell us about it?

Dennis: A wonderful job. The guys made it sound very ASP-like. And it is not just remixed by even enriched with ASP‘s vocals close before the end.

Why is it a good idea to by the new issue of Sonic Seducer?

Dennis: Because we attached our EPCD to it!

It is a rather unusual way of distribution for a CD but it‘s a move with a great potential to reach audience.

Your new tour kicks off in April. Have you planned anything special?

Dennis: First and foremost we are eager finally to perform new songs. We‘ve almost bored ourselves playing the same songs for five years. Hahah. As far as far as female vocals are concerned Antje‘s singing will be completed by Nina‘s. That way they will be rarely on stage at the same time but will be taking turns. I‘m working on expansion of the video

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projections.

You‘ve got Diorama as a support act…

Dennis: Right. That came in handy because their new album comes out almost at the same time. It would make no sense to tour separately while competing against each other. Instead, we offer a nice package for the audience.

Your opinion about the following two words…: Snow Dennis: I‘ve had enough of it this year. I live in the mountains and used to lots of snow but it has been enough for one summer.

Cultural Capital City of 2010 Dennis: Essen and the Ruhr region if my memory serves me well. As far as I can judge it deserves this title. But you are probably getting at our show in Essen in Easter… Then Essen‘s title is more than justified.

And your final words are…

Dennis: Thanx for the interview and best wishes to everybody. www.instrictconfidence.com www.myspace.com/instrictconfidence www.facebook.com/instrictconfidence

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Abney Park comes from an era that never was, but one that we wish had been. An era where airships waged war in the skies, and corsets and cummerbunds were proper adventuring attire.

They’ve picked up their bad musical habits, scoun-

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drelous musicians, and an ized instruments from d eras that they have visit thrown them into one riot mance. Expect clockwork

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nachronistically hybriddozens of locations and ted in their travels and tous dervish of a perforguitars, belly dancers,

flintlock bassists, middleastern percussion, violent violin, and Tesla powered keyboards blazing in a post- apocalyptic, swashbuckling, Steampunk musical mayhem.

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Courtney Love's "anarchy violinist" returns to the stage and is keeping the spotlight all to herself. With appearances on Leno and Letterman, glossy magazine covers, and guest spots on the albums of such artists as Love, Otep, Billy Corgan, and TV's "Metalocalypse," under her corset strings, Emilie Autumn's devilishly dark lyrics, metal-shredding violin solos, and industrial-strength voice reinvent "gothic" for the masses, and goths have never had so much fun.

Chosen by Interview Magazine as one of their "14 Artists to Watch," the Los Angelesborn starlet's theatrical stage show is a sexy circus of glamrock burlesque, backed by a scantily -clad girl band known to EA's devoted fans as the Bloody Crumpets.

But as the sole composer, performer, and producer of her latest full-length album, the double disc "Opheliac," EA gets personal. Written in the style she calls "Victoriandustrial," this magnificent musical adventure draws upon EA's background as a child-prodigy classical violinist growing up on the stages of concert halls around the world, and combines it with her passion for harsh industrialism, aggressive metal, and all things Vaudeville. The subject matter of this elaborate concept album is much darker however, bravely and often humorously 16

addressing highly controversial issues ranging from manic depression (the harpsichord-driven title track as well as the contagiously danceable "Swallow" and the epic "Misery Loves Company"), self-mutilation ("Liar," a terrifying decent into hell), and sexual abuse ("Gothic Lolita") to suicide (the beautifully ironic "The Art of Suicide"), and touching on EA's real-life experience as a psych ward inmate (the tragically funny "Thank God I'm Pretty," from the "Opheliac -- Deluxe Edition" Bonus Disc).

As EA herself explains: "I learnt to walk in the back stages of theatres and opera houses, amongst the beautiful chaos of costume changes, circus performers, sweaty ballerinas, dripping make-up, and far too much glitter. Then, I went mad and was locked up. This is simply what it sounds like inside my head. 'Opheliac' is my 'mad scene'."

Accentuated by EA's signature electric violin pyrotechnics, heartbreakingly lush orchestra-

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tions, hard-core beats, and menacing lyrics growled with enough intensity to make your hair stand on end, the resulting noise is a harpsichord-heavy romp through Victorian asylums where screaming is allowed and girls always get revenge.

2007 and 2008 were filled with nearly non-stop European touring for EA and her traveling circus, and the Asylum stage show has grown with each incarnation, quickly changing viewers' expectations from rock show to Broadway musical, complete with singing, dancing, fire-eating, stilt-walking, aerial flying, stripping, burlesque feather fan dancing, highly inappropriate comedy bits, and much, much more.

November 2008 marked the first Asylum performance in the USA, a sold-out New York extravaganza. In May, 2009, EA and her Crumpets (Aprella, Naughty Veronica, The Blessed Contessa, and Captain Maggot) completed their most recent European tour entitled "The Asylum Tour: The Gate Part II." Since her European breakthrough in late 2006, EA has recorded and released two albumlength EPs ("Liar/Dead Is The New Alive" and "Four o'Clock"), a double disc all-violin album ("Laced/Unlaced," which showcases both her classical and industrial-metal violin skills), a double feature single boasting a stunning rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," and a sexed-up version of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," as well as re-releasing an album of rarities and recordings from her teenage years, including a volume of poetry ("Enchant," "A Bit o'This & That," and "Your Sugar Sits Untouched").

Despite this wealth of new material, Emilie Autumn's focus remains firmly fixed on the "Opheliac" album, a work so unique and rich in both theatrical content and musical ability to reach a vast variety of listeners (the age of EA's evenly split male/female fanbase ranges from six to sixty, and includes devotees of the industrial, metal, goth, classical, and mainstream pop/rock genres) that even her two-and-

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a-half hour long stage show has not yet been able to accommodate all of the album's tracks.

Previously available only as an import outside of Europe, Emilie Autumn's seminal album "Opheliac" is finally being launched in America and beyond.

On October 27, 2009, The End Records is releasing the ultimate American version of EA's entirely selfwritten/performed/produced double-disc masterpiece as "Opheliac -The Deluxe Edition," featuring five new and exclusive tracks, live concert footage, video interviews, and hilarious album outtakes.

Emilie, who claims to live in an insane asylum for wayward girls, will support "Opheliac -- The Deluxe Edition" on her very first North American tour in October, 2009. Entitled "The Asylum Tour: The Key," this major-city tour promises to unlock the gate and bring the Asylum experience to those who have been waiting to see it for the very first time.

Of course, for those who can't want to wait to get past the Asylum gates, EA's debut autobiographical novel, "The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls," is soon to be released in 2009. Written and lavishly illustrated by EA, "The Asylum..." book is more than a gorgeous volume that will take up most of the space on your coffee table -- it is also one of the most complete accounts of bipolar disorder ever penned, and will take readers behind the doors of both modern day psych ward and Victorian insane asylum in this true life horror tale of madness, murder, and medical experimentation.

But beware: It is much easier to get into the Asylum than it is to get out...

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Komor Das EP

Kommando

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Komor's first EP from his solo project is a fantastic start and I eagerly await what comes

By James L Willey next. Das EP is great value for money with a strong and varied sound, a must buy for indusReleased all the way back in October of 2009, trial-dance junkies and fans and strongly recit was about time I got around to writing a re- ommended for everyone else. If you still don't view of Komor Kommando's incendiary Das have it, check Das EP out now.

EP. Komor Kommando is Sebastian R. Komor's one-man assault on the dance floor after successful projects as sound designer and songwriter for acts such as Zombie Girl and Icon of Coil. Armed to the teeth the albums opening track Love Your Neighbour begins relatively restrained, hinting tantalisingly at the storm of dance-laden chaos and noise yet to come. I would suggest not playing this on your MP3 player, once the storm breaks, the James Willey is a creative writing student at desire to jack the tracks up to volumes ap- the University of Canberra, Australia. He is proaching those that will leave you crippled also the editor (and primary contributor) for with server and lasting hearing damage is ex- Eclectomatic Ezine tremely potent. As the opening track suggests, this album should be played at high volume, http:/www.eclectomatic.net preferably in a residential area!

Following up on Love Your Neighbour is the beat driven sample heavy State Of Destruction.

Sounding every bit as menacing as the title suggests, wailing and stuttering synthesised sounds, sampled screams, ominous pads and that ever present crash of drums like the insidious march of some dark war-machine, build a wonderfully fractured and psychotic audio experience (something that is more-or-less present throughout the album).

Arpegiation makes everything sound good, undoubtedly a lie but a home truth I will stick to until otherwise irrefutably proven wrong.

Whatever the eventual outcome of this future dispute, Triggerfinger uses it to great effect crafting around it a track bound for club-hit status.

The Beat That Goes Ping, Das Onntz, and AntiKrist break away from the rest of the album in terms of the dark militaristic and grimy aesthetic. These are a lighter breed of track, diverging into a more techno branch but just as good as the all the rest. Das Onntz is another likely club track, The Beat That Goes Ping is very cool introducing - stuffed with catchy samples that will role around in your brain for days - unfortunately you will probably try to recreate these verbally and end up the joke of some very uncool people. The last track wonders off into experimental land via ambient park and comes back titled AntiKrist - a great way to bring the EP to a close.

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Melissa Marr Interview

By Duvy Duvy: Greetings, Melissa, has there been any plan, or maybe any talk, about making your books into movies or a TV show?

Universal (with Wild West Picture Show producing) acquired the rights to the series in 2009. The absolutely wonderful Caroline Thompson—who wrote Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare before Christmas, and The Secret Garden—has done the screenplay adaptation.

In March, I read and approved the screenplay. It‘s been great fun so far.

Duvy: Who would who choose to play the roles if it could be any one anywhere that you choose?

Melissa: I‘m not really a film person (although I have seen all but one of the films Caroline wrote), so I‘m not very good at this part. I‘ve had help from the readers on wickedlovely.com fansite. In my head, Ash looks somewhere between Ellen Page and Michelle Trachtenberg. I‘ve watched Juno and Whip It, and of course, every episode of Buffy. When I think of Ash, I think of traits like the stand-up-for-herself-ness Page shows in both those films and the elegance and self-doubt Tratchenberg shows in ―Once More with Feeling.‖ My mental image of Donia is very close to Emilie de Ravin. I‘ve not seen anything with her, but that‘s the right visual. Beyond that, I‘m at a total loss. Honestly, I trust my film team on the acting part, and I am in regular contact with them so they can get whatever visuals they need from me.

Duvy: Could you elaborate a little on the faery tradition for the folks out there that don't believe in faeries?

Melissa: The faery tradition I‘m embodying in my novels in rooted in my Scottish and Irish ancestry. The real faeries, according to the old lore, are both tempting and dangerous (hence the title Wicked Lovely). They‘re as likely to help as harm, and we call them the ―Good Folk‖ or ―Good Neighbors‖ because we don‘t

want to anger them—not because they are truly good. Some sources claim that the sidhe are amoral because they lack souls; others claim that they are not amoral, but simply other and understanding them is as likely as understanding the dolphin or orca. The fey are honourable, true to their vow, but stealthy in locating the ―loopholes‖ in those vows. They do not lie, but they are keen on misdirection. I‘ve never met a faery (to my knowledge), but hold hope.

Duvy: What is the one thing about faery folk that drew you in to learn more about the culture, or something that really interested or influenced you?

Melissa: I‘m Irish and Scottish (with a dash of German) so it was never a conscious choice to be interested. It‘s a matter of growing up surrounded by the information and the beliefs. I‘ve always been particularly interested in the idea of being neither wholly good or wholly evil. The idea of affiliation informing ethics is so realistic, yet we pretend that there are absolutes, that life contains black/ white issues upon which everyone should agree. My other big fascination is wordplay – faery deals, faery vows, the inability to lie. How much better would our mortal world be if we were unable to lie? Wouldn‘t it be better if we all believed in the idea that the way we treat people could destroy or enrich us? Faery tests that reward those who do a good deed…that sounds lovely. Of course, it could all be horrible because the inverse: being careless leading to horrific fates is very much fey tradition. Depending on my mood, I wish we could import a few faery laws into mortal society.

Duvy: Do you think the fae really try to live normal lives or do you think they are really at war with human kind as has been suggested by other writers in the past?

Duvy: I've noticed there are not a lot of animals, except wolves, in your books, do you think animals and pets in general would be afraid of faeries, or do you think they would be subject to glamour just as much as the rest of us?

Melissa: The exclusion of animals was a result of being in non-rural setting more than anything. The question of glamour is a good one.

I considered Ash having a dog because of the theory that they can see through glamours, but with living in a tiny apartment with her Grams, it seemed illogical…and I‘m too much of a big dog fan (I‘m a Rottweiler mother) to give any of my characters a tiny pup, or to sentence even a fictional big dog to insufficient walks. So that was purely a result of my dog love in real live.

Keenan, of course, does have his birds, and Don has Sasha. Sorcha, however, isn‘t nurturing enough to have a pet. The Hunt has steeds and dogs, so really it‘s just the cats and dogs who are absentee.

Duvy: How hard is this all going to be for Ash, Niall, Keenan, and Donia to accept?

Melissa: They all have quite a lot of challenges in the 4th and 5th books. I actually cried at one point writing about one of those challenges.

Duvy: When is the next book due to release, really we can't wait to find out what happens. :) Melissa: Radiant Shadows is out the 20th of April in the US/UK/Canada/Aus/NZ. The 5th book, Darkest Mercy (which is the conclusion to the events in all of the first 4 WL World books) will be out in 2011. In March, I released a short story (―Stopping Time‖) as a free ebook. That story and a number of others will be released in print in a WL Anthology the year after Darkest Mercy.

Duvy: Melissa Marr, we want to thank you for the lovely reading experiences and we look forward to what you have in store for us next.

Melissa: I don‘t think that‘s something I could Melissa: Thank you for the fun questions! answer. I‘m not sighted, and so I‘m left with no facts upon which to base a theory.

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Black crinkle fabric that is lightweight so that it flows behind you when you walk. The sleeves are the same type of fabric but sheer. they are slit down the center and trimmed in silver. There is an elastic loop to put your finger through so the sleeve stays with your every movement. The belt comes under the dress in the back and out through the sides to tie in the front, so as to leave the back to flow behind you as you walk.

In purple satin with pink sparkles. It has a handkerchief hemline, gathered neckline and gathered sleeves with pink ties. The over vest is a pin tuck taffeta, that has grommet lacing at the sides and front for ease of sizing. On the back of the vest are attached wings in a sheer purple/teal.

Visit Lady Angilique's shop This Witches Stitches to look into buying her fashionable wares. http://www.myspace.com/thiswitchesstitches 22

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In brown with a black lace overlay, has 3" wide lace at the cuffs and lace trim around the collar. Short in the front but has tails that come to the calf in the back. Done also in copper and black with black gimp trim and 3" lace sleeves. Topped off with a Victorian mourning hat with matching fabric band. there are also matching beaded drawstring bags.

Short jacket that comes just above the waist. Made of black alova suede, the collar and sleeve cuffs are done in a green and black jacquard. topping this off is a mini top hat done in matching fabric with black tulle trim.

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