Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR : 

DT: When and why the band was formed?. (Your current line -up).
TDV: The band was formed in 1993 by Alexander and Roberth.
They released the same year a 7inc, but with a different moniker of the band "VII Arcano".
The year after they decided to change the name in Theatres des Vampires, because they was fasineted by the Anne Rices novels, as Interview with the Vampire.
In 1995 they released the first demo tape, and the first official CD in 1996.
The actual line up enter in the band in 1997.
The current line up is:
Alexander: Vocals
Scarlet: Female Vocals
Roberth: Guitars
Fabian: Keyboard
Zimon: Bass
Gabriel: Drums

DT: Your influences?.
TDV: There are a lots of influence in our sound.
From the gothic of 80's to Heavy Metal, to classical music to Black Metal..
We always tried to play our "style" of Gothic Metal…

DT: What style do you play?... how do you describe your music?.
TDV: We like to call our sound "Horror Gothic Metal". I think that our music is a theatrical and glamoure form of Gothic Metal.
Highly influenced by Italian Opera and classical music.
I think that our music is not for "everybody"… our musical research drive us in places rarely touched by other bands.

DT: Tell me about your experience with the first Demo 1995, "Nosferatu eine symphonie des grauen".
TDV: Well, actually I can say you few things about this… I entered in the band 2 years later.
In 1995 Theatres des Vampires played a completely different style of music of nowdays.
Was a kind of raw style of Black Metal, like Darkthrone..
The gothic influences was already inside the first demo…but was just an embrion inside a black metal concept.
In the years this chanded arriving at was is our sound today.
A fully Gothic Metal sound, orchestral, theatrical and full of Horror atmosphere.

DT: Tell us about your 1996 Production "Vampyrìsme, nècrophilie, nècrosadisme, nècrophagie".
TDV: Was our first album.
But during the recording process we found great problems for a split of the line up.
Is not a case that almost all the band entered in the line up AFTER this album.
I think that the production of this album was very low. I really don't like it.
I suggest to the fans, if the want to listen at it, to purchase the re-release of 2003 from the title "Vampyrisme". Is a completely re-played Cd with the actual formation, and with great gueststar as Gian Pyras of Cradle of Filth and Valor from Christian Death.
In this re-release we tried to leave the "underground" feeling of the original recording of 1996, but making a better production and arrangment.

DT: Do you like old Heavy Metal?.
TDV: Not so much.
I prefer Gothic Metal and Dark-Gothic music.
When I was young I was a fans of some Hard-rock-metal band as Kiss, Black Sabbath, King Diamond… but in the years I left this kind of music.
Today I prefer listen band like Rammstein, The Kovenant, Paradise Lost, Crematory, etc. etc.

DT: Do you like Gore movies?.
TDV: I love horror movies, the gore ones are not my favorite, but I like it.
I prefer thriller or classic horror style… as The Ring, Dawn of the dead, Deep red…
I like some Troma stuff too… but is more like just a funny way to pass a night with the friend, with the video and a drink.

DT: Do you like Hardcore / Punk?, yes or no, and why?.
TDV: I don't like this kind of music.
Generally I don't like music where there is few techinical skills, and lack of armony and melody.

DT: Do you know to the Peruvian Satanist, FAHED MITRE?.
TDV: Never listen before… here in Europe I suppose is not so successfull.

DT: Do you prefer, THE SIMPSON's FAMILY, BEAVIES & BUTTHEAD or SOUTHPARK?
TDV: Southpark I suppose, even is not my kind of film or tv series… I prefer the horror-fantasy stuff..

DT: Do you like STAR WARS? Do you like the Action Figures? are you a collector?.
TDV: I love Star Wars, especially the trilogy from 1977 to 1983… The new one is not so good. 
I think that Gorge Lucas loose the opportunity to close this wonderful saga in the right way.
I hope that the next one that will be released in 2005 will be a little bit better of "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the clones".
I love action figures, but only the military ones.
I have a large collection of scale 1:6 Military Action figure, from the Axis of WWII, so Germans, Italians and Japanese.
A lots of this action figure are only made on my request, so are custom made just for me and is impossible find it in the shops.

DT: Talk me about the Limited Edition of "Vampire Chronicles" (1999) on Digipak and your work with Blackened Records / Plastic Head.
TDV: Well, actually there is not to much to say.
In 1999 the first version released of "The Vampire Chronicles" was in digipack, a limited edition of 1000 copies.
Was released by a different label.
As soon we released the album we signed with Plastic Head/Blackend, that bought the rights for the album and re-release in a standard version, without digipack.
The old version is a real rarity…

DT: What can you tell me about "Bloody Lunatic Asylum" (2001) and about your "Lubilaeum Anno Dracula" (MCD) (2001)?.
TDV: Was the first albums released with Plastic Head. Here the production was bettern then before.
The budget for recordin was serious, so for the first time we had the possibility to realize all the ideas that we had in mind.

DT: Talk me about "Suicide Vampire" (2002) and the problem with cover of pop pixie Kylie Minogue's hit "I Can't Get You Out of My Head", and your vampirized version "I Can't Get You Out of My Grave". 
TDV: As you know our band have a great sense of humor.
In 2002 for the release of Suicide Vampire we decided to make a cover of the song of Kylie Minogue "You can get ouf my head".
In our mind was the idea to make something "different" from our classical style, but also politically un-correct.
So we realized this version with our eccentric style of music and we change the title in "You can't get out of my grave"… destroying completely the original meaning of the song.
At the begin the EMI, the label of Kylie, was very keen of that.
But as soon they realized what we are doing stop our label sending a letter from their lawyer and forced us take out the song from the album.
Is a shame that this big label like EMI have this lack of sense of humor… for this reason probably the 99% of their product is a fake.

DT: Talk me about your 2 productions on 2003, "Bootleg - 1993-2003 The (un)official history" and "Vampyrisme".
TDV: Vampyrisme is a re release of our first album of 1996, but completely re-played and re-arranged by the actual formation.
Is a nice album, the show to the fans the evolution of the band.
In this album we had 2 very special guest star.
Gian Pyras from Cradle of Filth and Valor from Christian Death.
About the other release… as you are saying… is a bootleg, so is not official material… is made by a group of fans for the fans only.
Is quite difficult to find in the market, because as all the bootleg had a bad distribution.
I said you, is not official material, and we are not involved in this project.

DT: Tell me about your next concert.
TDV: I don't know in this year will tour for sure Europe, as Germany, England, Italy, Austria, Belgium and Holland… probably we will came back in Est Europe as Serbia and Croatia…
Some agents propose us a tour of South America too…
Mexico e Brasil expecially, where we have a large fan base.

DT: Tell me about your 2 productions on 2004, "Blackend Colletion" and "Nightbreed of Macabria".
TDV: Blackend collection is a limited box set (2000 copies) with 4 of our past albums, The Vampire Chronicles, Bloody Lunatic Asylum, Iubilaeum Anno Dracula and Suicide Vampire.
The label feel that is the right time to release this collection, the band is growing so much that in this way the new fans will have the possibility to have all our discography in a single Box set at a VERY competitive price… we are talking about 15 Euro for 4 Cds!!!
About Nightbreed of Macabria is our last release and from my point of view is our best album ever…
Give it a try and you will remain shocked.
Is a fucking good material!

DT: Do you prefer Macintosh or PC?
TDV: PC!!! Macintosh is too much style, without a soul!!

DT: Your future plans?.
TDV: Finish the promotion of this album, make all the tour that we have scheduled… and then take a little bit of relax!

DT: Your last comment for DEATHTHRASHER's readers?.
TDV: Carpe Noctem children of the night.