Deathrock
Encyclopedia
Deathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock
incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States
in 1979.
, and drumming which emphasizes repetitive, post-punk beats within a 4/4 time signature. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars are sometimes used. Lyrics can vary, but are typically introspective and surreal, and deal with the dark themes of isolation, disillusionment, loss, depression, life, death, etc.; as can the style, varying from harsh and melancholic to upbeat, melodic and tongue-in-cheek. Deathrock lyrics and other musical stylistic elements often incorporate the themes of campy horror
and sci-fi
films, which in turn leads some bands to adopt elements of rockabilly
and surf rock.
The frequently simplistic song structures, heavy atmosphere and rhythmic music place a great demand on lead vocalists to convey complex emotions, so deathrock singers typically have distinctive voices and strong stage presences.
Despite the similar sounding name, deathrock has no connection to the similarly named death metal
(aside from occasionally similar lyrical themes), which is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal
. However, bands such as Australian rockers The Birthday Party
may have influenced the vocal styles to be used in the latter.
which began in 1958 with Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep" and ended in 1964 with J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss." These songs about dead teenagers were noted for their morbid yet romantic view of death, spoken word bridges, and sound effects. The Shangri-Las
' "Leader of the Pack
" is arguably the best known example of the '50s/'60s use of the term.
The term deathrock re-emerged 15 years later in 1979 to describe the sound of various West Coast punk bands. The term most likely came from one of three sources: Rozz Williams
, the founding member of Christian Death
, to describe the sound of his band,; the music press, reusing the 1950s term to describe an emerging subgenre of punk; and/or Nick Zedd
's 1979 film They Eat Scum, which featured a fictitious cannibalistic "death rock" punk band called "Suzy Putrid and the Mental Deficients."
for example, can be traced to the horror themed novelty rock and roll acts of the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Bobby “Boris” Pickett with "Monster Mash
", Screamin' Jay Hawkins
with "I Put a Spell on You
" and Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages
with "Murder in the Graveyard." These songs used sound effects to create a creepy atmosphere, dealt with taboo subjects (such as cannibalism
) in a humorous, often campy manner, and are still occasionally played at deathrock clubs.
This horror influence on rock music continued into the 1970s with theatrical hard rockers Alice Cooper
and Kiss
. Rozz Williams has specifically credited the 1970s output of both Alice Cooper
and Kiss as childhood influences, 45 Grave
also covered Alice Cooper's "School's Out
" on their debut full-length album.
Other rock and glam rock
bands who influenced many early goth/deathrock artists include The Doors
, David Bowie
, The Velvet Underground
, Iggy Pop and the Stooges
, The Cramps
, T. Rex
, New York Dolls
, The Damned, MC5
, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids
(For a more complete listing of influential artists, see Punk Forerunners and Gothic Rock predecessors.)
Horror movies also directly influenced deathrock artists. According to Dinah Cancer
, Italian horror movies were a large influence on 45 Grave
's visual style. Zombie movies influenced many deathrock artists, especially George A. Romero
's Night of the Living Dead
(1968) and its sequels. John Russo's Return of the Living Dead
(1985) which featured Linnea Quigley
and a mostly punk soundtrack influenced later deathrock bands. Horror-themed TV shows, such as The Addams Family
, The Munsters
, The Twilight Zone
, Dark Shadows
etc., also provided some visual influence, as did spookily-clad horror movie hosts on TV such as Vampira
in Los Angeles, John Zacherle
in Philadelphia and New York, Elvira
in Los Angeles (then later nationally), and Ghoulardi
in Cleveland.
However, horror was not the only influence on deathrock. Film noir, surrealism, cabaret, and various religious iconography (particularly Catholicism
and Voodoo) supplied much lyrical and visual inspiration to deathrock artists.
in the late 1970s as a darker offshoot of the pre-existing punk rock
and the emerging hardcore
LA music scene. The most active and best documented deathrock music scene was in Los Angeles
, which centered around the bands The Flesh Eaters
(1977), Kommunity FK
(1979), 45 Grave
(1979), Christian Death
(1979), Gun Club (1981), Super Heroines
(1981), Pompeii 99 (1981), Voodoo Church (1982), Ex-VoTo (1982), Burning Image
(1983) and Radio Werewolf
(1984). Other western cities in the United States also had bands which would later be described as deathrock such as Theatre of Ice
(1978) in Fallon, Nevada
and Mighty Sphincter (1980) in Phoenix, Arizona
.
These early West Coast deathrock bands took the pre-existing base of punk rock and added dark yet playful themes borrowed from horror movies, film noir, surrealism, religious imagery, etc. A couple of bands blended hardcore punk with a gothic sound, most notably TSOL
and Burning Image.
These early post-punk deathrock bands were not immediately identified as part of a new subgenre of punk; they were simply considered a darker flavor of punk and were not yet considered part of a separate musical movement. During this time, these bands would play at the same venues as punk, hardcore and new wave
bands. A similar situation arose in New York circa 1978-79, albeit on a much smaller scale, in which influential punk rock bands like The Cramps
and The Misfits, as well as The Mad (fronted by future horror-film effects artist Screaming Mad George) had incorporated extensive horror themes into their lyrics, visuals, and stage show, though they did not use the term "deathrock" to describe themselves.
were developing independently in the UK.
By 1982, a wave of darker, more tribal post-punk bands had coalesced, influenced by punk rock, and the first-generation post-punk bands (and specifically the noisier 1980-81 post-punks UK Decay
, Killing Joke
, and Theatre of Hate
). The primary bands in this new movement were Sex Gang Children
and Southern Death Cult
. Along with Brigandage
, Blood and Roses
, Ritual
, Screaming Dead
, and others, they were dubbed "positive punk" by the UK press to differentiate them from other bands who were attempting to fly under the punk banner, such as the UK 82 and Oi!
acts. These positive punk bands featured tribal drumming, high-pitched vocals, scratchy guitar, and bass as melodic lead instrument, and a visual look blending glam with Native American-influenced warpaint and spiky haircuts, the first generation of the UK's post-punk goth bands. Other related bands like Ausgang
, Inca Babies
, and Bone Orchard
shared much of the tribal ethos and spiky look, but took more inspiration from The Birthday Party
.
During 1983, a related movement was brewing at a London Gothic rock
club called the Batcave. Initially envisioned as a venue specializing in glam rock
and new wave
musical acts, the two main bands which debuted and performed frequently at the Batcave, Specimen
and Alien Sex Fiend
, developed their own different sounds strongly influenced by horror in British pop culture, which set them apart from the rest of the glam and post-punk scenes in Britain. Also in 1983, The Gun Club toured in Europe as did Christian Death
which meant the European gothic rock
scene and the American deathrock scene were now able to directly influence one another.
By 1984, the term "positive punk" was outdated, and the tribal positive punk bands, the various bands from the Batcave scene, as well as the bands from Leeds
(such as The Sisters of Mercy
, March Violets
, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
, and others) some of which used drum-machines, had all come to be referred to as "gothic" or gothic rock
. The same year, California deathrock band Kommunity FK
toured with UK Gothic rock
band Sex Gang Children
(and the following year with Alien Sex Fiend
) which continued the trend in which American and British movements intermixed. Influenced more by the British scene and less by California, deathrock bands began to form in other parts of the United States, such as Samhain
(1983) in Lodi, New Jersey
, Gargoyle Sox (1985) in Detroit, Michigan
, Shadow of Fear (1985) in Cleveland, Ohio
, and Holy Cow (1984) in Boston, Massachusetts (and later Providence, Rhode Island
). The fertile New York
scene featured Scarecrow (1984), Of a Mesh (1984), Chop Shop (1984), Fahrenheit 451 (1984), The Naked and the Dead
(1985), Brain Eaters (1986), The Children's Zoo (1986), The Plague (1987), and The Ochrana (1987).
broke up, Rozz Williams left Christian Death
, and The Sisters of Mercy became the dominant and most influential gothic act. The term "gothic rock" became preferred over "deathrock" (previously, they had been used interchangeably), a change which Rozz Williams attributed to the influence of the The Sisters of Mercy
. As a result, the term "deathrock" was seldom used except in retrospective reference to the Los Angeles bands 45 Grave
and Christian Death
.
The mid 1990s marked a so called "third wave of gothic rock," as the music drifted its furthest from the original punk and post-punk sound by incorporating many elements of the industrial music
scene at the time (which itself had moved away from experimental noise and into a more dance-rock oriented sound) and the more repetitive and electronic sounds of EBM
. Some clubs even completely dropped deathrock and first generation gothic rock from their setlists to appeal to a crossover
crowd. These changes alienated many in the goth scene who preferred the livelier, punkier deathrock sound and led them to seek out their earlier deathrock roots.
, owners of the Que Sera, a local bar, asked Jeremy Meza to throw a one-night "old school" Gothic Halloween party. After the success of the one-off party, the event quickly evolved into a regular deathrock club called Release the Bats and a focal point in California for the re-emerging deathrock movement. (The club is named after a song by the Australian band the Birthday Party
.)
The current deathrock movement is similar to the original deathrock scene in Los Angeles and the Batcave movement in London, but more unified in the US, UK, and Europe through various record labels. In addition to clubs, the current scene is centered around concerts, special events, parties, and horror movie screenings. The internet
is playing a major role in the deathrock revival. There are websites devoted to the discussion of deathrock music
, bands
and fashions as well as horror movies, such as Deathrock.com and Post-Punk.com, plus mailing lists
for deathrockers on various online virtual communities, such as MySpace
.
In terms of differences from the original scene, there has been a shift to a more post-punk sound as a result of the influence of the European bands of the '80s. Also, the apolitical influence of psychobilly
discourages political debates that have the potential to fragment the scene (however some famous deathrock acts, such as Rudimentary Peni
, were originally anarcho-punk
bands, and there is still some slight crossover between the two scenes). The Drop Dead Festival
, similar to psychobilly's Hootenanny, gave bands with smaller fan bases an opportunity to play before larger crowds.
Currently there is a growing trend of Lo-fi Goth music in the indie scene, which developed partially out of the deathrock revival. Some have already described this as the fifth wave of gothic music.
, Christian Death's 1982 debut album, is widely held as the first American Gothic album and cannot be easily classified as either a darker flavor of punk, horror punk, or gothic rock. As a result, Rozz Williams
, the lead singer of Christian Death
, Shadow Project
, Premature Ejaculation
, etc. is considered one of the most influential artists in the goth and deathrock scene. Patrick Mata of Kommunity FK
is another influential male deathrocker as well as Larry Rainwater of Ex-VoTo
.
Dinah Cancer
has been referred to as the Queen of Deathrock, the Goddess of Deathrock and the High Priestess of Deathrock for her role as the frontwoman for 45 Grave
during a time when female lead singers were still considered somewhat of a rarity. Other influential female deathrockers include Tina Winter and Eva O
.
Many artists in the United States released EPs and LPs prior to 1982 which would now be considered deathrock, such as the previously mentioned Theatre of Ice
and Mighty Sphincter. British bands also made major contributions to the deathrock sound by adding a strong post-punk influence, including Joy Division
, Bauhaus
, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Other bands from around the world added their own unique contribution to deathrock, including Xmal Deutschland
in Germany, Virgin Prunes
from Ireland, and The Birthday Party
in Australia.
However, The Sisters of Mercy
, who are frequently played at deathrock clubs, are generally not considered to be a deathrock band, as the most prominent example of their sound Floodland
has more in common with second-wave gothic rock bands (as they were the second wave's prime influence).
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
in 1979.
Characteristics
Deathrock songs use simple chords, echoing guitars, a prominent bassBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and drumming which emphasizes repetitive, post-punk beats within a 4/4 time signature. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars are sometimes used. Lyrics can vary, but are typically introspective and surreal, and deal with the dark themes of isolation, disillusionment, loss, depression, life, death, etc.; as can the style, varying from harsh and melancholic to upbeat, melodic and tongue-in-cheek. Deathrock lyrics and other musical stylistic elements often incorporate the themes of campy horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and sci-fi
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
films, which in turn leads some bands to adopt elements of rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and surf rock.
The frequently simplistic song structures, heavy atmosphere and rhythmic music place a great demand on lead vocalists to convey complex emotions, so deathrock singers typically have distinctive voices and strong stage presences.
Despite the similar sounding name, deathrock has no connection to the similarly named death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
(aside from occasionally similar lyrical themes), which is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. However, bands such as Australian rockers The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
may have influenced the vocal styles to be used in the latter.
Etymology
The term "death rock" was first used in the 1950s to describe a thematically related genre of rock and rollTeenage tragedy song
The "teenage tragedy song", also known as death rock, "tear jerker" or a "splatter platter", is a style of ballad that was most popular between the late 1950s and early 1960s...
which began in 1958 with Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep" and ended in 1964 with J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss." These songs about dead teenagers were noted for their morbid yet romantic view of death, spoken word bridges, and sound effects. The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with often heartbreaking teen melodramas, and remain best known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember ".- Early career :...
' "Leader of the Pack
Leader of the Pack
"Leader of the Pack" is a 1964 pop song recorded by girl group The Shangri-Las. It became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964.-Original Shangri-Las recording:...
" is arguably the best known example of the '50s/'60s use of the term.
The term deathrock re-emerged 15 years later in 1979 to describe the sound of various West Coast punk bands. The term most likely came from one of three sources: Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams was an American vocalist and musician of several varieties, most famous for fronting the band Christian Death, then later Shadow Project with musician Eva O, though his main project throughout his career was the industrial, Premature Ejaculation...
, the founding member of Christian Death
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
, to describe the sound of his band,; the music press, reusing the 1950s term to describe an emerging subgenre of punk; and/or Nick Zedd
Nick Zedd
Nick Zedd is an American filmmaker and author based in New York City. He coined the term Cinema of Transgression in 1985 to describe a loose-knit group of like-minded filmmakers and artists using shock value and black humor in their work...
's 1979 film They Eat Scum, which featured a fictitious cannibalistic "death rock" punk band called "Suzy Putrid and the Mental Deficients."
Origins
The earliest influences for some deathrock acts, such as 45 Grave45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
for example, can be traced to the horror themed novelty rock and roll acts of the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Bobby “Boris” Pickett with "Monster Mash
Monster Mash
"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes...
", Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
with "I Put a Spell on You
I Put a Spell on You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'...
" and Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
with "Murder in the Graveyard." These songs used sound effects to create a creepy atmosphere, dealt with taboo subjects (such as cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
) in a humorous, often campy manner, and are still occasionally played at deathrock clubs.
This horror influence on rock music continued into the 1970s with theatrical hard rockers Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. Rozz Williams has specifically credited the 1970s output of both Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Kiss as childhood influences, 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
also covered Alice Cooper's "School's Out
School's Out (song)
Female pop duo Daphne & Celeste, released a cover of the song in 2000. The chorus is based on Alice Cooper's hit of the same name, and some other elements of that song have been retained, although much of the song is "original", in a pop-rap style...
" on their debut full-length album.
Other rock and glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
bands who influenced many early goth/deathrock artists include The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
, Iggy Pop and the Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
, T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
, New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
, The Damned, MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids
(For a more complete listing of influential artists, see Punk Forerunners and Gothic Rock predecessors.)
Horror movies also directly influenced deathrock artists. According to Dinah Cancer
Dinah Cancer
Dinah Cancer is the stage name of Mary Simms. She is a vocalist, best known for her band 45 Grave, one of the founders of the genre of music known as "deathrock".-Biography:...
, Italian horror movies were a large influence on 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
's visual style. Zombie movies influenced many deathrock artists, especially George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
(1968) and its sequels. John Russo's Return of the Living Dead
Return of the Living Dead
The Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 American zombie film that was followed by several sequels. The film was written and directed by Dan O'Bannon and starred Clu Gulager, James Karen and Don Calfa....
(1985) which featured Linnea Quigley
Linnea Quigley
Linnea Barbara Quigley is an American scream queen, B movie actress, and film producer.-Early life:Quigley was born in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of Dorothy and W. Heath Quigley, a chiropractor and psychologist. She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s to pursue her dreams of acting...
and a mostly punk soundtrack influenced later deathrock bands. Horror-themed TV shows, such as The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
, The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
etc., also provided some visual influence, as did spookily-clad horror movie hosts on TV such as Vampira
Maila Nurmi
Maila Nurmi was a Finnish-American actress who created the campy 1950s characterVampira. She portrayed Vampira as TV's first horror host and in the Ed Wood cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space...
in Los Angeles, John Zacherle
John Zacherle
John Zacherle is an American television host, radio personality and voice actor known for his long career as a television horror host broadcasting horror movies in Philadelphia and New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for his character "Roland/Zacherley," he also did voice work for...
in Philadelphia and New York, Elvira
Cassandra Peterson
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation...
in Los Angeles (then later nationally), and Ghoulardi
Ghoulardi
Ghoulardi was a fictional character invented and portrayed by disc jockey, voice announcer, and actor Ernie Anderson as the horror host of late night Shock Theater at WJW-TV, Channel 8, in Cleveland, Ohio from January 13, 1963 through December 16, 1966....
in Cleveland.
However, horror was not the only influence on deathrock. Film noir, surrealism, cabaret, and various religious iconography (particularly Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Voodoo) supplied much lyrical and visual inspiration to deathrock artists.
Emergence
Deathrock first emerged in AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the late 1970s as a darker offshoot of the pre-existing punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and the emerging hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
LA music scene. The most active and best documented deathrock music scene was in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, which centered around the bands The Flesh Eaters
The Flesh Eaters (band)
The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardins, known as...
(1977), Kommunity FK
Kommunity FK
Kommunity FK is a Deathrock band that helped establish what came to be known as the deathrock scene in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1978 by American rock singer Patrick Mata influenced by Throbbing Gristle, David Bowie and Joy Division...
(1979), 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
(1979), Christian Death
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
(1979), Gun Club (1981), Super Heroines
Super Heroines
The Super Heroines was a Deathrock trio formed in Los Angeles, California during the early 1980s. However, unlike other early deathrock bands such as Christian Death and 45 Grave, Sueper Heroines did not carry on a traditional Goth sound, instead a more punk style metal inspired by The Runaways.Its...
(1981), Pompeii 99 (1981), Voodoo Church (1982), Ex-VoTo (1982), Burning Image
Burning Image
Burning Image are an American deathrock band formed in Bakersfield, California in 1982. Burning Image first released a 7" single with the songs "The Final Conflict" and "Burning Image, Burning" in the summer of 1984...
(1983) and Radio Werewolf
Radio Werewolf
Radio Werewolf was an deathrock band formed in 1984 in Los Angeles. The band split in the early 90s, and Nikolas Schreck and Zeena Lavey continued making music.-History:...
(1984). Other western cities in the United States also had bands which would later be described as deathrock such as Theatre of Ice
Theatre of Ice
Theatre of Ice were an early Deathrock band that formed in the Nevada desert in December 1978. Initially formed to record a soundtrack for a horror movie, the members instead evolved into what some claim was the first Deathrock band...
(1978) in Fallon, Nevada
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
and Mighty Sphincter (1980) in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
These early West Coast deathrock bands took the pre-existing base of punk rock and added dark yet playful themes borrowed from horror movies, film noir, surrealism, religious imagery, etc. A couple of bands blended hardcore punk with a gothic sound, most notably TSOL
TSOL
TSOL is an American punk rock band which formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. TSOL is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name....
and Burning Image.
These early post-punk deathrock bands were not immediately identified as part of a new subgenre of punk; they were simply considered a darker flavor of punk and were not yet considered part of a separate musical movement. During this time, these bands would play at the same venues as punk, hardcore and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands. A similar situation arose in New York circa 1978-79, albeit on a much smaller scale, in which influential punk rock bands like The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
and The Misfits, as well as The Mad (fronted by future horror-film effects artist Screaming Mad George) had incorporated extensive horror themes into their lyrics, visuals, and stage show, though they did not use the term "deathrock" to describe themselves.
Merger
Around the same time as deathrock was emerging as a distinctively darker subgenre of punk rock in the United States, other subgenres of punk and post-punkPost-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
were developing independently in the UK.
By 1982, a wave of darker, more tribal post-punk bands had coalesced, influenced by punk rock, and the first-generation post-punk bands (and specifically the noisier 1980-81 post-punks UK Decay
UK Decay
UK Decay are Luton-based post punk band, formed out of the ashes of another local band called The Resistors, who were Steven Abbot guitar, Steve Harle on drums, Paul Wilson vocals, and Martin Smith bass....
, Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
, and Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate
Theatre of Hate were a post-punk band formed in Britain in 1980.Led by singer-songwriter and ex-member of punk band The Pack, Kirk Brandon, the original group also consisted of: guitarist Steve Guthrie, bassist Stan Stammers , saxophonist John Lennard and drummer Luke Rendle from Crisis/The...
). The primary bands in this new movement were Sex Gang Children
Sex Gang Children
The Sex Gang Children are a positive punk group that formed in the early 1980s in England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, they remain one of the more well-known bands out of the early Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring various times...
and Southern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult was an English positive punk band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock supergroup The Cult...
. Along with Brigandage
Brigandage
Brigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand is a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery....
, Blood and Roses
Blood and Roses
Blood and Roses is a 1960 vampire film directed by Roger Vadim based upon the novella Carmilla by Irish writer Joseph Sheridan le Fanu...
, Ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
, Screaming Dead
Screaming Dead
Screaming Dead were a positive punk band from Cheltenham formed in 1980, who have often been characterized as "horror punk". They released several singles and EPs with indie chart success, before splitting up in 1985...
, and others, they were dubbed "positive punk" by the UK press to differentiate them from other bands who were attempting to fly under the punk banner, such as the UK 82 and Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
acts. These positive punk bands featured tribal drumming, high-pitched vocals, scratchy guitar, and bass as melodic lead instrument, and a visual look blending glam with Native American-influenced warpaint and spiky haircuts, the first generation of the UK's post-punk goth bands. Other related bands like Ausgang
Ausgang
-History:Ausgang formed from the ashes of previous band Kabuki. Some members had also been members of another band, The Solicitors. Max , Cub and Matthew were all previously in Kabuki, the band releasing one single before splitting up...
, Inca Babies
Inca Babies
Inca Babies are a post punk death rock band from Manchester, England, initially active between 1982 and 1988, but reformed since 2007, releasing an album "Death Message Blues" in 2010 and performing live across Europe...
, and Bone Orchard
Bone Orchard
Bone Orchard were a post-punk/gothic rock band from Brighton, England, active between around 1983 and 1986.-History:The band was formed in 1983 by Chrissie McGee , Mark Horse , Troy Tyro , Paul Hendrickson , and Mick Finch...
shared much of the tribal ethos and spiky look, but took more inspiration from The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
.
During 1983, a related movement was brewing at a London Gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
club called the Batcave. Initially envisioned as a venue specializing in glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
musical acts, the two main bands which debuted and performed frequently at the Batcave, Specimen
Specimen (band)
Specimen are a British band formed in the 1980s. Their music has been described as spanning many different genres of music, including glam, goth, punk and post-punk, and the band is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the Gothic movement, both musically and stylistically.-Early days:The band...
and Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
, developed their own different sounds strongly influenced by horror in British pop culture, which set them apart from the rest of the glam and post-punk scenes in Britain. Also in 1983, The Gun Club toured in Europe as did Christian Death
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
which meant the European gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
scene and the American deathrock scene were now able to directly influence one another.
By 1984, the term "positive punk" was outdated, and the tribal positive punk bands, the various bands from the Batcave scene, as well as the bands from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(such as The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, March Violets
March Violets
March Violets is a detective novel and the first written by Philip Kerr featuring detective Bernhard Gunther. Gunther investigates the murder of the daughter of a wealthy industrialist in Berlin as the 1936 Summer Olympics play out in the city...
, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry are a rock band that were formed in Leeds, England in early 1981.- History :The band was formed by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown...
, and others) some of which used drum-machines, had all come to be referred to as "gothic" or gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
. The same year, California deathrock band Kommunity FK
Kommunity FK
Kommunity FK is a Deathrock band that helped establish what came to be known as the deathrock scene in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1978 by American rock singer Patrick Mata influenced by Throbbing Gristle, David Bowie and Joy Division...
toured with UK Gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band Sex Gang Children
Sex Gang Children
The Sex Gang Children are a positive punk group that formed in the early 1980s in England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, they remain one of the more well-known bands out of the early Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring various times...
(and the following year with Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend is a deathrock band from the UK, composed of the married couple Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend . Currently, the band is based in Cardiff, Wales.-History:...
) which continued the trend in which American and British movements intermixed. Influenced more by the British scene and less by California, deathrock bands began to form in other parts of the United States, such as Samhain
Samhain (band)
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band,...
(1983) in Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...
, Gargoyle Sox (1985) in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Shadow of Fear (1985) in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, and Holy Cow (1984) in Boston, Massachusetts (and later Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
). The fertile New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
scene featured Scarecrow (1984), Of a Mesh (1984), Chop Shop (1984), Fahrenheit 451 (1984), The Naked and the Dead
The Naked and the Dead (band)
The Naked and the Dead were a short-lived but influential gothic rock/deathrock band from New York, founded in 1985. They split up after issuing one eponymous four-song demo cassette in September 1985....
(1985), Brain Eaters (1986), The Children's Zoo (1986), The Plague (1987), and The Ochrana (1987).
Irreconcilable differences
The mid 1980s marked the second wave of gothic rock, when the sound began to shift away from its punk and post-punk roots and towards the more serious, rock-oriented approach. BauhausBauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
broke up, Rozz Williams left Christian Death
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
, and The Sisters of Mercy became the dominant and most influential gothic act. The term "gothic rock" became preferred over "deathrock" (previously, they had been used interchangeably), a change which Rozz Williams attributed to the influence of the The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
. As a result, the term "deathrock" was seldom used except in retrospective reference to the Los Angeles bands 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
and Christian Death
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
.
The mid 1990s marked a so called "third wave of gothic rock," as the music drifted its furthest from the original punk and post-punk sound by incorporating many elements of the industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
scene at the time (which itself had moved away from experimental noise and into a more dance-rock oriented sound) and the more repetitive and electronic sounds of EBM
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
. Some clubs even completely dropped deathrock and first generation gothic rock from their setlists to appeal to a crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
crowd. These changes alienated many in the goth scene who preferred the livelier, punkier deathrock sound and led them to seek out their earlier deathrock roots.
Revival
Nearly 20 years after deathrock and goth first appeared on the music scenes in southern California and London, the deathrock revival began in southern California. During 1998 in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, owners of the Que Sera, a local bar, asked Jeremy Meza to throw a one-night "old school" Gothic Halloween party. After the success of the one-off party, the event quickly evolved into a regular deathrock club called Release the Bats and a focal point in California for the re-emerging deathrock movement. (The club is named after a song by the Australian band the Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
.)
The current deathrock movement is similar to the original deathrock scene in Los Angeles and the Batcave movement in London, but more unified in the US, UK, and Europe through various record labels. In addition to clubs, the current scene is centered around concerts, special events, parties, and horror movie screenings. The internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
is playing a major role in the deathrock revival. There are websites devoted to the discussion of deathrock music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, bands
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
and fashions as well as horror movies, such as Deathrock.com and Post-Punk.com, plus mailing lists
Electronic mailing list
An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to...
for deathrockers on various online virtual communities, such as MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
.
In terms of differences from the original scene, there has been a shift to a more post-punk sound as a result of the influence of the European bands of the '80s. Also, the apolitical influence of psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
discourages political debates that have the potential to fragment the scene (however some famous deathrock acts, such as Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni are a British anarcho-punk/deathrock band formed in 1980.-Line-up:*Nick Blinko - guitar, vocals, artwork, lyrics*Grant Matthews - bass guitar, lyrics*Jon Greville - drums-History:...
, were originally anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
bands, and there is still some slight crossover between the two scenes). The Drop Dead Festival
Drop Dead Festival
The Drop Dead Festival is the largest DIY festival for art-damaged music. It books as many as sixty five bands per event, and has been known to attract attendees from over 30+ countries...
, similar to psychobilly's Hootenanny, gave bands with smaller fan bases an opportunity to play before larger crowds.
Currently there is a growing trend of Lo-fi Goth music in the indie scene, which developed partially out of the deathrock revival. Some have already described this as the fifth wave of gothic music.
Artists
Only Theatre of PainOnly Theatre of Pain
Only Theatre of Pain was the debut studio album of American deathrock band Christian Death, originally released by Frontier Records in 1982. The album is considered the harbinger of deathrock....
, Christian Death's 1982 debut album, is widely held as the first American Gothic album and cannot be easily classified as either a darker flavor of punk, horror punk, or gothic rock. As a result, Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams was an American vocalist and musician of several varieties, most famous for fronting the band Christian Death, then later Shadow Project with musician Eva O, though his main project throughout his career was the industrial, Premature Ejaculation...
, the lead singer of Christian Death
Christian Death
Christian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
, Shadow Project
Shadow Project
Shadow Project were a deathrock band formed in the early 1990s with Rozz Williams, Eva O and Paris Sadonis. The band's first album included bassist Jill Emery and drummer Thomas Morgan....
, Premature Ejaculation
Premature Ejaculation (band)
Premature Ejaculation was an experimental music group from Pomona, California in the United States. It briefly existed in 1981, and was reformed in 1987 by Rozz Williams of Christian Death fame and Chuck Collison.-History:...
, etc. is considered one of the most influential artists in the goth and deathrock scene. Patrick Mata of Kommunity FK
Kommunity FK
Kommunity FK is a Deathrock band that helped establish what came to be known as the deathrock scene in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1978 by American rock singer Patrick Mata influenced by Throbbing Gristle, David Bowie and Joy Division...
is another influential male deathrocker as well as Larry Rainwater of Ex-VoTo
Ex-voto
An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude or devotion...
.
Dinah Cancer
Dinah Cancer
Dinah Cancer is the stage name of Mary Simms. She is a vocalist, best known for her band 45 Grave, one of the founders of the genre of music known as "deathrock".-Biography:...
has been referred to as the Queen of Deathrock, the Goddess of Deathrock and the High Priestess of Deathrock for her role as the frontwoman for 45 Grave
45 Grave
45 Grave are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as...
during a time when female lead singers were still considered somewhat of a rarity. Other influential female deathrockers include Tina Winter and Eva O
Eva O
Eva Ortiz better known as Eva O is a music artist most notable for her previous works in Christian Death and a band she formed with her then husband Rozz Williams called Shadow Project...
.
Many artists in the United States released EPs and LPs prior to 1982 which would now be considered deathrock, such as the previously mentioned Theatre of Ice
Theatre of Ice
Theatre of Ice were an early Deathrock band that formed in the Nevada desert in December 1978. Initially formed to record a soundtrack for a horror movie, the members instead evolved into what some claim was the first Deathrock band...
and Mighty Sphincter. British bands also made major contributions to the deathrock sound by adding a strong post-punk influence, including Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Other bands from around the world added their own unique contribution to deathrock, including Xmal Deutschland
Xmal Deutschland
Xmal Deutschland , often written as X-Mal Deutschland, was a musical group from Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 1980 with a completely female line-up, they became successful outside their native country. The lead singer of the band is vocalist Anja Huwe...
in Germany, Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes was an Irish gothic rock band formed in 1977. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1990.-Career:...
from Ireland, and The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
in Australia.
However, The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, who are frequently played at deathrock clubs, are generally not considered to be a deathrock band, as the most prominent example of their sound Floodland
Floodland
Floodland is the second album by the British band The Sisters of Mercy, which was released in 1987 and marked their commercial break-through.-Break-up of the original band:...
has more in common with second-wave gothic rock bands (as they were the second wave's prime influence).