Band:	Theatres Des Vampires
Album:	Suicide Vampire
Style:	Symphonic black metal, Gothic metal
Release date:	2002
A review by:	Undercraft

01. Theatre Of Horrors
02. Lilith Mater Inferorum
03. La Danse Macabre Du Vampire
04. Queen Of The Damned
05. Bloodlust
06. Tenebra Dentro
07. Suicide Vampire
08. Il Vampiro
09. Der Makabre Tanz Des Vampires [German version]
10. Enthrone The Dark Angel [2002 version]

Of course, many of you are thinking, Theatre Des Vampires? Suicide Vampire? Hmm Black Metal? Cradle Of Filth? Another one? Yes, I know all the pointers are here, but you're quite wrong , Theatre Des Vampires are not a copycat of Cradle Of Filth, as a matter of fact they're quite different in many ways.
But my review is not going to be of why Theatre Des Vampires are different from CoF, this is a review of Theatre Des Vampires, and it will remain that way.

If this is your first encounter with this Italians, you might wanna know that they're no newcomers in the scene, this is their fifth release since their debut in 1996, and this album we can listen Theatre Des Vampires at their finest hour. All of you "True" Blacksters might want to stay away from this one, since this is Gothic-Black Metal.

Gothic Black? Yes, you won't get here ultra high pitched shrieks, insane drumming and bad production, you'll get haunting keyboards, melodic riffing, shrieks, some clean vocals and choirs a lá Therion. Songs like "Le Danse Macabre Du Vampire" will hook you immediately with their catchy choirs, or the new version of "Enthrone The Dark Angel" which features at the 2.20 mark a very creepy "lalalalala" choir, that reminded me of a Tim Burton/Danny Elfman soundtrack.

Also there are more Gothic songs, more laid down, Like the excellent "Queen Of the Dammed" and the title track "Suicide Vampire", but if you're looking for more straight Black Metal songs, you got the opener "Theatre Of Horrors" and "Bloodlust", this Cd has it all!

The only downpoint is that some of the lyrics are kinda lame, but if you're of the type that lyrics don't matter, or you just don't care, get this one, and if you're of the type that lyrics really matter, get this one too. Recommended for fans of Therion, Penumbra and other Gothic/Black acts. Long live the vampire!