CHRISTIAN DEATH + NOX INTERNA live in Hamburg
CHRISTIAN DEATH
Biography 2018
Permanent members:
Valor - Male lead vocals, guitar and multiple instruments
Maitri - Female lead vocals, bass guitar
"The founding fathers of American goth rock, Christian Death took a relentlessly confrontational stand against organized religion and conventional morality, with an appetite for provocation that made Marilyn Manson look like Stryper. Regardless of who was leading or performing in the group, Christian Death set themselves up to shock, both in their cover art and their lyrics, which wallowed in blasphemy, morbidity, drug use, and sexual perversity. Their self-consciously controversial tactics set them apart from the British goth scene, having more to do with L.A. punk and heavy metal, and thus the band dubbed its sound "death rock" instead; however, their sensibility was ultimately similar enough that the "goth" designation stuck in the end. Their music also relied on slow, doomy, effects-laden guitar riffs and ambient horror-soundtrack synths, and their theatrical performances were strongly influenced by British glam rockers like David Bowie and Roxy Music, as well as industrial provocateurs Throbbing Gristle. The latter was especially true of the band's first incarnation, led by vocalist and founder Rozz Williams, - When Williams left in 1985, guitarist Valor Kand took over leadership and sent the group in a more intellectual, political, and metal-oriented direction. A subsequent dispute over ownership of the Christian Death name, - lead many of their fans to take sides. - Christian Death had an enormous influence on the American goth scene, shaping the sensibility of countless goth, metal, and even industrial acts that followed. Sadly, the Kand-Williams dispute ended in tragedy in 1998, when a heroin-addicted Williams took his own life.” ~ Steve Hue VH1, ROLLING STONE
There has been a ridiculously huge revolving door of membership in the Los Angeles band known as Christian Death. In the beginning, not long after the local California release of the first album, “Only Theatre of Pain”, the band irrevocably and formally broke up.
This left “Rozz”, at home with his overtly religious parents in Pomona California, to contemplate his insufferable boredom, his only relief being
found on the pages of his lyrics. After being invited to the record release
party for “Pompeii 99”a band already enjoying success in L.A., where Rozz met band leader, singer and guitarist “Valor”. Before long they were
inseparable friends and Rozz was invited to join Pompeii 99. Together as Pompeii 99, while rehearsing for a planned European tour, the head of a French record label that Valor had been negotiating with, proposed the
notion of renaming his band Christian Death. Neither Valor nor Rozz wanted to entertain this, however, the incentives proposed by the label
eventually prevailed and thus Pompeii 99 was reborn as Christian Death . The second Christian Death album, “Catastrophe Ballet”, which resulted from this deal, was recorded in Wales UK, (a place where several future
Christian Death albums were also to be born). A month before the release
of Catastrophe Ballet, the French label head released a compilation which he called “Deathwish” comprised of previously recorded, unreleased outtakes and single tracks he had licensed. Recording the second album was followed by the very first Christian Death tour which began in Paris and on to most European countries. The
emotional stress of this first tour was hard on Rozz causing him to return to
Los Angeles months before the other members that remained in Europe. Upon Valor’s return to Los Angeles, work began immediately on the third album, “Ashes”. Meanwhile, the release of a “live” album called “The Decomposition of Violets” recorded in Hollywood was also released.” After the release of Ashes the following year, plans were underway for the
second European tour when, Rozz, just weeks before the first scheduled date in Italy, announced his plans to quit the band. With no intention of cancelling the tour, Valor returned to lead vocals, the bass player became the guitarist and the guitar tech became the bass player and the tour proceeded as planned but without Rozz. Now fronted by Valor, they left California and settled in London England which they used as a base to tour Europe relentlessly in the midst of controversy, riots, bomb threats and protests by extremist Christian groups.
Many concerts were canceled as a result of direct pressure by influential
religious organizations. From England a further “nine studio albums” and four live albums were
released in the territories of England, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and USA with each release in each territory having different art work, configurations and bonus tracks. Among these releases was the critically
acclaimed album “Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ” which depicted Jesus shooting heroin and the single “Church Of No Return” which went to No.12 in the UK charts which landed the band numerous spots on MTV, VH1, Super Channel, BBC and countless other Euro television and radio shows. Meanwhile in the USA, Christian organizations began burning their albums in public and on Christian Television networks. In 1994 Valor relocated Christian Death to the USA centered around himself and Maitri on bass and vocals. “He returned with 1994's Sexy Death God, which many longtime fans greeted as his best and tightest effort in quite some time.”~ Steve Hue VH1
Once again based in the USA, for the first time, it was possible to do full
North American tours, of which there were many, which also included Mexico where the live album “Amen” was recoded at the first ever show in
Mexico City for Century Media. Later to be followed by the studio album: “Pornographic Messiah” which was also recorded in Mexico, then mixed in Holland. “In 2000, they added drummer Will "Was" Sarginson (ex-Cradle of Filth and
Blood Divine) and toured Europe alongside Britain's Cradle of Filth, one of the more popular black metal bands of their time. The two groups got along
well enough for several Cradle members to guest on Christian Death's 2001 album Born Again Anti Christian, helping it become one of the most metallic
records in their catalog. The following year, female vocalist and bassist Maitri, by then the second
most continuous member of Christian Death, issued her black metalinfluenced solo album “Lover of Sin” (confusingly labeled on the cover as "Christian Death Presents...").
In 2003, Cradle of Filth guitarist Gian Pyres officially joined Christian Death
for their European tour.” ~ Steve Hue VH1
In response to the post 911 period, the album “American Inquisition”
recorded on Season Of Mist was the offering. The tours for this album
included new territories for the band: Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador. Australia,
and New Zealand. Around this time Christian Death released multitrack
versions of several songs for the “Rock Band” video game series as well at
that time bootleg figurines of both Rozz and Valor began to appear.
In 2012 Maitri released the album second Lover Of Sin album ”Horny
Beast” the project featured members of Nile, Morbid Angel and other
popular Death Metal Bands.
2013 full tour of The Americas into 2014, with a full back catalogue digital
global release. Culminating the year at "Hellfest" supporting "Kiss", "Rob
Zombie" and "Limp Biscuit".
With the 2015 Release of the album “The Root of All Evilution”, and the
tour for that album which began that Autumn in Europe through into North
America in 2016 and again returning to Europe and finishing in Israel.
The song “Between youth”, re-released in 2017 was featured in the Vice TV
series on HBO “Balls Deep”. Later that Autumn, Christian Death completed
the longest North America Tour to date. The tour included “Lords of Acid”,
Combichrist and En Esch.
Touring in 2018 will commence at the “Underworld” in London, England.
Stay tuned to the following Christian Death social media pages for further
European dates and other updates:
www.facebook.com/christiandeath
twitter.com/ChristianDeath
www.instagram.com/christiandeath.official
www.christiandeath.com
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Nox Interna was founded in Madrid in 2007 by Richy Nox. Their music is a mix of old-school gothic-rock and industrial metal, influenced by bands like The Sisters of Mercy, Rob Zombie and Héroes del Silencio.
In 2009, Nox Interna recorded their first Album, “XIII” (Trece), and released it the same year. After a long tour through various Spanish cities, Nox Interna was booked as support band for two German tours, where they played with Cinema Bizarre and Lacrimas Profundere.
To prepare for an international release of their second studio album, the lyrics were primarily written in English, with the exception of a few songs remaining in Spanish. In April 2011, the production of the album: The Seeds of Disdain, took place in Senden, at Principal Studios in Germany. Recordings, mixing and mastering were arranged by producers Vincent Sorg (ASP, In Extremo and Die Toten Hosen) and Henning Verlage (Unheilig and Eisbrecher). In the same year, frontman Richy Nox moved to Berlin, where he discovered new musicians to complete Nox Interna
After several shows in Berlin, two support tours with the US bands Julien-K and The Crying Spell in 2012, and the Dark Munich Festival 2013, Nox Interna started to work on their third studio album. Writing and recording for “Spiritual Havoc” began at the end of 2013. It was mixed in May, 2014 in Norway by John Fryer (producer for HIM and Nine Inch Nails) and was mastered in the Cryonica Mastering Studios in London by Reza Udhin (Killing Joke). Spiritual Havoc was released in May 2015, which combines classic gothic-rock with industrial metal. It is the most introspective album Nox Interna has produced to date.
Throughout 2015 and 2016, Nox Interna toured Germany, headlining numerous appearances and playing as support on tours with bands from the gothic scene like Unzucht and Vlad in Tears. Nox Interna attracted major attention at festival shows such as Gothic Castle on Burg Satzvey and the Benefiz for Kids Festival Magdeburg.
In 2017, Nox Interna started producing their fourth studio album and played festivals almost exclusively, which included the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig and Castle Rock in Mühlheim/Ruhr, where they demonstrated their excellence in live performance to an excited audience.
2018 Nox Interna will be touring in an updated live performance with the legendary Godfathers of American Gothic Rock, Christian Death and are already confirmed at the Black Castle Festival in Mannheim and the Benefits for Kids Festival.
www.noxinterna.com
www.facebook.com/noxinternaofficial
www.batprom.de
