Deathrock

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Deathrock (also spelled death rock) is a term used to identify a subgenre of punk rock, which incorporated elements of horror and first emerged most prominently in the West Coast of the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The music and the scene of "modern" (post-1990) deathrock bands have a stronger post-punk influence than the earlier deathrock bands. Additionally, the term "deathrock" can be used as a synonym for first generation gothic rock.

Contents

Characteristics of deathrock

Deathrock emphasizes creepy atmosphere and an introspective mood within a characteristally punk or post-punk musical structure. Songs typically use simple chords, echoing guitars, prominent bass, creative drumming, and repetitive or tribal beats, all within a 4/4 time signature. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars and/or keyboards are used, and experimentation with other instruments to produce unusual sounds is encouraged. Lyrics are typically introspective, surreal, and full of angst. They deal with the dark themes of isolation, irony, disillusionment, loss, death, etc., all of which are designed to strike an emotional chord with the listener. However, this places a great demand on the lead vocalist [link] to convey complex emotions, so deathrock singers are typically charismatic and have strong, distinctive or unusual voices in order to stand out from the heavily atmospheric and rhythmic music.

The heavy emphasis on mood means that deathrock DJs spin their music to match moods instead of matching beats as Techno and EBM DJs typically do [link].

History of deathrock

Etymology of 'deathrock'

The origin of the term 'deathrock' can be traced back to the 1950s when it was used to describe a genre of rock and roll called "death rock", beginning in 1958 with Jody Reynold's "Endless Sleep" [link] and ending in 1964 with J. Frank Wilson's Last Kiss [link]. In these songs, teenagers sang about the tragic deaths of their boyfriends or girlfriends from accidents, suicides, illnesses, etc. The Shangri-Las' Leader Of The Pack is arguably the best known example of 1950s-style "death rock", but other well-known songs from this era would include Mark Dinning's Teen Angel, John Leyton's Johnny Remember Me, and Ray Peterson's Tell Laura I Love Her [link]. These early "death rock" songs were generally more serious, introspective and romantic in nature than the novelty songs of this era which humorously dealt with encounters with vampires, monsters, werewolves, etc.[link]

The term deathrock re-emerged as early as 1979 to describe the sound of various bands which would later become associated with the deathrock scene and most likely came from one of three sources: Rozz Willams, the founding member of Christian Death, to describe the sound of his band [link]; the media, to describe Los Angeles based punk bands obsessed with spooky imagery and death (in much the same manner as "positive punk" was used by the British media to differentiate darker bands like Southern Death Cult from the standard punk and post-punk bands of the day); Nick Zedd's 1979 film "They Eat Scum", which featured a fictitious cannibalistic "death rock" punk band called "Suzy Putrid and the Mental Deficients"; or a combination of all these sources. In any event, the term deathrock appears to have first caught hold in the West Coast of the United States then spread outward from there. [link]

Deathrock was used interchangeably with gothic rock [link] until sometime during the mid 1990s when eventually deathrock as a label fell out of vogue, and was seldom used except in retrospective reference to the Los Angeles bands 45 Grave and Christian Death.

Origins of deathrock

While the aforementioned "death rock" songs of the Shangri-Las, Mark Dinning, Ray Peterson, etc. helped to initially establish some of the themes (death, grief, loss, tragedy, etc.) [link] which would become associated with deathrock, both the sound and visuals of deathrock were perhaps more influenced by the less serious late 1950s/early 1960s novelty music acts such as Bobby “Boris” Pickett with Monster Mash and Screamin' Jay Hawkins with I Put a Spell on You in the United States, and Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages with Murder in the Graveyard in Great Britain. These songs used sound effects [link] to create a humorously creepy atmosphere while dealing with taboo subjects. Screamin' Jay Hawkins had an elaborate stage act which would include coffins, skulls, shrunken heads, and fireworks [link]. These novelty songs are still occasionally played at deathrock clubs [link].

Other influences from the 1950s include the darker themes and often campy visuals from B-movie horror films and the atmospheric and mood-setting sound of horror film scores all of which were eventually incorporated into deathrock. These types of influences continued through the 1960s with TV shows such as the Addams Family, The Munsters, The Twilight Zone, and Dark Shadows as well as the frequent TV showings of Universal Horror films, Hammer Horror films, and B-movie horror films. However, the dark side of American pop culture was not the only influence on deathrock, which took much lyrical and visual inspiration from surrealism, film noir, and various religious iconography (particularly Catholicism and voodoo). According to Dinah Cancer, Italian horror movies were also a very big influence on 45 Grave's visual style [link]. Both deathrock bands and deathrock fashion were influenced by spookily-clad horror movie hosts on TV such as Vampira [link] in Los Angeles, John Zacherle in Philadelphia and New York, Elvira in Los Angeles (then later nationally), and Ghoulardi [link] in Cleveland.

Well-known rock bands from the 1960s and early 1970s such as The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Alice Cooper, KISS, etc, explored darker themes and sounds, and in some cases incorporated horror-themed visuals into their shows which would later influence deathrock artists. For example, Rozz Williams specifically credited Alice Cooper and KISS as two of his biggest influences [link].

(For a more complete listing of the early musical influences on Deathrock, see Punk Forerunners and [Gothic Rock predecessors].)

Emergence of deathrock

Deathrock first emerged in America in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a darker offshoot of the pre-existing punk rock and pre-hardcore LA music scene. [link].

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), Voodoo Church (1982), Burning Image (1983), Super Heroines, etc. However, 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.

Many of these deathrock bands were at least partially influenced by the more theatrical glam acts such as David Bowie, Alice Cooper, T. Rex, The New York Dolls, etc, as well as punk progenitors MC5, The Stooges, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, etc. The older Los Angeles bands were not yet influenced by the more gothic-sounding first generation post-punk bands Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, etc, from Europe.

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.[link] And in some cases blending hardcore punk with a gothic sound; a prime example of this would be TSOL [link]; and Burning Image [link]. During this time, however, these early deathrock bands were not immediately identified as part of a new subgenre of punk; they were simply considered a darker flavor of punk or maybe even horror punk. During this time, these bands would play at the same venues as punk, hardcore and new wave bands and were not yet considered part of a separate music scene [link]. 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 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.

A 1981 review of the Veil, a Los Angeles club catering to a gothic clientele, indicates that "downtown art types" may have also been an indirect influence on the deathrock scene by supporting clubs where Deathrock and gothic rock were played [link]. Unlike some other sub-genres of punk, many deathrock songs have a strong dance beat. The lyrics of the Dead Milkmen's 1987 satirical song "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)" [link] support the notion that art-school students continued to be some of the more enthusiastic supporters of the deathrock and gothic rock club scenes through the 1980s.

Merger with gothic rock

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-punk were developing independently in the UK [link].

By 1982, a wave of darker, more tribal post-punk bands had coalesced, influenced by punk rock and the first-generation post-punk bands, as well as specifically the noisier 1980-81 post-punks like 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 & Roses, Ritual, and others, they were dubbed "positive punk" by the UK press to differentiate them from the atavistic, destructive punk rock and oi acts of the period. These positive punk bands featured tribal drumming, high-pitched vocals, thin, scratchy guitar, and bass as melodic lead instrument, and a visual look blending glam with Native American-influenced warpaint and spiky haircuts. 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.

Meanwhile, a related scene was brewing in 1983 at a London club called The Batcave[link], initially envisioned as a spot specializing in darker glam and post-punk musical acts [link] (though it was also associated with such different figures as original punk Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69, and industrial titans Test Department). However Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend, the two main bands which debuted and performed frequently at the Batcave, 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 [link] as did Christian Death [link] which meant the European 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 drum-machine bands from Leeds (Sisters of Mercy [link], March Violets, etc.) had all come to be referred to as "gothic" [link] or gothic rock [link].

California deathrock band Kommunity FK toured with Sex Gang Children in 1984 and Alien Sex Fiend [link] in 1985, which continued a trend in which American and British scenes intermixed.

Also during this time, American bands began to form who were influenced by the more post-punk sound of European bands, such as 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) [link], Brain Eaters (1986), The Children's Zoo (1986), The Plague (1987), and The Ochrana (1987). Eventually, American deathrock and post-punk merged with British gothic rock [link].

The mid 1980s also marked the second wave of gothic rock which is when the influence of post-punk began to wane and be replaced with a more serious and rock-oriented approach [link]. The tempo gradually slowed down and become more mechanical from the widespread use of drum machines instead of live drummers [link]. Also, the growing influence of deep lead vocals would replace the more glam and post-punk style vocals. This shift in sound was largely due to the influence of Sisters of Mercy. Also during this time, the term "gothic rock" began replacing deathrock, which Rozz Williams attributed to the influence of the The Sisters of Mercy [link].

During the third wave of gothic rock in the mid 1990s, the music began to incorporate many elements of the harsher, factory-inspired sound of industrial music and the more repetitive and electronic sounds of EBM and electro-industrial, while losing some of the remaining introspection and romanticism inherent in first and second-wave gothic rock. Some goth clubs even dropped gothic rock from their setlists and instead focused on alternative electronic music (EBM, futurepop, darkwave, power noise, etc.) to appeal to a crossover crowd [link]. These changes alienated many in the goth scene [link] who preferred the livelier, punkier deathrock sound [link]. Their growing dissatisfaction with the new direction of gothic rock and the club scene led some to seek out their earlier deathrock roots [link].

(For a more complete description of second and third generation goth, see the gothic rock article.)

The deathrock revival

Dinah Cancer and other Deathrockers at Release the Bats.

Nearly 20 years after deathrock first appeared on the music scene in Southern California, the deathrock revival began in Southern California.

In 1998 in Long Beach, California, Dave and Jen Skott (AKA Dave and Jenn Bats) were asked by the owner of the Que Sera, a local bar, 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 [link] and the focal point in California for the reemerging deathrock scene. (The club is named after a song by the Australian band the Birthday Party.)

The current deathrock scene is similar to the original deathrock scene in Los Angeles and the Batcave scene in London [link]. 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 deathrock music, bands and fashions as well as horror movies, such as [deathrock.com] and [post-punk.com], plus mailing lists for deathrockers on Yahoo! and online virtual communities on LiveJournal and MySpace. And recently, the term "deathrockerette" has come into the vogue to describe a female deathrocker [link].

In contrast to the early deathrock scene, the current scene has four additional influences which didn't exist in the late 1970s.

First, there is the influence of post-punk and glam which came from post-punk and Batcave bands such as Specimen, Sex Gang Children, Alien Sex Fiend, etc. Their strong influence on modern deathrock has caused a shift in sound away from early hardcore punk towards a more post-punk sound. Some of the darker sounding songs from modern post-punk revival bands are also occasionally played in deathrock clubs.

Second, there is the influence of psychobilly (another music fusion genre of horror and punk) which is noted for being strongly apolitical. This influence has discouraged political debates which have the potential to fragment the scene. And the Drop Dead Festival, featuring several days of about 60 bands with psychobilly, horror punk and deathrock bands, is similar to psychobilly's Hootenanny, which emphasizes fun and gives bands with smaller fan bases an opportunity to play before larger crowds [link].

Third, there is a more serious horror movie influence on deathrock, based in part on fewer unintentionally campy horror movies being made, plus the increasing availability of horror movie film scores through CDs and legal online music download. Deathrockers also frequently participate on internet discussion forums and mailing lists for horror fans, and many deathrock discussion forums have separate sections specifically for horror movies.)

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, there now exists the influence of older deathrockers still active in the scene on a new generation of deathrockers. A significant percentage of modern deathrockers were part of the deathrock scene in the 1980s and are now in their 30s or 40s. Members of the original deathrock scene did not have the benefit of a group of 'elders' to pass on the oral history of music and the traditions of the scene.

As the modern goth scene continues to drift further away from its horror and punk roots under the influences of more melodic EBM and futurepop, more deathrock bands and clubs are appearing as a reaction against this trend [link]. Cinema Strange, Bloody Dead and Sexy, The Brides, The Deep Eynde, The Vanishing, Bella Morte and Devilish Presley are popular modern deathrock bands, while Release the Bats in Long Beach, CA; Funeral in Pomona, CA; the Asylum in San Francisco, CA; Wake the Dead in Sydney, Australia; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in Melbourne, Australia; Dead and Buried in London, UK; Pagan Love Songs in Bochum, Germany; Onderstroom in Nijmegen, Netherlands and The Wake in Nottingham, UK remain popular deathrock clubs.

Deathrock artists

Christian Death's 1982 debut album, Only Theatre Of Pain is widely held by many as the first purely deathrock album [link] which could not be easily classified as either a darker flavor of punk (as with TSOL or The Damned), horror punk (as with 45 Grave or Voodoo Church), or post-punk (as with Bauhaus or Joy Division). As a result, Rozz Williams, the lead singer of Christian Death, Shadow Project, Daucus Karota and Premature Ejaculation, to name a few, is considered by many as one of the single most influential musicians in the deathrock scene.

In the 1980s, Dinah Cancer has been referred to as the Queen of Deathrock[link], the Goddess of Deathrock [link] and the High Priestess of Deathrock [link] for her role as the frontwoman for 45 Grave during a time when female lead singers were still considered somewhat of a rarity. She eschewed the more "pretty" gothic look for one more horror-inspired, and emphasized the more fun side of death [link] as opposed to the more serious and sensual gothic side.

However, this is not to imply that Los Angeles were solely responsible for the formation of the deathrock sound; many bands in the United States released EPs and LPs prior to 1982 which would now be considered deathrock such as the priviously mentioned Theatre of Ice and Might Sphincter. Also British bands made major contributions to the deathrock sound by adding a strong post-punk influence, including Joy Division, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees, etc. Other bands from around the world added their own unique contribution to the deathrock sound, including Xmal Deutschland in Germany, Virgin Prunes from Ireland, and The Birthday Party, etc.

Sisters of Mercy, who are frequently played at deathrock clubs, are generally not considered a major influence because the band's sound has more in common with second-wave gothic rock bands (as they were the second wave's prime infuence) than the punkier sound of first-wave gothic rock bands [link].

For a more comprehensive list of deathrock artists, see:

Deathrock compared to other subgenres

Deathrock synonyms

Deathrock probably has more synonyms than any of the other subgenres of punk, and they help illustrate its similarities and differences to these other punk-related subgenres. These synonyms include the 1980s terms death punk, gothic punk, goth punk, horror rock, splatter rock, spooky rock and roll, positive punk, Batcave, PIB (Person in Black), gloom rock, gloom and doom, and monochromatic punk; the 1990s terms punky-goth, gothic punk, old school goth, '80s goth and new grave; as well as the 2000s terms dark post-punk and dark dance punk.

Horror punk is sometimes used as a synonym for deathrock although it is a different subgenre of punk.

Other punk and horror fusion genres

The subgenres of punk most closely related to deathrock are horror punk and psychobilly. While deathrock is a fusion of pre-hardcore punk, post-punk and horror, horror punk is a fusion of punk and horror, and psychobilly is a fusion of punk, rockabilly and horror. Because of the strong influence of horror on these three subgenres, there exists considerable overlap between their sense of fashion, musical preferences and bands.

Generally speaking, horror punk sounds louder, faster, and closer to its Misfits-inspired hardcore punk roots. Conversely, deathrock sounds more introspective, serious, and romantic than horror punk (i.e. Samhain). Keyboards are another differentiating point: deathrock bands frequently use keyboards (mainly for atmosphere) whereas horror punk and psychobilly bands usually do not. (From a more humorous perspective, deathrock bands do not use "whoas" in their choruses, frequently use the word spooky to describe their music, and prefer Deathhawks over Devilocks [link].)

Psychobilly, however, is easier to distinguish from horror punk and deathrock because psychobilly bands normally use an upright bass [link] whereas horror punk and deathrock bands do not.

Post-punk, especially when dealing with darker themes, sounds very similar to modern deathrock; however post-punk seldom includes horror-related themes and images which are frequent components of deathrock. Additionally, post-punk bands generally do not put on highly theatrical shows emphasizing spooky imagery.

What deathrock is not

Despite the similar sounding names deathrock (which is a subgenre of punk) has no connection to the similarly named death metal, which is a subgenre of heavy metal.

Additionally, deathrock should not be confused with shock rock. Deathrockers and deathrock bands do not deliberately seek to shock others or cause controversy; their fashion choices are generally done in a playful, tongue in cheek manner. However, as it has been previously noted, deathrock was influenced by earlier shock rockers such as Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Alice Cooper.

Related genres

Subcultural fashion

Web and Print zines

[Deathrock.com]
[Deathrock.net]
[Drop Dead Magazine] US Deathrock Print Magazine that also covers Post Punk, NDW, Batcave, Psychobilly, Punk, Goth and More
[Dark Culture Magazine]
[Deathrock.it]
[NY Decay]
[Starvox]
[Midnight Calling]

Online communities

Internet Deathrock radio stations

Articles

[1981 review of L.A. punk club mentioning "gothic clientele"] on TVParty.com
[1984 Christian Death interview] on thebluehour.free.fr
[1993 American Music Press article on the History of Deathrock and Goth] on lepresson.com
[1994 Rozz Williams interview] on thebluehour.free.fr
[1994 article on Why Death Rock Won't Die] on vamp.org
[1994 essay on L.A. Club Helter Skelter] on vamp.org
[1994 Gothic Rock article] on Darkwaver.com
[1998 Dinah Cancer interview] on darkculture.net
[2004 article on the Reanimation of the Deathrock Scene] on Starvox.net
[2004 Dinah Cancer interview] on alicebag.com
[Early Rock and Roll era Horror songs] on cod.edu
[60 Rules for Horror Punk bands] on horrorpunk.org
[45 Grave's and Christian Death's influence on the Deathrock sound (under 'A Brief History of the Goth Music Scene)] on Everything2.com
[Interview with S.F. DJ Rick A. Mortis] on darkculture.net

Deathrock Festivals

http://dropdeadfestival.com Drop Dead Festival: Annual music festival featuring Deathrock, Horror Punk, Post-punk, Psychobilly and related genres.
http://www.dancefloorpoison.com/boyd.htm Bring Out Your Dead Festival: Annual UK-based (London) music festival featuring Deathrock, Horror Punk, Post-punk and Gothabilly

Club Nights

North America

http://nydecay.com NY Decay Productions: Deathrock, Psychobilly and Punk Nights in and around NYC & PA
http://www.releasethebats.info Release the Bats, Long Beach, CA
http://www.ladead.com/ Disco Nekro, Hollywood, CA
http://www.gothpunk.com/formaldihyde/asylum.html Asylum, San Francisco, CA
http://www.stitched-up.org/ Stitches (all ages), Urbana, IL
http://www.sudsys.com/church/index.html Church, Cincinnati, OH
http://www.schadenfreude-dc.com/ Schadenfreude, Washington D.C.
http://www.whoamongus.com/voodoo/ Voodoo A Go Go, New York, NY

Europe

http://www.dancefloorpoison.com/ Dead and Buried, London, UK
http://www.thewake.org.uk/ The Wake, Nottingham, UK
http://www.nightmarezone.de/ Pagan Love Songs, Bochum, Germany
http://www.skeletalremains.de/ Skeletal Remains, Berlin, Germany
http://onderstroom.resurrection.nl Onderstroom, Nijmegen, Netherlands

South America

http://www.thenightbreed.com/v2005/index.php the Nightbreed, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Australia

http://kisskissbangbang.bravehost.com/index.html Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Fitzroy, Australia
http://www.wakethedead.com.au/main.html Wake the Dead, Sydney, Australia

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