Only Theater of Pain
| Only Theater of Pain | ||||
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| Christian Death studio album | ||||
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Publication |
March 1982 |
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| Label (s) | Frontier Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
32 min 20 sec |
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| occupation |
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Rozz Williams , Thom Wilson , Christian Death |
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Only Theater of Pain is the first studio album by the American death rock band Christian Death .
background
Only Theater of Pain was released in March 1982 and is considered by critics as the "harbringer of death rock" . In contrast to later releases such as Ashes , which are mostly clearly based on Gothic Rock , Only Theater of Pain is still clearly based on Gothic Punk . This manifests itself in the hasty and furious style of playing the guitars, while the deep bass playing is dominant and more distinctive. On the other hand, on albums like Catastrophe Ballet and Ashes , you can also note clearly more Gothic-Rock-heavy pieces, which are characterized by clear melodies and more dominant, quieter and bright guitars, while the down-tuned bass moves into the background. The lyrics are consistently theatrical and in contrast to the lyrics from Atrocities onwards are consistently surreal . In addition, Christian Deaths, then 16-year-old front man Rozz Williams, often played satanic , blasphemous and occult content in his lyrics . Only Theater of Pain , as well as the albums that followed up to and including 1988, are also called American Gothic due to their style of playing based on Gothic Rock and Gothic Punk . The early publications under Rozz Williams are generally considered to be the archetype of American Gothic .
The album was produced and released under the Frontier label in 1982 by Rozz Williams and Thom Wilson . Only Theater of Pain was the only album with this line-up for the time being. After the recordings were finished, front man Williams decided to emigrate to Europe and then re-found the band with members of Pompeii 99. Eva O, who was still a guest musician on Only Theater of Pain , later married Williams and she became a permanent member of the band.
In particular, the first releases of Christian Death changed the sound of death rock anchored in punk and thus formed a counterpart to British Gothic rock.
"The sound of Christian Death was about to change and become more affected and various remaining in the death rock, which is in fact the American gothic rock, quite different from the UK gothic scene of the 80s, fields that Rozz Williams formed with Christian Death with "Deathwish" (1981) and "Only Theater Of Pain" (1982). "
“The sound of Christian Death influenced and permanently changed Death Rock, which is actually the American Gothic Rock that differs from the British Gothic Rock scene of the 80s, a style that Rozz Williams with Christian Death with 'Deathwish' (1981) and 'Only' Theater Of Pain '(1982). "
Only Theater of Pain was an authoritative work for the death rock that in its effect on the deathrock with the debut album of Ramones was compared for the punk.
On April 13, 2007, the original line-up was called together again to re-record the album under the name Christian Death 1334 as part of a concert at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles . The abbreviation 1334 served here to clarify a distance from the current Christian Death line-up under Valor.
Track list
A side
- Cavity - First Communion - 4:06
- Figurative Theater - 2:41
- Burnt Offerings - 3:42
- Mystery Iniquitatis - 2:46
- Dream for Mother - 3:21
B side
- Stairs - Uncertain Journey - 3:06
- Spiritual Cramp - 2:55
- Romeo's Distress - 3:15
- Resurrection - Sixth Communion - 3:45
- Prayer - 2:41
criticism
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| Allmusic |
 
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| Ox fanzine |
 
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| Sounds |
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Since its release, the album has received consistently positive reviews. The Melody Maker spoke of the "gothic album to out-gothic all others" . Alec A. Head reviews the albums Only Theater of Pain , Catastrophe Ballet , Ashes on the website Satan Stole My Teddybear and calls them post-punk essentials .
credentials
- Dave Thompson, Kirsten Borchardt: Shadow World - Heroes and Legends of Gothic Rock . 2004, ISBN 3-85445-236-5 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Ned Raggett : Only Theater of Pain - Christian Death: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic . Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/only-theatre-of-pain-mw0000314515
- ↑ http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/49483/Christian-Death-Catastrophe-Ballet/
- ↑ http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/Text/xd-history-valor.html
- ↑ http://plunderthetombs.blogspot.de/2012/04/christian-death-only-theatre-of-pain.html
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://plunderthetombs.blogspot.de/2012/04/christian-death-only-theatre-of-pain.html
- ↑ Garry Sharpe-Young: AZ of Doom, Goth & Stoner Metal. 2003 ISBN 978-1-90144-714-9 , p. 85.
- ↑ The Rozzengarten: Christian Death - Catastrophe Ballet review. Metal Storm, accessed March 21, 2014 .
- ↑ Oliver Sheppard: Deathrock a Brief History Part I. Souciant, accessed March 24, 2014 .
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
