Theatre of Ice
Encyclopedia
Theatre of Ice were an early Deathrock
(Gothic rock
) 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. Owing more initially to experimental groups such as Throbbing Gristle
, Suicide
and Chrome
, the band also cited bands as diverse as Iron Butterfly
, Blue Öyster Cult
, The Moody Blues
and Roxy Music
as major influences. Theatre of Ice brought a modern approach to gothic-horror themes by tackling the idea of an underground spook show in the contemporary world.
scene in 1980 with the release of Mouse Blood (a title they would later re-use). Sixty minutes of bizarre noise and songs about death and the end of the world, more than 1000 copies were disseminated throughout the world and garnered the band a recording contract with fledgling Demented Mind Mill Records. Their first album The Haunting
was recorded in 1981 in an actual haunted house in the Nevada desert. While thought by many to be just a gimmick the band claimed that it inspired them to create what is one of the more deranged albums to ever be recorded. Rather than opting for one musical style the album alternates between hard razor-sharp, creepy-crawly punk rock
with echo like wolf howls to textural synthesizer
soundtracks filled with strange noises. But while the musical style varied the themes remained rooted in modern horror.
The original line up included Brent Johnson (vocals, guitar) and his brothers John Johnson (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Eric Johnson (bass guitar), Mark Johnson (drums) and Lyle Johnson (electronics). In describing the songmaking process Brent Johnson was quoted as saying: "We approach every song like painting a picture. The subject comes first, then the tones, color and shades necessary to set the mood. The actual structure of the song (i.e. the tune) is the least important. We never set out to do something "different" or "original", nor do we attempt to be "mainstream" -- things just end up how they end up."
Their second album Beyond the Graves of Passion
received much of the same critical acclaim that their first album received. Simultaneously scarier and more accessible, the album had the effect of polarizing their audience into two camps; those that considered the band to be basically a kitschy novelty act and those that thought Theatre of Ice to be unholy prophets from the underworld. Ultimately the album failed to garner the group a wider audience beyond their small, but rabid, cult following and was considered a major disappointment by their record company. It was also during this time that groups of devotees began following the band from show to show often performing bizarre rituals before, during and after shows. Several altercations between the band and their devotees, combined with poor album sales, lead the band to consider disbanding. The most infamous of these altercations occurred when a group of crazed fans abducted the band for nearly 48 hours before a performance in August 1983. No arrests were ever made but the band refused to play live for many years and to this date most of their performances go unpublicized.
The final live performance of Theatre of Ice (at least that is what it was believed to be at the time) took place during the autumnal equinox in 1983 in a vast alkaline desert flat, littered with hundreds of dead animal skeletons, and located about 25 miles from the family's farm in remote Fallon, Nevada
. A huge wooden TOI symbol was burned while the band played nearly every song from their first 2 albums along with several earlier works. Although the location was remote and was not well publicized, several hundred "devotees" attended the performance. The similarities in location and date between this event and what some few years later would become known as the Burning Man
Festival are quite startling. Ironically the band closed the event playing “The Burning Man" from The Haunting.
A Cool Dark Place to Die
was initially conceived as a solo project for lead vocalist Brent Johnson but instead became the bands third and one of their most critically acclaimed work. Since the only condition under which the band would reform was if they were never asked to perform live again, a commitment they were never able to keep, the songs took on a far more experimental and unearthly quality. Featuring incredibly effective spooky ambiance, they all but totally abandoned their punk rock roots for a far more electronic sound. This time the band choose to record in various ghost town cemeteries located throughout the Nevada desert. Perhaps more mood than music it was still reviewed by almost every music magazine as Death Rock and acclaimed as unlike anything heard before. "Densely rich cemetery songs. Synthesizers projecting ethereal dischords to the back of the head; quiet but crashing guitars; unconventional percussion, and vocals that sound as if they are about to commit suicide. Oh baby, groove to the sound of the gentle annihilation beat. I've had to rescue this album from coveters more than once. Morbid minds think alike and perversity is a shared trait. Mortals stick with this – prophets should be heard if not endured".
Mouse Blood
was intended to be the bands final offering as brothers Brent and John moved to Utah
, Eric moved to Georgia
, and Mark moved to Connecticut
to attend different universities. Labeled as "A limited edition sampling of the works of Theatre of Ice as chosen by friends who hate the band" it included songs from their first three albums as well as a few newly recorded tracks. The new songs were recorded in an old abandoned barn located on the family farm. At the conclusion of the recording process the band chose to set fire to the barn and with it destroy all lyric sheets, correspondences, tapes, photos and videos that were in their possession. They basically were attempting to destroy any and all evidence that the band had ever existed (with the obvious exception of the 4 albums they had recorded). Lead singer Brent Johnson was quoted as saying, "Only fire can destroy the monsters we have created". It was also rumored that the band had committed suicide in the firery blaze, a rumor it is believed the band encouraged.
The album, however, was heralded by the music press as one of the most innovative albums of the decade. Alternative Press
wrote: "Think of Poe
's Black Cat as a reference point for Mouse Blood. As in Poe the suggestion of insanity always lays close to a formal artistic surface. Imagine Poe living in the contemporary family, and then you'll sense how Mouse Blood flows through the dark night of domestic horror. Theatre of Ice sounds far more uncompromising than Bauhaus
or The Cure
in their search for the sublime within the dark hidden regions of themselves. What stands revealed is the core connection between gothic rock
and American Romanticism
. Theatre of Ice is concerned not only with the geography of the soul but that of the American West. In this sense, their songs of premature burial take on a deep suggestiveness. The formal horror of Theatre of Ice is nothing less than bizarre horror of the American West; a land of nuclear test sites, animal carcass dumps, and Mormon
catacombs."
selling in record numbers and receiving such high critical acclaim the Demented Mind Mill convinced Brent and John Johnson to record one more album. The label had recently released a number of highly unsuccessful albums and was in need of money badly. Dale Garrard, who had spent time as a guitarist in both Chrome and P.O.A. joined the band as lead guitarist, and Theatre of Ice was once again "creating monsters". The brothers Johnson actually first meet Garrard in a Provo, Utah
cemetery at almost precisely the stroke of midnight. The Johnsons were there to take some flash photos for their new album, what Mr. Garrard was doing there isn't known. But the idea of running into a guitarist of his caliber in a cemetery at midnight was seen as a sign of "interesting" things to come.
The band immediately began work on their fifth album The Resurrection, the title referring to the band rising once again from the dead. With Dale Garrard, John and Brent Johnson all playing guitar as well as other instruments the album took on a very dark, heavy, near metal
sound; this was not seen initially as a positive direction for the band by their label who wanted them to stick closer to the sound of their previous two albums, which had become the biggest commercial successes the Demented Mind Mill had. The label soon changed their mind when promotional versions of Gone With The Worms, and Tomorrow Never Comes, the first two songs released for the new album, received very favorable responses from radio stations across Europe
.
The Resurrection was the first album the band did not attempt to record entirely at some remote haunted” location. No haunted houses, and with the exception of 2 songs, no cemeteries. It is not completely known chronologically which songs were recorded first – so it is not known whether the events that occurred when recording She Sleeps and Holy Holy Cry led to the decision to end the “haunted location recording sessions” or not. What is well documented is that the band chose a small unused and seldom cared for cemetery to record these two previously mentioned dark and moody pieces. During the play-back of Holy Holy Cry it is reported by all who were present that something could be heard rapidly moving through the grass, weeds, and bushes toward the grave where the band had set up to record. The sound was almost like that of galloping beast, it is said. Suddenly an invisible force burst out of the darkness and fell upon all who were there – and then left just as suddenly. It is widely held that this event led to John Johnson leaving the band upon completion of the album.
Recording completed just before Christmas 1985 and the album was set to be released in early 1986. Despite their commitment to never play live again, at the conclusion of the recording process the band played an impromptu concert in the isolated mountain town of Payson, Arizona
. Live versions of the previously released Funeral Games and the newly penned Santa Claws (written 30 minutes before they took the stage) were included on The Resurrection in an attempt to end the rumors that the band had indeed committed suicide 6 months earlier in the "Mouse Blood Fire", a rumor that had continued to grow despite the announced release of a newly recorded album.
The Resurrection proved, however, to be the death knell for the Demented Mind Mill. Although another critical success for the band it sold very poorly; it is debatable whether its poor sales led to the closing of the Demented Mind Mill or whether the impending bankruptcy of the Demented Mind Mill led to the albums poor sales. To this date it is unknown how many actual copies were pressed or sold, the album is almost impossible to find and rarely comes up for sale on any of the internet auction sites.
Orphanage Records, an American label with a solid reputation in the Gothic Rock and Death rock music scenes, offered to re-release The Resurrection; but were unable to obtain any of the masters, except for the two live recordings, from the Demented Mind Mill. So Orphanage Records asked the band to re-record seven of the songs from the album, one from The Haunting, two from Beyond the Graves of Passion, nine new originals, and reuse the two live recordings. These 17 "new" songs were released in 1986 as Love... Is Like Dying
. Even though John Johnson is credited as playing on the album, it is a known fact that he had previously left the group and only appears on the two live recordings.
Love... Is Like Dying
was an immediate success for both the band and for their new label. With Songs as diverse as Dreams of Fire and In The Attic, the album greatly increased their fan base and for the first time put them on the radar of college radio stations across the country. This opened the door for the band to tour parts of the country it had never played live to, it was just up to their label to assure them that "nothing bad would happen" if they were to go on an extended tour.
During the fall of 1986 the band committed to its only extended tour of the United States
. To accommodate the tour three new members were added to the band; Jay Planty on guitar, Ted Preiss on bass, and Jason Cobb on drums. For the most part the tour was uneventful, playing mostly as a supporting act, the group performed before crowds that were largely unfamiliar with their history. On New Year's Eve, 1986, the tour concluded in Fallon, Nevada
, the birthplace of the band, with a performance in what had long been alleged to be a haunted slaughterhouse. A large concrete edifice, the abandoned slaughterhouse had been the site of many strange sightings and the subject of local ghost stories for over 20 years. More of a video shoot and recording session than an actual concert, it was made open to the public and several hundred of the locals braved the spirits and the cold to attend the show. With their now stripped down, punkier sound, the band tore through several versions of In the Attic, Miron, Gone With the Worms, A Cool Dark Place to Die, Red Asphalt and Within the Ruins of a Mind. The concert was intended to conclude at the stroke of midnight, ushering in the New Year. But sometime slightly after 11:00pm a bizarre event occurred; all the power suddenly turned off and the slaughterhouse was thrown into total blackness. A few seconds later an unearthly moan howled forth from every speaker and amplifier. An other worldly wail that lasted nearly 30 seconds. Stunned and terrified, the majority of the crowd hastily dispersed and the concert came to a screeching halt. To this date it is still a matter of speculation as to whether this was an actual supernatural occurrence or was staged by the band in an attempt to add to their mystic and legend. What is known is that Jay Planty, Ted Preiss, and Jason Cobb left the band after the event. Planty and Preiss would return several years later, but this was the last time the band recorded at any alleged haunted sites or cemeteries. Three of the Songs from the session were chosen to be released as the bands first seven inch EP, In the Attic
. Along with the title track the record included Gone with the Worms and Within the Ruins of a Mind. The record was a howling success and was the first in what would be a long string of seven inch EPs the band would release.
Immediately after returning from Nevada
the band began work on their next album, The Dead
. The first album to be recorded entirely in a studio, all of the tracks were written and recorded by Brent Johnson and Dale Garrard. The album departed greatly from all of their previous efforts and included several mainstream sounding rock songs with slick production values. The departure was so great that Orphanage Records decided not to release it under the bands name, choosing instead to release it under the name Oblivion Now. It was only through a miscommunication with the printers and pressing plant that the wrong cover and labels were printed and The Dead
became the bands seventh album. A tremendous failure with fans and non-fans alike, the album was literally pulled from the shelves and scrapped.
To erase the failure of The Dead
the decision was made to record a live album. Three new members were again added to the band; Craig Moore on guitar, George Carlston on bass, and Richard Hillquist on drums. Live… Beyond the Graves of Utah was recorded during the summer of 1988. “Summertime in small-town Utah
. Beautiful tree lined streets, families picnicking in the park, children laughing and playing. A scene straight out of Leave it to Beaver
. But something was about to descend upon happy valley. During the summer of 1988 Theatre of Ice toured Utah
playing anywhere they could – V.F.W. halls, jr. high auditoriums, movie theaters, skating rinks, hamburger joints, even an abandoned grocery store. The crowds varied in size and enthusiasm, but one thing was certain, they’d never forget what they saw and heard. It’s been said by many before; Theatre of Ice was a lousy band live. So why a live CD? Perhaps their detractors expected them to try and reproduce their dark, gloomy syntho-beats live. But that’s not what a Theatre of Ice show was about. Instead they packed away their patented electronic experimentation, cranked up the guitars and stepped into high gear. Vocals shouted rather than sung, guitars thrashed and drums beaten rather than played. It was always more about the experience than the music. Songs about killing girlfriends, suicidal maniacs, and child molesters were undoubtedly not the normal family home evening fare in small-town Utah. But for one evening during the summer of 1988 it was. You can make your own decision as to whether Theatre of Ice was a lousy band live or not. Just ask yourself one question – would you like to have been one of the unsuspecting present when Theatre of Ice took the stage?”
During the tour, the newly penned song, “Kill Your Girlfriend
,” quickly became the climax of each performance. So it was no surprise that Orphanage Records decided to release a live version of the song as the title track of the bands next 7 inch ep. Easily the crudest and sloppiest recording the band had yet to release, it rapidly became the groups largest selling record. Punk rock periodicals like Flipside (fanzine)
and Maximum Rock N' Roll, which had previously dismissed the band as arty and pretentious, wrote rave reviews of the record. "Demented, sick, deranged, perverted, degrading -- In other words, pure enjoyment. This is brilliant raunchy rock and roll, obviously the product of disturbed minds. Parental guidance suggested." With the band now at the zenith of its popularity, the decision was made to relocate to Phoenix, Arizona; the home of Orphanage Records.
Deathrock
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.-Characteristics:...
(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 that formed in the Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
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
Deathrock
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.-Characteristics:...
band. Owing more initially to experimental groups such as Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
, Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
and Chrome
Chrome (band)
Chrome was an experimental rock group founded in San Francisco, California in 1976.Chrome took part of their inspiration for their rough and sometimes chaotic music from proto punk pioneers like The Stooges. The sound of the group was often coarse and featured heavy elements of feedback and...
, the band also cited bands as diverse as Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
, Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
, The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
and Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
as major influences. Theatre of Ice brought a modern approach to gothic-horror themes by tackling the idea of an underground spook show in the contemporary world.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- "Our world is rapidly becoming a theatre of ice. A place where cold passionless vision rules. A place where fear and horror dominate out thinking. Theatre of Ice is a natural extension of this twisted world of ours. Its members seek only to recreate through music the insanity and terror they believe is all around them. They offer the world, both through their live performances and taped offerings, the opportunity to hear what only they have seen."
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-
-
-
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The Nevada years (1978-1985)
Originally calling themselves The Bleeding Hearts the band recorded several demos during 1978 and 1979. The name was changed to Theatre of Ice at the end of 1979 and reflected the bands notion of a person sitting alone bathed in the silvery cold light of their television, slowing losing touch with reality. They burst onto the cassette cultureCassette culture
Cassette culture, or the cassette underground , refers to the practices surrounding amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes...
scene in 1980 with the release of Mouse Blood (a title they would later re-use). Sixty minutes of bizarre noise and songs about death and the end of the world, more than 1000 copies were disseminated throughout the world and garnered the band a recording contract with fledgling Demented Mind Mill Records. Their first album The Haunting
The Haunting (1982 album by Theatre of Ice)
The Haunting was the first full length album by the American deathrock/gothic rock band Theatre of Ice, recorded in 1981, and released in 1982.The recording sessions took place in a supposedly haunted house somewhere in the deserts of Nevada...
was recorded in 1981 in an actual haunted house in the Nevada desert. While thought by many to be just a gimmick the band claimed that it inspired them to create what is one of the more deranged albums to ever be recorded. Rather than opting for one musical style the album alternates between hard razor-sharp, creepy-crawly 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...
with echo like wolf howls to textural synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
soundtracks filled with strange noises. But while the musical style varied the themes remained rooted in modern horror.
The original line up included Brent Johnson (vocals, guitar) and his brothers John Johnson (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Eric Johnson (bass guitar), Mark Johnson (drums) and Lyle Johnson (electronics). In describing the songmaking process Brent Johnson was quoted as saying: "We approach every song like painting a picture. The subject comes first, then the tones, color and shades necessary to set the mood. The actual structure of the song (i.e. the tune) is the least important. We never set out to do something "different" or "original", nor do we attempt to be "mainstream" -- things just end up how they end up."
Their second album Beyond the Graves of Passion
Beyond the Graves of Passion
Beyond the Graves of Passion is the second album recorded by the Deathrock/Gothic rock band Theatre of Ice. It was recorded in 1982 and 1983 in an actual haunted house, and released on Demented Mind Mill Records in 1983...
received much of the same critical acclaim that their first album received. Simultaneously scarier and more accessible, the album had the effect of polarizing their audience into two camps; those that considered the band to be basically a kitschy novelty act and those that thought Theatre of Ice to be unholy prophets from the underworld. Ultimately the album failed to garner the group a wider audience beyond their small, but rabid, cult following and was considered a major disappointment by their record company. It was also during this time that groups of devotees began following the band from show to show often performing bizarre rituals before, during and after shows. Several altercations between the band and their devotees, combined with poor album sales, lead the band to consider disbanding. The most infamous of these altercations occurred when a group of crazed fans abducted the band for nearly 48 hours before a performance in August 1983. No arrests were ever made but the band refused to play live for many years and to this date most of their performances go unpublicized.
The final live performance of Theatre of Ice (at least that is what it was believed to be at the time) took place during the autumnal equinox in 1983 in a vast alkaline desert flat, littered with hundreds of dead animal skeletons, and located about 25 miles from the family's farm in remote 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...
. A huge wooden TOI symbol was burned while the band played nearly every song from their first 2 albums along with several earlier works. Although the location was remote and was not well publicized, several hundred "devotees" attended the performance. The similarities in location and date between this event and what some few years later would become known as the Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
Festival are quite startling. Ironically the band closed the event playing “The Burning Man" from The Haunting.
A Cool Dark Place to Die
A Cool Dark Place to Die
A Cool Dark Place to Die is an album by Theatre of Ice, released in 1984.Initially conceived as a solo project for lead vocalist Brent Johnson, it instead became the band's third album and one of their most critically acclaimed works...
was initially conceived as a solo project for lead vocalist Brent Johnson but instead became the bands third and one of their most critically acclaimed work. Since the only condition under which the band would reform was if they were never asked to perform live again, a commitment they were never able to keep, the songs took on a far more experimental and unearthly quality. Featuring incredibly effective spooky ambiance, they all but totally abandoned their punk rock roots for a far more electronic sound. This time the band choose to record in various ghost town cemeteries located throughout the Nevada desert. Perhaps more mood than music it was still reviewed by almost every music magazine as Death Rock and acclaimed as unlike anything heard before. "Densely rich cemetery songs. Synthesizers projecting ethereal dischords to the back of the head; quiet but crashing guitars; unconventional percussion, and vocals that sound as if they are about to commit suicide. Oh baby, groove to the sound of the gentle annihilation beat. I've had to rescue this album from coveters more than once. Morbid minds think alike and perversity is a shared trait. Mortals stick with this – prophets should be heard if not endured".
Mouse Blood
Mouse Blood
Mouse Blood was intended to be Theatre of Ice's final offering as brothers Brent and John Johnson moved to Utah, Eric moved to Georgia, and Mark moved to Connecticut to attend different universities. Labeled as "A limited edition sampling of the works of Theatre of Ice as chosen by friends who hate...
was intended to be the bands final offering as brothers Brent and John moved to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Eric moved to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Mark moved to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to attend different universities. Labeled as "A limited edition sampling of the works of Theatre of Ice as chosen by friends who hate the band" it included songs from their first three albums as well as a few newly recorded tracks. The new songs were recorded in an old abandoned barn located on the family farm. At the conclusion of the recording process the band chose to set fire to the barn and with it destroy all lyric sheets, correspondences, tapes, photos and videos that were in their possession. They basically were attempting to destroy any and all evidence that the band had ever existed (with the obvious exception of the 4 albums they had recorded). Lead singer Brent Johnson was quoted as saying, "Only fire can destroy the monsters we have created". It was also rumored that the band had committed suicide in the firery blaze, a rumor it is believed the band encouraged.
The album, however, was heralded by the music press as one of the most innovative albums of the decade. Alternative Press
Alternative Press (music magazine)
Alternative Press is an American music magazine based in Cleveland, Ohio. It generally provides readers with band interviews, photos, information on upcoming releases, and music charts. It was founded in 1985 by Mike Shea, who is the current president....
wrote: "Think of Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's Black Cat as a reference point for Mouse Blood. As in Poe the suggestion of insanity always lays close to a formal artistic surface. Imagine Poe living in the contemporary family, and then you'll sense how Mouse Blood flows through the dark night of domestic horror. Theatre of Ice sounds far more uncompromising than 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...
or The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
in their search for the sublime within the dark hidden regions of themselves. What stands revealed is the core connection between 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...
and American Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
. Theatre of Ice is concerned not only with the geography of the soul but that of the American West. In this sense, their songs of premature burial take on a deep suggestiveness. The formal horror of Theatre of Ice is nothing less than bizarre horror of the American West; a land of nuclear test sites, animal carcass dumps, and Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
catacombs."
The Utah years 1985-1988
With Mouse BloodMouse Blood
Mouse Blood was intended to be Theatre of Ice's final offering as brothers Brent and John Johnson moved to Utah, Eric moved to Georgia, and Mark moved to Connecticut to attend different universities. Labeled as "A limited edition sampling of the works of Theatre of Ice as chosen by friends who hate...
selling in record numbers and receiving such high critical acclaim the Demented Mind Mill convinced Brent and John Johnson to record one more album. The label had recently released a number of highly unsuccessful albums and was in need of money badly. Dale Garrard, who had spent time as a guitarist in both Chrome and P.O.A. joined the band as lead guitarist, and Theatre of Ice was once again "creating monsters". The brothers Johnson actually first meet Garrard in a Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
cemetery at almost precisely the stroke of midnight. The Johnsons were there to take some flash photos for their new album, what Mr. Garrard was doing there isn't known. But the idea of running into a guitarist of his caliber in a cemetery at midnight was seen as a sign of "interesting" things to come.
The band immediately began work on their fifth album The Resurrection, the title referring to the band rising once again from the dead. With Dale Garrard, John and Brent Johnson all playing guitar as well as other instruments the album took on a very dark, heavy, near 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...
sound; this was not seen initially as a positive direction for the band by their label who wanted them to stick closer to the sound of their previous two albums, which had become the biggest commercial successes the Demented Mind Mill had. The label soon changed their mind when promotional versions of Gone With The Worms, and Tomorrow Never Comes, the first two songs released for the new album, received very favorable responses from radio stations across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The Resurrection was the first album the band did not attempt to record entirely at some remote haunted” location. No haunted houses, and with the exception of 2 songs, no cemeteries. It is not completely known chronologically which songs were recorded first – so it is not known whether the events that occurred when recording She Sleeps and Holy Holy Cry led to the decision to end the “haunted location recording sessions” or not. What is well documented is that the band chose a small unused and seldom cared for cemetery to record these two previously mentioned dark and moody pieces. During the play-back of Holy Holy Cry it is reported by all who were present that something could be heard rapidly moving through the grass, weeds, and bushes toward the grave where the band had set up to record. The sound was almost like that of galloping beast, it is said. Suddenly an invisible force burst out of the darkness and fell upon all who were there – and then left just as suddenly. It is widely held that this event led to John Johnson leaving the band upon completion of the album.
Recording completed just before Christmas 1985 and the album was set to be released in early 1986. Despite their commitment to never play live again, at the conclusion of the recording process the band played an impromptu concert in the isolated mountain town of Payson, Arizona
Payson, Arizona
- History :Payson considers its founding year as 1882, at which time it was known as Green Valley or Union Park. On March 3, 1884, the town officially established a post office. Postmaster Frank C. Hise recommended that the town be named after a man named Levi Joseph Payson. Senator Payson was very...
. Live versions of the previously released Funeral Games and the newly penned Santa Claws (written 30 minutes before they took the stage) were included on The Resurrection in an attempt to end the rumors that the band had indeed committed suicide 6 months earlier in the "Mouse Blood Fire", a rumor that had continued to grow despite the announced release of a newly recorded album.
The Resurrection proved, however, to be the death knell for the Demented Mind Mill. Although another critical success for the band it sold very poorly; it is debatable whether its poor sales led to the closing of the Demented Mind Mill or whether the impending bankruptcy of the Demented Mind Mill led to the albums poor sales. To this date it is unknown how many actual copies were pressed or sold, the album is almost impossible to find and rarely comes up for sale on any of the internet auction sites.
Orphanage Records, an American label with a solid reputation in the Gothic Rock and Death rock music scenes, offered to re-release The Resurrection; but were unable to obtain any of the masters, except for the two live recordings, from the Demented Mind Mill. So Orphanage Records asked the band to re-record seven of the songs from the album, one from The Haunting, two from Beyond the Graves of Passion, nine new originals, and reuse the two live recordings. These 17 "new" songs were released in 1986 as Love... Is Like Dying
Love... Is Like Dying
Love... Is Like Dying is the sixth album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice and their first for Orphanage Records.Orphanage Records, an American label with a solid reputation in the Gothic rock and Deathrock music scenes, offered to re-release The Resurrection; but were unable to obtain...
. Even though John Johnson is credited as playing on the album, it is a known fact that he had previously left the group and only appears on the two live recordings.
Love... Is Like Dying
Love... Is Like Dying
Love... Is Like Dying is the sixth album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice and their first for Orphanage Records.Orphanage Records, an American label with a solid reputation in the Gothic rock and Deathrock music scenes, offered to re-release The Resurrection; but were unable to obtain...
was an immediate success for both the band and for their new label. With Songs as diverse as Dreams of Fire and In The Attic, the album greatly increased their fan base and for the first time put them on the radar of college radio stations across the country. This opened the door for the band to tour parts of the country it had never played live to, it was just up to their label to assure them that "nothing bad would happen" if they were to go on an extended tour.
During the fall of 1986 the band committed to its only extended tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. To accommodate the tour three new members were added to the band; Jay Planty on guitar, Ted Preiss on bass, and Jason Cobb on drums. For the most part the tour was uneventful, playing mostly as a supporting act, the group performed before crowds that were largely unfamiliar with their history. On New Year's Eve, 1986, the tour concluded 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...
, the birthplace of the band, with a performance in what had long been alleged to be a haunted slaughterhouse. A large concrete edifice, the abandoned slaughterhouse had been the site of many strange sightings and the subject of local ghost stories for over 20 years. More of a video shoot and recording session than an actual concert, it was made open to the public and several hundred of the locals braved the spirits and the cold to attend the show. With their now stripped down, punkier sound, the band tore through several versions of In the Attic, Miron, Gone With the Worms, A Cool Dark Place to Die, Red Asphalt and Within the Ruins of a Mind. The concert was intended to conclude at the stroke of midnight, ushering in the New Year. But sometime slightly after 11:00pm a bizarre event occurred; all the power suddenly turned off and the slaughterhouse was thrown into total blackness. A few seconds later an unearthly moan howled forth from every speaker and amplifier. An other worldly wail that lasted nearly 30 seconds. Stunned and terrified, the majority of the crowd hastily dispersed and the concert came to a screeching halt. To this date it is still a matter of speculation as to whether this was an actual supernatural occurrence or was staged by the band in an attempt to add to their mystic and legend. What is known is that Jay Planty, Ted Preiss, and Jason Cobb left the band after the event. Planty and Preiss would return several years later, but this was the last time the band recorded at any alleged haunted sites or cemeteries. Three of the Songs from the session were chosen to be released as the bands first seven inch EP, In the Attic
In The Attic (Theatre of Ice)
During the fall of 1986 the band committed to its only extended tour of the United States. To accommodate the tour three new members were added to the band; Jay Planty on guitar, Ted Preiss on bass, and Jason Cobb on drums...
. Along with the title track the record included Gone with the Worms and Within the Ruins of a Mind. The record was a howling success and was the first in what would be a long string of seven inch EPs the band would release.
Immediately after returning from Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
the band began work on their next album, The Dead
The Dead (Theatre of Ice)
The Dead is the seventh album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice.-Musicians:*Brent Johnson - Vocals, Guitars, Effects, Percussion*Dale Garrard - Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards, Drums-Track listing:#Dead Moon Rising#Losing Proposition...
. The first album to be recorded entirely in a studio, all of the tracks were written and recorded by Brent Johnson and Dale Garrard. The album departed greatly from all of their previous efforts and included several mainstream sounding rock songs with slick production values. The departure was so great that Orphanage Records decided not to release it under the bands name, choosing instead to release it under the name Oblivion Now. It was only through a miscommunication with the printers and pressing plant that the wrong cover and labels were printed and The Dead
The Dead
The Dead may refer to:* The dead, those who have experienced death* 'The Dead' , by Rupert Brooke* "The Dead" , by James Joyce* The Dead , adapted from Joyce's story* James Joyce's The Dead, Broadway musical...
became the bands seventh album. A tremendous failure with fans and non-fans alike, the album was literally pulled from the shelves and scrapped.
To erase the failure of The Dead
The Dead (Theatre of Ice)
The Dead is the seventh album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice.-Musicians:*Brent Johnson - Vocals, Guitars, Effects, Percussion*Dale Garrard - Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards, Drums-Track listing:#Dead Moon Rising#Losing Proposition...
the decision was made to record a live album. Three new members were again added to the band; Craig Moore on guitar, George Carlston on bass, and Richard Hillquist on drums. Live… Beyond the Graves of Utah was recorded during the summer of 1988. “Summertime in small-town Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Beautiful tree lined streets, families picnicking in the park, children laughing and playing. A scene straight out of Leave it to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
. But something was about to descend upon happy valley. During the summer of 1988 Theatre of Ice toured Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
playing anywhere they could – V.F.W. halls, jr. high auditoriums, movie theaters, skating rinks, hamburger joints, even an abandoned grocery store. The crowds varied in size and enthusiasm, but one thing was certain, they’d never forget what they saw and heard. It’s been said by many before; Theatre of Ice was a lousy band live. So why a live CD? Perhaps their detractors expected them to try and reproduce their dark, gloomy syntho-beats live. But that’s not what a Theatre of Ice show was about. Instead they packed away their patented electronic experimentation, cranked up the guitars and stepped into high gear. Vocals shouted rather than sung, guitars thrashed and drums beaten rather than played. It was always more about the experience than the music. Songs about killing girlfriends, suicidal maniacs, and child molesters were undoubtedly not the normal family home evening fare in small-town Utah. But for one evening during the summer of 1988 it was. You can make your own decision as to whether Theatre of Ice was a lousy band live or not. Just ask yourself one question – would you like to have been one of the unsuspecting present when Theatre of Ice took the stage?”
During the tour, the newly penned song, “Kill Your Girlfriend
Kill Your Girlfriend
Kill Your Girlfriend is the second ep recorded by the Deathrock/Gothic rock band Theatre of Ice. Easily the crudest and sloppiest recording the band had yet to release, it rapidly became the groups largest selling record.- Musicians :...
,” quickly became the climax of each performance. So it was no surprise that Orphanage Records decided to release a live version of the song as the title track of the bands next 7 inch ep. Easily the crudest and sloppiest recording the band had yet to release, it rapidly became the groups largest selling record. Punk rock periodicals like Flipside (fanzine)
Flipside (fanzine)
Flipside was a punk rock fanzine published in Los Angeles, California from 1977 to 2000.As one of the first and longest running US punk rock fanzines, this publication extensively chronicled the world of independent and underground music during this era. Known for its highly opinionated cast of...
and Maximum Rock N' Roll, which had previously dismissed the band as arty and pretentious, wrote rave reviews of the record. "Demented, sick, deranged, perverted, degrading -- In other words, pure enjoyment. This is brilliant raunchy rock and roll, obviously the product of disturbed minds. Parental guidance suggested." With the band now at the zenith of its popularity, the decision was made to relocate to Phoenix, Arizona; the home of Orphanage Records.
MP3s
Discography
| Title | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Studio album Album An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album... s |
||
| The Haunting The Haunting (1982 album by Theatre of Ice) The Haunting was the first full length album by the American deathrock/gothic rock band Theatre of Ice, recorded in 1981, and released in 1982.The recording sessions took place in a supposedly haunted house somewhere in the deserts of Nevada... |
1982 | Demented Mind Mill |
| Beyond the Graves of Passion Beyond the Graves of Passion Beyond the Graves of Passion is the second album recorded by the Deathrock/Gothic rock band Theatre of Ice. It was recorded in 1982 and 1983 in an actual haunted house, and released on Demented Mind Mill Records in 1983... |
1983 | Demented Mind Mill |
| A Cool Dark Place to Die A Cool Dark Place to Die A Cool Dark Place to Die is an album by Theatre of Ice, released in 1984.Initially conceived as a solo project for lead vocalist Brent Johnson, it instead became the band's third album and one of their most critically acclaimed works... |
1984 | Demented Mind Mill |
| Mouse Blood Mouse Blood Mouse Blood was intended to be Theatre of Ice's final offering as brothers Brent and John Johnson moved to Utah, Eric moved to Georgia, and Mark moved to Connecticut to attend different universities. Labeled as "A limited edition sampling of the works of Theatre of Ice as chosen by friends who hate... |
1985 | Demented Mind Mill |
| The Resurrection | 1986 | Demented Mind Mill |
| Love... Is Like Dying Love... Is Like Dying Love... Is Like Dying is the sixth album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice and their first for Orphanage Records.Orphanage Records, an American label with a solid reputation in the Gothic rock and Deathrock music scenes, offered to re-release The Resurrection; but were unable to obtain... |
1986 | Orphanage Records |
| The Dead The Dead (Theatre of Ice) The Dead is the seventh album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice.-Musicians:*Brent Johnson - Vocals, Guitars, Effects, Percussion*Dale Garrard - Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards, Drums-Track listing:#Dead Moon Rising#Losing Proposition... |
1987 | Orphanage Records |
| Murder the Dawn | 1990 | Orphanage Records |
| Live album Album An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album... s |
||
| Live Beyond the Graves of Utah | 1988 | Harsh Reality Music |
| Live is a Wild and Scarey Thing | 1993 | Orphanage Records |
| EPs | ||
| In The Attic In The Attic (Theatre of Ice) During the fall of 1986 the band committed to its only extended tour of the United States. To accommodate the tour three new members were added to the band; Jay Planty on guitar, Ted Preiss on bass, and Jason Cobb on drums... |
1987 | Orphanage Records |
| Kill Your Girlfriend Kill Your Girlfriend Kill Your Girlfriend is the second ep recorded by the Deathrock/Gothic rock band Theatre of Ice. Easily the crudest and sloppiest recording the band had yet to release, it rapidly became the groups largest selling record.- Musicians :... |
1988 | Orphanage Records |
| This is What You Get for Christsmas | 1988 | Orphanage Records |
| It's All Over Now It's All Over Now "It's All Over Now" was written by Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos featuring Bobby Womack. The Valentinos version entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 27, 1964, where it stayed on the chart for two weeks, peaking at No. 94... |
1989 | Orphanage Records |
| Rock Star Autopsy | 1991 | Orphanage Records |
| Radio Has Gone Insane | 1991 | Orphanage Records |
| Compilation album Album An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album... s |
||
| Life is a Wild and Scarey Thing Greatest Hits Package | 1992 | Orphanage Records |
| Lurid Little Lies Greatest Hits Package | 2001 | MP3.COM MP3.com MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting... |
| More Fun Than You Deserve Pop Hits Package | 2001 | MP3.COM MP3.com MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting... |
| Death Becomes You Punk/Garage Hits Package | 2002 | MP3.COM MP3.com MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting... |
| From the Cold Dark Regions Gothic/Deathrock Package | 2002 | MP3.COM MP3.com MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting... |