A Cool Dark Place to Die

Last updated
A Cool Dark Place to Die
COOLDARK.jpg
Studio album by
Released1984
Genre Deathrock
Label Demented Mind Mill
Theatre of Ice chronology
Beyond the Graves of Passion
(1983)
A Cool Dark Place to Die
(1984)
Mouse Blood
(1985)

A Cool Dark Place to Die is an album by Theatre of Ice, released in 1984. [1]

Contents

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. Since the band would only reform on the condition that 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 an effective spooky ambiance, they all but totally abandoned their punk rock roots for a far more electronic sound. This time the band chose 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 being unlike anything heard before.

Track listing

Source: Discogs [2]

  1. Welcome to My World
  2. "A Cool Dark Place to Die"
  3. "Radio Has Gone Insane"
  4. "Deliverance"
  5. "Love"
  6. "Twilight Messiah"
  7. "Witchcraft"
  8. "Circle of Stars"
  9. "The Calling"
  10. "Rejoice"
  11. Life is a Circus
  12. "Oblivion"
  13. "It's All Over Now"
  14. "Riding the Nightmare"
  15. "Candlemas"
  16. "The Murdering Mind"
  17. "One Two"
  18. "Overcoming Peace of Mind"
  19. "The Horror That Comes in the Night"
  20. "Death... and Beyond"
  21. "The Last"

Musicians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC/DC</span> Australian rock band

AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in 1973. It was founded by brothers Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar and Angus Young on lead guitar. Their current line-up comprises Angus, bass guitarist Cliff Williams, drummer Phil Rudd, lead vocalist Brian Johnson and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, nephew of Angus and Malcolm. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formative influence on the new wave of British heavy metal bands, such as Def Leppard and Saxon. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Matlock</span> English musician

Glen Matlock is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only officially released studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, although he had left the band early in the recording process, credited as bassist and backing vocalist on only one song on the album, "Anarchy in the U.K.". However, on the bootleg album Spunk, Matlock played bass on all the songs, which included earlier studio recordings of 10 of the 12 songs that later appeared on the Bollocks album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilko Johnson</span> English musician (1947–2022)

John Andrew Wilkinson, better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s. Johnson was known for his distinctive guitar playing style, which he achieved by not using a plectrum but playing fingerstyle. This enabled him to play rhythm guitar and riffs or solos at the same time creating a highly percussive guitar sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre of Tragedy</span> Norwegian band

Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which influenced the gothic metal genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samhain (band)</span> American rock band

Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from The Misfits. Glenn Danzig originally planned Samhain as a side project with Eerie Von. After the Misfits' contentious 1983 dissolution, Samhain became Danzig's full-time band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faster Pussycat</span> American hard rock band

Faster Pussycat is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Greg Steele and Brent Muscat and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes leaving Downe as the only constant member. They broke up in 1993, but reformed in 2001. Faster Pussycat has released four studio albums to date: Faster Pussycat (1987), Wake Me When It's Over (1989), Whipped! (1992) and The Power and the Glory Hole (2006). They were a successful and influential hard rock band during the late 1980s and early 1990s, having sold over two million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Crisis</span> English new wave and synth-pop band

China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band formed in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside in 1979 with a core of lead vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon. Initially a politically charged post-punk band influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes, China Crisis soon crossed over to a more commercial sound and had success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s with ten top 50 singles, including the top 10 hit "Wishful Thinking", and three albums charting in or just outside the top 20, including Working with Fire and Steel and the top 10 entry Flaunt the Imperfection, that both received a gold certification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mastodon (band)</span> American metal band

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2000, the band's lineup of Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals) has remained unchanged since 2001. Mastodon has released eight studio albums, as well as a number of other releases. The band's 2002 debut album, Remission, garnered significant critical acclaim for its unique sound. Mastodon's second full-length release, Leviathan, is a concept album based on the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Three magazines awarded the record "Album of the Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pylon (band)</span> American new wave/post-punk band

Pylon was an American new wave/post-punk band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".

Gothic metal is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the early 1990s in the United Kingdom originally as an outgrowth of death-doom, a fusion of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics are generally dark and introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.

<i>TNT</i> (Tortoise album) 1998 studio album by Tortoise

TNT is the third studio album by American post-rock band Tortoise, released in 1998 by Thrill Jockey. After Jeff Parker joined the band in 1996, Tortoise recorded TNT over the course of a year with drummer John McEntire acting as producer, editor and mixing. Taking influence from their remix material of the 1990s, the band recorded the album using hard disk technology in a "forward-then-back" approach, with members individually adding parts to tracks at different stages until the tracks were completed. As with previous albums, the band members also shared instrumental roles.

Theatre of Ice was an American early deathrock 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.

<i>Mouse Blood</i> 1985 studio album by Theatre of Ice

Mouse Blood was intended to be Theatre of Ice's final offering as brothers Brent and John moved to Utah to attend college at Brigham Young University and brothers Eric and Mark departed on missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia and Connecticut. 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 new releases. The album, however, was heralded by the music press as one of the most innovative albums of the decade.

<i>Beyond the Graves of Passion</i> 1983 studio album by Theatre of Ice

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. The album had the effect of polarizing their audience into two camps; those that considered them to be basically a kitschy novelty act and those that thought they were prophets from the underworld and began following the band from show to show. Ultimately the album failed to gain much attention outside of their cult following. Several bizarre altercations between the band and their devotees led to the band formally disbanding in 1983. One of the most famous altercations led to the band being abducted by a group of crazed fans who believed the band could aid them in summoning demons.

<i>The Haunting</i> (Theatre of Ice album) 1982 studio 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.

<i>The Resurrection</i> (Theatre of Ice album) 1986 studio album by Theatre of Ice

The Resurrection is the fifth album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August Burns Red</span> American metalcore band

August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's lineup of guitarists John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker and Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Jake Luhrs and bassist Dustin Davidson has remained consistent since 2006. The band was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016 for Best Metal Performance for the song "Identity" from its 2015 release Found in Far Away Places, and again in 2018 for "Invisible Enemy" from Phantom Anthem (2017). The band has released ten studio albums to date; their latest, Death Below, was released on March 24, 2023.

<i>Love... Is Like Dying</i> 1986 album by Theatre of Ice

Love... Is Like Dying is the sixth album by the American deathrock band, Theatre of Ice and their first for Orphanage Records.

<i>In the Attic</i> (Theatre of Ice album) 1987 EP by Theatre of Ice

During the fall of 1986 the band Theatre of Ice 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Republic</span> Swedish rock band

Royal Republic is a Swedish rock band from Malmö. The band is currently signed to Universal Music and managed by Odyssey Music Network.

References

  1. "Discography at official Theatre of Ice website" . Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  2. "A Cool Dark Place to Die". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 24 March 2011.