| Cleopatra Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | January 1992 |
| Founder | Brian Perera |
| Genre | Gothic rock, deathrock, hard rock, industrial music, heavy metal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Official website | http://www.cleorecs.com/ |
Cleopatra Records [1] is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, [2] Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline [3] and X-Ray Records. [4]
Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, [5] it specializes in gothic rock, deathrock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music. It is known for its compilations, usually collections of cover songs performed by bands signed to the label.
In the mid-1990s, Cleopatra released tribute albums of goth, industrial bands covering artists such as The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, Christian Death, Alien Sex Fiend, Specimen, Sex Gang Children and New Order. Other goth and industrial acts were compiled to cover songs by AC/DC, Pink Floyd, The Smashing Pumpkins (see: A Gothic-Industrial Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins), Guns N' Roses, Dead Can Dance and Skinny Puppy.
Current and previous notable artists include: Gary Numan, Kat Parsons, [6] Electric Hellfire Club, Switchblade Symphony, Leæther Strip, X Marks the Pedwalk, Mephisto Walz, Kill Switch...Klick, Information Society, Heaven 17, Genitorturers, Download, Rozz Williams, Missing Persons, Razed In Black and Blackburner.
Today, Cleopatra is largely funded by its sub-labels (Hypnotic Records, Deadline Music, Stardust Records, Master Classics, Magick Records, Purple Pyramid and Goldenlane Records), which between them offer prog rock reissues, metal and techno acts, as well as pop and easy-listening tributes. Having relegated the tribute albums largely elsewhere, the Cleopatra brand itself is now focusing again on non-cover-oriented compilations and on digging up out-of-print gems of the goth/industrial scene.
The Smashing Pumpkins is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the primary songwriter and sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup consists of Corgan, Chamberlin, and Iha. The band has a diverse, densely layered sound, which evolved throughout their career and has contained elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, grunge, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica.
Siamese Dream is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993, by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan. Despite its recording sessions being fraught with difficulties and tensions, Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, and was eventually certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the album selling over six million copies worldwide, catapulting the Smashing Pumpkins to mainstream success and cementing them as a significant group in alternative music.
The Frogs were an American rock music band founded in 1980, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by brothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion. The brothers mainly wrote and performed short, catchy pop songs, but they are also known for their improvised home recordings which are delivered in a comedic style, and often include controversial issues such as race, religion, and sexuality. A history of strife has hindered the band, although a devoted fan base that includes many well-known musicians has supported the group.
Kommunity FK is an American post-punk/gothic rock band, formed in 1978, that helped establish what came to be known as the deathrock scene in Los Angeles.
"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" is a song by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It was released as the lead single from their 1995 double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and is the sixth track on the first disc. This song was the band's first top-40 US hit, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also spent six weeks at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number four on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number 18 on the RPM Top Singles chart and spent four weeks at number one on the RPM Alternative 30 chart, becoming Canada's most successful rock song of 1995. It also reached number one in Iceland for a week.
"Today" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics; Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitars.
Bella Morte is a gothic rock band formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. They incorporate elements of metal, dark wave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The band's name means "Beautiful Death" in Italian language. According to the band's vocalist, Andy Deane, the name was chosen to suggest that "beauty can be found in tragedy", which is a re-occurring theme in Bella Morte's albums.
Razed in Black is an electronic music act created by Romell Regulacion and was supported in live performances by band members Chris Nelson and Raj Kapololu. The band was formed in Hawaii in 1994 and signed to Cleopatra Records in the following year, before later moving to Jacksonville, Florida. Razed in Black's music combines elements of industrial, synthpop, dark wave, gothic rock, and hardcore techno.
The Electric Hellfire Club was an American industrial rock band mixing elements of glam metal, techno, gothic rock, and psychedelia. The band's lyrics contain tongue-in-cheek references to sin, violence, sex, devil worship and similar themes. The band also made use of sampling, mainly from low-budget horror films.
Rosetta Stone are an English gothic rock band formed in the 1980s by Porl King (guitar/vocals/keyboards) and Karl North (bass), plus their drum machine and synthesizer rack nicknamed "Madame Razor".
Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave, ethereal goth or simply ethereal, is a subgenre of dark wave music that is variously described as "gothic", "romantic", and "otherworldly". Developed in the early 1980s in the UK as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal wave was mainly represented by 4AD bands such as Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, and early guitar-driven Dead Can Dance.
The Wake is an American gothic rock band from Columbus, Ohio, United States.
Big Electric Cat is a gothic rock group from Sydney, Australia, formed by musicians Paul Sadler and Deborah Denton, who had moved from London to Sydney in 1989. In 1991, inspired by Philip K. Dick's sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and the future noir movie Blade Runner, and inspired by the film's dark, futuristic, and other themes, they formed Big Electric Cat.
Zeitgeist is the seventh studio album by American rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 10, 2007 on Martha's Music and Reprise Records. Recorded solely by returning band members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin, the album was the band's first since reuniting in 2006, and was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Terry Date, alongside Corgan and Chamberlin themselves.
"Soma", originally called "Coma", is a song by alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. An extended power ballad with facets of psychedelic rock, the track serves as the centerpiece of the band's second album Siamese Dream.
Dean De Benedictis is an American composer, musician, performer, and producer of experimental and alternative music. He is a trained musician and has released albums as a solo artist as well as played with groups such as Brand X and The Strato Ensemble.
Digital Poodle was an electro-industrial/EBM band, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was formed in 1986 and remained active until about 1995.
George Earth is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, composer, music producer, comic book artist, and talk show host from Echo Park, California. He is perhaps best known as the lead guitarist for both World Entertainment War and Switchblade Symphony, later touring and recording with Angel Corpus Christi, Stolen Babies, and other bands before forming Los Angeles-based Small Halo in 2008. He publishes a semi-regular comic book series and hosts a regular talk show, The Talk Show, in which he also leads The Talk Show Band.
Die Laughing are an English goth band formed in 1986 by John Berry.
Octagon is the second studio album by Dilate, released on June 24, 1997 by Hypnotic Records. The album was re-released in 2000 by Hypnotic as the first disc of the New Age...Spiritual Healing box set.