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.
Theatre of Ice were an 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.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
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.
Fallon is a city in Churchill County, Nevada, United States. The population was 8,606 at time of the 2010 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahontan Valley.
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. Another 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 band's first 7-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 7 inch eps the band would release.
Musicians
Brent Johnson - Vocals
Dale Garrard - Guitar
Jay Planty - Guitar
Ted Preiss - Bass
Jason Cobb - Drums
Track listing
"In The Attic" (Brent Johnson, Dale Garrard) – 3:42
"Gone With The Worms" (Brent Johnson, Dale Garrard) – 3:30
"Within The Ruins Of A Mind" (Jay Planty, Brent Johnson, Ted Preiss) – 7:12
Reviews
OPtion Magazine - First 7" vinyl release from this band who've previously released several albums. Musically and lyrically this outfit continues to offer dark, atmospheric, yet slashing horror rock. While this genre has become pretty formulaic, Theatre of Ice nevertheless demonstrate a distinctive sound. though they're hurt here by average production, which fails to bring out the vocals and instrumentation as clearly as it should. -- Steve Kiviat.[1]
Maximum Rock N' Roll, San Francisco, California - Very weird and funny production for a band that depends on ambience. Three songs, all in the spooky/cold vein. Bleak tunes, atmospheric guitar, and echoey vocals. -- TY.
Flipside (fanzine), Los Angeles, California - Hidden beneath the layers of distortion are some catchy, spooky and funny songs. Bauhaus fans might to take note. -- Kirk.
Burning Toddlers - Raw, gloomy rock that drags the listener along the razor's edge of insanity and despair. When TOI is at its best, it strikes a chord - then proceeds to rip that chord out full force.
Spinal Jauntice - The ever mysterious TOI supposedly began more or less as "hard rock", now abandoning that realm for more experimental outings. "In the Attic" I suppose falls in between as the two merge, making the closest thing I've heard to an auditory hallucination. The two songs on side one are evil, in fact, but the voice just doesn't seem to click in well. That would have been enough for the makings of an average, visions-of-rapidly-splattering-bodies record. Then comes the epic 7-minute "Within the Ruins of a Mind", that totally grinds, with a shuddering, metallic sound that doesn't let up until it's over. A deathly 7".
Option was a music magazine based in Los Angeles, California. It covered independent, underground and alternative music and multiple musical genres for an international subscription base. Its print run began in 1985 and ended in 1998.
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes proto-gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films or science fiction B-movies. The genre is similar to and sometimes overlaps with deathrock, although deathrock leans more towards an atmospheric gothic rock sound while horror punk leans towards a 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sound. Horror punk music is typically more aggressive and melodic than deathrock.
Flipside, originally known as Los Angeles Flip Side, was a punk zine published in Whittier and Pasadena, California from 1977 to 2000. In addition to publication of the magazine, the magazine was associated with its own record label, Flipside Records, releasing vinyl records and compact discs beginning in 1978.
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