 |
The Breath of Life | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Belgium |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Big Bang / Hall of Sermon / Danse Macabre Records / |
| Members | Isabelle Dekeyser Philippe Mauroy Didier Czepczyk Giovanni Bortolin |
| Website | the-breath-of-life |
The Breath of Life is a Belgian rock band.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022) |
I guess you can say that The Breath of Life are an institution in the Belgian Goth scene. During decades they were, without any doubt, the sole Belgian band who was able to blend ethereal darkwave, gothrock and post-punk. Or perhaps it is better just to think of The Breath of Life as they created a very personal sound.
Contents
- Musical style
- History
- Discography
- Live album
- Studio albums
- Maxi CD
- Compilations
- Members
- References
- External links
— Peek A Boo magazine, February 2015 [2]
The group was born in 1985 in Gembloux when Isabelle Dekeyser (vocals), Philippe Mauroy (guitar) and Benoît Sokay (bass) met up for the first time. In 1990, with the arrival of Giovanni Bortolin (keyboards & violin – ex Jo Lemaire + Flouze) and the decision to use a Drum machine the group began to get foothold and refined its musical style. That same year, they won the Verdur Rock [3] contest in Namur and self-produced a 10 tracks tape. In 1991 the band went on tour in Czechoslovakia and again the following year. Their first CD Live in Praha 92 highlights a recording of a concert in Prague.
This first production is followed the same year by the first studio album Painful Insanity recorded by Gilles Martin, [4] cult producer of Coldwave (Minimal Compact, Tuxedomoon, Anna Domino, Colin Newman, Malaria, The Names, ... and in other styles Deus, Miossec or Indochine). 1993 saw the release of Taste of Sorrow which remains for many their iconic album. [5] Also produced by Martin it contains the title "Nasty Cloud" that became a classic gothic hit. [1] "The songs are endearing and energetic, with the bass well forward, nerve guitars, original use of the violin, electronic stormy moods and sometimes lyrical, sometimes angry voices" as describes in the book "Carnets Noirs" in the chapter on the Dark-Wave international scene. [1] In 1995 the band released Lost Children which developed more delicate atmospheres in ethereal wave style. The Group signed with Hall of Sermon for the next album Sweet Party released in 1997. This marks a more pop and electronic turn. In 2000 Silver Drops was released with Martin behind the mixing desk again. The melancholic pop tinged with Trip hop orientation is confirmed. This album was the last one with Martin at production. Shortly after Mauroy left the band and Didier Czepczyk took over on guitars. [6]
Albums Everlasting Souls (2005) and Whispering Fields (2012) [7] [8] [9] marked a return to more gothic atmospheres, the abandonment of the drum machine and the arrival of drummer Marc Haerden. [10] [11] The group is then signed by the label Danse Macabre. [12] Benoît Sokay, bassist since the beginning left in 2014. In January 2015 Philippe Mauroy rejoined the band almost 15 years after having left it. [2]
In May 2017 the album Under The Falling Stars is released and see the return of Gilles Martin behind the mixing desk. The album has received excellent reviews. [13] In August 2017 it reached the 6th place of German Alternative Charts.
In 2020, the band decided to record their 10th album during the COVID-19 pandemic and while Belgium was still in lockdown. This was therefore done in a particular way, each members recording their parts of the songs at home and sharing their files using WeTransfer. [14] However, two members of the band travelled to France and met Gilles Martin for the final mix when rules in regards to COVID-19 allowed it. [15] The album entitled "Spark Around Us" came out in November 2020 and was well received by fans and critics. [16] [17] [18]
During the lockdown in Belgium the band recorded three covers : Winning from The Sound, Ashes To Ashes from David Bowie, Inner Station from Minimal Compact. These three songs has been only released on Bandcamp. In 2022, for different compilation projects, they have been asked by the Belgian record label Alfa Matrix to cover a song from the Belgian electro project Implant, a song from the electro pop band Psy'Aviah and a song from the Italian project Imjudas.
The Breath of Life has among others played at the Dour Festival (B), Whitby Goth Weekend (GB), M'era Luna Festival (D), Zillo festival (D), Wave-Gotik-Treffen (D), Castle Party Festival (PL), Underworld Camden (GB) ... The group performed in Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.
Fields of the Nephilim are an English gothic rock band formed in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 1984. The band's name refers to a Biblical race of angel-human hybrids known as the Nephilim.
Dark wave is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, romantic and bleak, with an undertone of sorrow. The genre embraces a range of styles including cold wave, ethereal wave, gothic rock, neoclassical dark wave and neofolk.
London After Midnight is an American rock band from California. Formed in 1990 by songwriter and instrumentalist Sean Brennan, London After Midnight has a following worldwide, with a large fan base in the goth subculture. However, in interviews Brennan has shunned the use of this label and others to describe his music, calling it "artistically limiting".
Ayria is a Canadian futurepop/synthpop musical project formed in early 2003 by Toronto's Jennifer Parkin following her departure from the futurepop and EBM band Epsilon Minus.
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.
Hatesex is an American, Los Angeles–based goth rock band, founded by former Diva Destruction guitarist Benn Ra and vocalist Krisanna Marie.
Grendel is a Dutch music group formed in 1997. Their music is in the electro-industrial genre. Their name originates from the beast in Beowulf.
yelworC was an electro-industrial band from Germany.
Eve of Destiny was a Japanese industrial rock band founded in 1999 by Haruhiko Ash. For a long time, Eve of Destiny was a solo project of Ash, with not much real activity, but this changed in 2002, after guitarist Közi of Malice Mizer fame joined and they started to tour outside Japan on a regular basis. The group has performed in Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, the Philippines, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Japan, France, Austria, Australia, Sweden, and Poland.
Mentallo and the Fixer is the project name used by Texan electro-industrial musicians Gary Dassing (Mentallo) and Dwayne Dassing from 1988 to 1999, and by Gary Dassing alone from 1999 to the present day. The band has several releases on the American record label, Metropolis Records. They are named after two Marvel Comics characters.
Love Spirals Downwards was an American, California-based band, that incorporated ethereal wave, dream pop, drum and bass and electronica.
Love is Colder Than Death, commonly abbreviated LiCTD or LICTD, is an early German neoclassical dark wave band that was one of the cornerstones to Hyperium Records' Heavenly Voices compilation series of the early 1990s. It is named after the 1969 Fassbinder film Liebe ist kälter als der Tod. The band's music is characterized by its extensive use of both romantic and classical styled male and female vocals. Founded by Ralf Donis, Maik Hartung, Sven Mertens, and Susann Heinrich in 1990, the band members and music have changed slightly since then. The first few LICTD albums were released on the Hyperium record label in Europe and on the new Metropolis Records label in the United States.
The Wake is an American gothic rock band from Columbus, Ohio, United States.
Revolution By Night were an electronic music band based in London, England. Often referred to simply as 'RBN', the only continuous members of the band were founding members Steve Weeks (vocal/keyboards/programming) and Bryon Adamson (keyboards/programming), with Phil Eaton (keyboards) joining in 2006.
Dunkelwerk is the name of a German band which describes its sound as Endzeit Electro, referring to a genre which was originally established by bands like Wumpscut and Leæther Strip and is nowadays produced by bands like The Retrosic, Suicide Commando or Hocico. Dunkelwerk consists of only one person and is a pure studio project, not doing any live performances or any other public events. The name of the band is an old German idiom which can be translated as "dark work" or "dark factory". The producer behind Dunkelwerk has decided to work under the pseudonym "losttrooper", being restrained to offer pictures of himself.
The Awakening is a South African gothic rock band founded in Johannesburg in 1995 by vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Ashton Nyte. The sound has been described as a hybrid of gothic rock, darkwave, gothic metal, industrial rock, and new wave – a combination that was loosely described by Nyte in 1999 as "dark future rock." The Awakening has released eleven studio albums, several singles, EPs, and two greatest hits compilations in total. As of 2009, The Awakening has been based in the United States.
The Merry Thoughts are a German Gothic rock band based in Neuss.
The discography of VNV Nation, an Irish electronic music project, consists of ten studio albums, two compilation album, three extended plays, and twelve singles.
Zillo was a German alternative music magazine, published monthly, originally edited by Rainer "Easy" Ettler. It was in circulation between 1989 and 2014. The headquarters of Zillo were in Lübeck.
Modulate is the studio project of Manchester-based DJ Geoff Lee. They are an Electronic dance music group from Manchester, England. Their sound blends elements of various styles including Electro, Rave, Industrial music, Trance music and Hard dance. The band is signed to Metropolis Records and Infacted Recordings (Europe/RoW). Modulate live shows also features Steve Wilkins
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
