Valor Kand | |
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 Kand performing at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany, 2014 | |
| Background information | |
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| Formerly of | Pompeii 99 |
Valor Kand is a singer, guitarist and songwriter best known for his involvement with Christian Death, an American death rock and gothic rock band. [1]
Kand started his music career as a drummer, but "...had to progress to other instruments as time went by just to create the sounds I wanted to hear, whether that be keyboards, or horns, or guitars, or anything I could put my hands on." [2]
In 1981, aspiring vocalist Gitane DeMone placed an ad in Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler saying, "female vocalist available." The ad was answered by Kand, who had recently graduated from high school. The pair formed the post-punk band Pompeii 99. [3] Kand was fascinated by Nostradamus and took the band's name from a prophecy. Kand and DeMone found drummer David Glass (aka David Parkinson) through auditions and also worked with members Cram Netod (Marc Doten) and Poli-Sci (Polly Klemmer).
Pompeii 99 gained an audience in the L.A. club scene, and released their 1981 debut studio album, Look at Yourself on their own Nostradamus label, which was financed in part by their parents. In 1982, they followed this with a 7-inch EP, Ignorance Is the Control. Pompeii 99 was scheduled to open for Christian Death on a European tour, but when the band's line-up collapsed, leader Rozz Williams decided along with Kand, DeMone and Glass to combine the two bands into a new version of Christian Death. [4]
Kand stayed with the band when it joined with Williams in 1983 to become the new line-up of Christian Death. [5] [6] The band went on to record their next two studio albums, 1984's Catastrophe Ballet with bassist Constance Smith and 1985's Ashes with bassist Randy Wilde. [4]
In mid-1985, Kand took over leadership of the band after Williams left, working as lead vocalist and songwriter. With bassist Johann Schumann and guitarist and keyboardist Barry Galvin, the band recorded an EP for the Italian label Supporti Fonografici called The Wind Kissed Pictures, credited to "The Sin and Sacrifice of Christian Death". The EP was later reissued in Germany and the U.S., credited only to Christian Death. [4]
The band's first studio album post-Williams release was 1986's Atrocities, a concept album about the aftereffects of World War II on the European psyche. This was followed by 1987's The Scriptures, recorded by a revamped line-up of Kand, DeMone, Glass, guitarist James Beam and bassist Kota. During this period, the band found their biggest successes on the UK Indie Chart with the 1987–89 singles "Sick of Love", "Church of No Return" and "Zero Sex" and the 1988 studio album Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ . Following release of the "Zero Sex" single, DeMone split from both Kand and Christian Death in 1989. [4]
In the early 1990s, Williams attempted to reclaim the Christian Death name. However, Kand already had the rights to the name due to Williams' departure from the group and subsequent neglect of the moniker. [7] Williams billed his version of the band as "Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams". Williams committed suicide on April 1, 1998, after his close friend and associate Erik Christides died of an overdose. [4] [8]
Valor continued performing and recording with Christian Death, issuing the two-part concept work All the Love, All the Hate in 1989 and the 1990 studio album Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misercordiaque, on which Kand conducted the English Abbey Choir and the Commonwealth Chamber Orchestra. [9] The band added bassist Maitri in 1991. Her first concert with Christian Death took place at the Contemporary Festival, held at the Anfitheatro delle Cascine in Florence, Italy on 12 July 1991. The band released the Sexy Death God studio album in 1994, the double-live set Amen in 1995, the Nostradamus-themed Prophecies in 1996, and Pornographic Messiah in 1998. In 2000, the band added drummer Will Sarginson and toured Europe with Britain's Cradle of Filth in support of their Born Again Anti Christian studio album.
In 2002, Valor produced an album by Maitri, black metal and death rock band Lover of Sin, releasing the studio album Lover of Sin.
For Christian Death's 2003 tour, they added Cradle of Filth guitarist Gian Peres to the line-up.[ citation needed ] In 2007, the band released the American Inquisition studio album, featuring new drummer Nate Hassan. [4] In 2014, Christian Death embarked on the 30th Anniversary Catastrophe Ballet tour, beginning in Europe and continuing through to the year's end in North, South and Central America. In August 2015, the band released the PledgeMusic album The Root of All Evilution. [10]
Kand is an ex-lover of Gitane DeMone, with whom he had two children. Williams was their godfather. [11]
Atrocities is the fourth studio album by American rock band Christian Death, released in 1986 through record label Normal.
Christian Death is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles County, California, in 1979 by Rozz Williams. With major line-up changes over the years, Christian Death has retained "a relentlessly confrontational stand against organized religion and conventional morality".
Death was an American death metal band formed in Altamonte Springs, Florida, in 1983 by guitarist Chuck Schuldiner, drummer/vocalist Kam Lee and guitarist Rick Rozz. Formed out of what would become the Florida death metal scene, Death is considered to be among the most influential bands in heavy metal music and a pioneering force in death metal. The band's 1987 debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as one of the first death metal records, alongside the first records from Possessed and Necrophagia.
Rozz Williams was an American singer and songwriter known for his work with the bands Christian Death, Shadow Project, and the industrial project Premature Ejaculation. Christian Death is cited by some as a pioneer of the American gothic rock scene as well as deathrock, and is considered to be one of the most influential figures of the scene. However, Williams disliked the "goth" label and actively worked to shed it during the 1980s and 1990s by focusing on punk rock, hard rock, cabaret, and spoken word music. Williams was also involved with his groups Daucus Karota, Heltir, EXP, Bloodflag, and his own version of Christian Death, along with recording a handful of solo albums. In addition to music, Williams was also an avid painter, poet, and collage artist.
Shadow Project was a rock band formed in 1987 featuring former members of Los Angeles deathrock groups Christian Death and Super Heroines. After recording two LPs the group experienced a three-year hiatus, reconvening for a third and final album. Shadow Project definitively folded after vocalist Rozz Williams committed suicide on April 1, 1998. The band briefly returned in 2019 under the moniker "Shadow Project 1334" for 13 shows only, vowing to never perform again together after that.
Massacre is a Florida death metal band formed in 1984. The band has reunited several times with varying lineups, most recently in late 2016.
Pompeii 99 was an American post-punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. They released one single and one album before the core members of the band joined Rozz Williams for a new version of Christian Death in 1983, and eventually continued with the Christian Death name after all the original members had left the group. Aside from Kand, the main songwriter during this period was Cram Netod, who later went on to perform with Double Naught Spy Car.
Only Theatre of Pain is the debut studio album by the American rock band Christian Death, released on March 24, 1982, by the Frontier record label.
Catastrophe Ballet is the second studio album by American rock band Christian Death. It was released in 1984, through record label Contempo.
Gitane DeMone is an American singer, musician and visual artist. Her career spans more than 30 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s as the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the influential death rock band Christian Death. In addition to her work with Christian Death, Demone was previously a member of Pompeii 99, worked with Dreadful Shadows, and has had a solo career which has included three studio albums: Am I Wrong?, Stars of Trash and The Reflecting Shadow.
The Scriptures was Christian Death's fifth album and is seen as an essay on comparative world religions. The liner notes state that the work is "a translation of world beliefs by Valor." The album, like Atrocities, is split into two acts, though later reissues would omit these subtitles. The first 10,000 versions of the original LP record came with a free seven inch single containing two songs: "Jezebel's Tribulation" and "Wraeththu". Some CD reissues of the album feature these songs as bonus tracks. The completion of recording on The Scriptures would see David Glass leave the group and like previous members Barry Galvin and Johann Schumann, would go on to play in Mephisto Walz.
Vampyrìsme... is the fifth studio album by Italian band Theatres des Vampires, released on September 15, 2003 by Beyond... Productions. It is a re-recorded version of the band's 1996 debut album Vampyrìsme, Nècrophilie, Nècrosadisme, Nècrophagie. The album was re-recorded entirely by Theatres des Vampires with guest appearances from former Cradle of Filth guitarist Gian Pyres and Christian Death vocalist Valor Kand. The album has also four new bonus tracks.
Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ is the sixth album by American deathrock band Christian Death. It was released on 18 October 1988.
Abigail Williams is an American black metal band, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, but now based in Olympia, Washington. Since their formation in 2004, the group has suffered near-constant changes to their line-up. The band even disbanded in 2007 for a short time before reforming and writing their debut full-length album. Shortly after an eight-week tour in support of their debut full-length album In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns (2008), vocalist Ken Sorceron would become the only original member remaining.
Illud Divinum Insanus is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Morbid Angel. It was released on June 7, 2011, by independent French record label Season of Mist. It is Morbid Angel's first album since Heretic (2003), the band's longest gap to date between studio albums. This is the only Morbid Angel album to feature guitarist Destructhor and drummer Tim Yeung, making it their first not to feature Pete Sandoval, who was recovering from surgery. It is also the band's only album to feature bassist/vocalist David Vincent since he rejoined in 2004.
Maitri Nicolai, known under her stage name Maitri, is a Dutch singer, songwriter and musician.
Discography of Christian Death, all three versions: 1) originally fronted by Rozz Williams, 2) fronted by Valor Kand, 3) parallel version formed by Rozz Williams in the late 1980s.
The Wind Kissed Pictures is an EP by American deathrock band Christian Death, and is the debut release featuring Valor Kand on vocals. It was released in 1985 through Nostradamus Records and has spawned one single, "Believers of the Unpure". On the album, the band's title is made longer, calling themselves For Sin and Sacrifice Must We Die a Christian Death. Allmusic gave the album two stars out of five. However, they claimed it to be "some of the finest post-Rozz Williams work Christian Death would produce."
Maranatha is sludge metal band from Ohio. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist, and drummer, Collin Simula, vocalist and bassist, Jack Huston, guitarist Darrell Chess and drummer Wes Jackson.
