Deathrock Weblog

|other_topics=[[List of classic deathrock bands|Classic Deathrock Bands (through 1990)]] – [[List of modern deathrock bands|Modern Deathrock Bands (1990-present)]] – [[Gothic rock|Goth]]

|other_topics=[[List of classic deathrock bands|Classic Deathrock Bands (through 1990)]] – [[List of modern deathrock bands|Modern Deathrock Bands (1990-present)]] – [[Gothic rock|Goth]]

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”’Deathrock”’ (or ”’Death Punk”’) is a term used to identify a fusion of [[punk rock]] and [[gothic rock|Goth]] which incorporates elements of horror and spooky atmospheres within a Goth-Punk style and first emerged most prominently in the [[West Coast of the United States]] and [[London]] during the late [[1970s]] and early [[1980s]].<ref>[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/england-fades-away-stylus-magazines-guide-to-goth.htm England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to Goth - Article - Stylus Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

”’Deathrock”’ (or ”’Death Punk”’) is a term used to identify a fusion of [[punk rock]] and [[gothic rock]] which incorporates elements of horror and spooky atmospheres within a Goth-Punk style and first emerged most prominently in the [[West Coast of the United States]] and [[London]] during the late [[1970s]] and early [[1980s]].<ref>[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/england-fades-away-stylus-magazines-guide-to-goth.htm England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to Goth - Article - Stylus Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It is completely unrelated to [[death metal]], which has many different characteristics.

==Characteristics==

==Characteristics==

Deathrock songs use simple chords, echoing guitars, a prominent [[Bass guitar|bass]], and drumming which emphasizes repetitive, post-punk and tribal beats within a [[4/4]] time signature and often produced using a [[drum machine]]. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars, spooky or sinister synths, and experimentation with other instruments are sometimes used. Lyrics can vary, but are typically introspective, surreal, and deal with the dark themes of isolation, disillusionment, loss, depression, life, death, etc, as can the style, varying from harsh, to melodic and melancholic, to upbeat and tongue-in-cheek. Deathrock lyrics and other musical stylistic elements often incorporate the themes of campy [[horror film|horror]] and [[science fiction film|sci-fi]] films, which in turn leads some bands to adopt elements of [[rockabilly]] and [[surf rock]].<ref>[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/england-fades-away-stylus-magazines-guide-to-goth.htm England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to Goth - Article - Stylus Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Deathrock songs use simple chords, echoing guitars, a prominent [[Bass guitar|bass]], and drumming which emphasizes repetitive, post-punk and tribal beats within a [[4/4]] time signature and often produced using a [[drum machine]]. To create atmosphere, scratchy guitars, spooky or sinister synths, and experimentation with other instruments are sometimes used. Lyrics can vary, but are typically introspective, surreal, and deal with the dark themes of isolation, disillusionment, loss, depression, life, death, etc, as can the style, varying from harsh, to melodic and melancholic, to upbeat and tongue-in-cheek. Deathrock lyrics and other musical stylistic elements often incorporate the themes of campy [[horror film|horror]] and [[science fiction film|sci-fi]] films, which in turn leads some bands to adopt elements of [[rockabilly]] and [[surf rock]].<ref>[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/england-fades-away-stylus-magazines-guide-to-goth.htm England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to Goth - Article - Stylus Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The term “deathrock” was first used in the [[1950s]] to describe a thematically related [[genre]] of [[rock and roll]] called “death rock” which began in 1958 with Jody Reynold’s “”Endless Sleep””<ref>[http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/artist/artist.cgi?ARTISTID=388439 MMGuide.com]</ref> and ending in 1964 with J. Frank Wilson’s “”Last Kiss””.<ref>[http://www.oldies.com/artist-view/J-Frank-Wilson.html Oldies.com]</ref> These songs about dead teenagers were noted for their morbid yet romantic view of death, spoken word bridges, and sound effects. [[The Shangri-Las]]’ “[[Leader of the Pack]]” is arguably the best known example of the 50s/60s use of the term.<ref>[http://www.classicbands.com/shangrilas.html ClassicBands]</ref>.

The term “deathrock” was first used in the [[1950s]] to describe a thematically related [[genre]] of [[rock and roll]] called “death rock” which began in 1958 with Jody Reynold’s “”Endless Sleep””<ref>[http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/artist/artist.cgi?ARTISTID=388439 MMGuide.com]</ref> and ending in 1964 with J. Frank Wilson’s “”Last Kiss””.<ref>[http://www.oldies.com/artist-view/J-Frank-Wilson.html Oldies.com]</ref> These songs about dead teenagers were noted for their morbid yet romantic view of death, spoken word bridges, and sound effects. [[The Shangri-Las]]’ “[[Leader of the Pack]]” is arguably the best known example of the 50s/60s use of the term.<ref>[http://www.classicbands.com/shangrilas.html ClassicBands]</ref>.

The term deathrock re-emerged 15 years later in [[1979]] to describe the sound of various West Coast punk bands which would later become associated with the deathrock scene and most likely came from one of three sources; [[Rozz Williams]], the founding member of [[Christian Death]], to describe the sound of his band,<ref>[http://www.starvox.net/crypt/dr/germany2.htm Starvox.net]</ref> or the music press reusing the 1950s term to describe an emerging subgenre of punk. Another theory is that the term came from [[Nick Zedd]]’s 1979 film “They Eat Scum”, which featured a fictitious cannibalistic “death rock” punk band called “Suzy Putrid and the Mental Deficients”.<ref>[http://mysite.verizon.net/holyokeresearcher/ZEDD.html Verizon.net]</ref>

The term deathrock re-emerged 15 years later in 1979 to describe the sound of various West Coast punk bands which would later become associated with the deathrock scene and most likely came from one of three sources; [[Rozz Williams]], the founding member of [[Christian Death]], to describe the sound of his band,<ref>[http://www.starvox.net/crypt/dr/germany2.htm Starvox.net]</ref> or the music press reusing the 1950s term to describe an emerging subgenre of punk. Another theory is that the term came from [[Nick Zedd]]’s 1979 film “They Eat Scum”, which featured a fictitious cannibalistic “death rock” punk band called “Suzy Putrid and the Mental Deficients”.<ref>[http://mysite.verizon.net/holyokeresearcher/ZEDD.html Verizon.net]</ref>

===Origins===

===Origins===

===Emergence===

===Emergence===

Deathrock first emerged in [[United States|America]] in the late [[1970s]] and early [[1980s]] as a darker offshoot of the pre-existing [[punk rock]] and pre-[[hardcore punk|hardcore]] LA music scene.<ref>[http://www.alicebag.com/dinahcancerinterview.html AliceBag.com]</ref>. The most active and best documented deathrock music scene was in [[Los Angeles]] which centered around the bands [[The Flesh Eaters (band)|The Flesh Eaters]] (1977), [[Kommunity FK]] (1979), [[45 Grave]] (1979), [[Christian Death]] (1979), [[Gun Club]] (1981), [[Voodoo Church]] (1982), [[Burning Image]] (1983), Super Heroines.<ref>[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/england-fades-away-stylus-magazines-guide-to-goth.htm England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to Goth - Article - Stylus Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.furious.com/perfect/gunclub.html The Gun Club story in detail<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Deathrock first emerged in [[United States|America]] in the late [[1970s]] and early [[1980s]] as a darker offshoot of the pre-existing [[punk rock]] and pre-[[hardcore punk|hardcore]] LA music scene.<ref>[http://www.alicebag.com/dinahcancerinterview.html AliceBag.com]</ref>. The most active and best documented deathrock music scene was in [[Los Angeles]], which centered around the bands [[The Flesh Eaters (band)|The Flesh Eaters]] (1977), [[Kommunity FK]] (1979), [[45 Grave]] (1979), [[Christian Death]] (1979), [[Gun Club]] (1981), [[Voodoo Church]] (1982), [[Burning Image]] (1983), and [[Super Heroines]] (1984).<ref>[http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/england-fades-away-stylus-magazines-guide-to-goth.htm England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to Goth - Article - Stylus Magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.furious.com/perfect/gunclub.html The Gun Club story in detail<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

However, other western cities in the United States also had bands which would later be described as deathrock such as [[Theatre of Ice]] (1978) in [[Fallon, Nevada]] and [[Mighty Sphincter]] (1980) in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]. These early West Coast deathrock bands took the pre-existing base of punk rock and added dark yet playful themes borrowed from horror movies, film noir, surrealism, religious imagery, etc.<ref>[http://www.wweek.com/html/musicb102500.html wweek.com]</ref> A couple of bands blended hardcore punk with a gothic sound, most notably [[TSOL]];<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:1jd1vwmva9yk~T1 AllMusic.com]</ref> and [[Burning Image]].<ref>[http://www.wildhunt.org/gothblog/2005_02_01_archive.html WildHunt.org]</ref>

However, other western cities in the United States also had bands which would later be described as deathrock such as [[Theatre of Ice]] (1978) in [[Fallon, Nevada]] and [[Mighty Sphincter]] (1980) in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]. These early West Coast deathrock bands took the pre-existing base of punk rock and added dark yet playful themes borrowed from horror movies, film noir, surrealism, religious imagery, etc.<ref>[http://www.wweek.com/html/musicb102500.html wweek.com]</ref> A couple of bands blended hardcore punk with a gothic sound, most notably [[TSOL]];<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:1jd1vwmva9yk~T1 AllMusic.com]</ref> and [[Burning Image]].<ref>[http://www.wildhunt.org/gothblog/2005_02_01_archive.html WildHunt.org]</ref>