Lestat- Arisen

Artist: Lestat

CD Title: Arisen

Label: Nilaihah Records

Genre: Gothic Industrial

 
"Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make".. if this quote makes you think of Dracula, then you are going to love Lestat.

What a perfect time to review one of the hottest bands to ever come crawling out of the dark abyss of the industru-goth scene. With a brand new video of the title track "Arisen" and a new attitude, the time has come once again for Lestat.

Cleveland based, Goth/Industrial band Lestat, recently reformed and released their first CD in over 18 years, featuring all-new material in 2012 entitled Arisen. Original members Evan Nave (formerly Razz), Susan and Timothy return, along with the addition of War on bass, a former member of PKS and Scott, former drummer for Disown. In January of 2013, Timothy left the band for personal and musical aspirations, leaving the band as a four piece.

The group was originally founded by Evan Nave (then known as Razz) and Jess in Cleveland in 1988. In an interview, they claim to be one of the earliest performers of Dark Wave music. "We tried to create a more harmonic style of Goth," says Nave. "Creating moody soundtracks and turning them into songs." The two were later joined by Susan and former members Peter and Richard. The group's first release, titled "Theatre of the Vampires", was a 6 track LP (available only on cassette and now out of print), released in 1990 on Jevan Records. They released 2 more dark offerings "Grave Desires" and "Vision of Sorrows" (which was their first official) CD release.

To say Arisen continues where 1994's Vision of Sorrows left off, would be a gross understatement. Though Arisen does bring back fond memories of their classic releases, they have matured like a fine wine. One of the strongest highlights of Arisen is the cover of Industrial legend Click Click's hit "Awake and Watching". Lestat has not only captured the true essence of the original, but added something darker, more sinister and unique. Speaking of Click Click, they not only covered them, but Click Click's own Adrian Smith makes a special guest appearance by remixing their first single off of Arisen, "Midnight Toll". Midnight Toll drums up thoughts of Peter Murphy and Bauhaus classics. Susan's harmonic back up vocals balance out Evan's deeper, Gothic tones and takes on an almost hypnotic quality. They also revisit one of their most popular songs on their debut Theatre of Vampires "Red Light", which was originally made into a goth classic by Siouxsie & The Banshees. "Little Girl Lost", actually features the voice of Susan's own daughter Sarah.

Fans of earlier Lestat releases will not be disappointed. Lestat's trademark dark and ominous atmospheres and perfectly chosen and placed samples, are heavily laden throughout the album. Sent From Hell, is a decidedly new direction for Lestat, as it experiments with more of a death metal sound meets industrial sound. Evan's heavily distorted guttural growls surge with a chaotic fervor that makes one wonder if he wasn't somehow influenced by his earlier work with metal band PKS. One might draw some strong comparisons to dark wave masters, Clan of Xymox, especially their earlier works.

So whether you are a vampire looking for the perfect soundtrack to your life, or just a lover of anything dark, Lestat is the band for you.

The infamous Kitty Lectro recently remixed Lestat's single "Midnight Toll". Though you will not find it on the album Arisen, Lestat has arranged for you to hear it via YouTube. It is also available as a free download on their FB page https://www.facebook.com/TheBandLestat, as well as our home site at lestatmusic.com.

I am also excited to hear that  Lestat is also working on a box set of their original catalog. I'm hoping that for the first time ever, it will include their two classic albums "Theatre of the Vampires" and "Grave Desires" on CD, which is very much a big part of Lestat's legacy. However, until then, you can enjoy all of their releases digitally.

Watch their brand new music video Arisen

Buy Lestat Arisen on Amazon