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[Review] Opera Diabolicus ‘†1614’

Published

14 years ago

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operadiabolicus1614cover

Opera Diabolicus is the brainchild project of composer David Grimoire and lyricist Adrian de Crow. After meeting at a stage production of Umberto Eco’s In The Name Of The Rose [Ed. Note: Fantastic book as well as a great movie!], the two joined forces under the name Opera Diabolicus to bring about a musical project that combined the darker elements of music with the grandeur and spectacle of theatre. Now, their debut album, †1614, is about to arrive. But does it provide the spectacle that was promised or does this production fall flat?

Starting with Overture, the album begins with an eerie piano melody while, lurking in the background, are complementary strings. Then comes in rumbling percussion and the horns followed by a devilish choir. This all leads into The Gateway, a ten-minute opus complete with huge, distorted guitars and sweeping symphonic passages. 
From a production standpoint, the album offers a great deal to listen for. On top of a full metal band, there are multiple vocalists, a symphony, and various other textures and background effects. Mixed with an almost old-school feel, the album has a very natural feel to it. 
Featuring guest appearances from Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Dimmu Borgir), Mats Leven (Therion), Niklas Isfeldt (Dream Evil), Jake E (Amaranthe), and Camilla Alisander-Ason (who provides a wide variety of voices), this album has a wide cast of characters to keep listener interest piqued. 
This is an album that will appeal to fans of Cradle Of Filth as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom Of The Opera. A perfect example of this marriage is Blood Countess Bathory, which tells the infamous tale of Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, who supposedly slaughtered countless young girls and bathed in their blood, all in order to maintain a youthful appearance. 
The Final Word: Opera Diabolicus’s †1614 delivers exactly what it promises: a macabre, gothic metal album with a rabid taste for the theatrical. If this is your kind of music, expect this to become one of your favorites. 
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Music

‘The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live’ Concert Event to Make Streaming Debut Next Month

Published

3 days ago

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July 14, 2026

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The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live

AMC has announced that The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE, the standing-room-only performance celebrating AMC’s premiere of its newly-released The Vampire Lestat at New York City’s iconic Beacon Theatre last month, will debut on streaming.

The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE begins streaming on AMC+ on August 23.

Ahead of its streaming premiere, fans can preview the concert event, featuring original songs from series composer Daniel Hart and performed by Sam Reid, in Hall H at Comic Con International on July 24. 

Our own Daniel Kurland attended the special event, highlighting how electric the Immortal Vampire is on stage: “It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.”

Based on Anne Rice‘s The Vampire Chronicles book series, The Vampire Lestat is the rock and roll-centric third season of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire” created by showrunner Rolin Jones.

The Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.

Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle star with Reid. Executive producers include Jones, Mark Johnson, Hannah Moscovitch, the late Anne Rice, and her son Christopher Rice.

The series finale airs this Sunday, July 19, on AMC and AMC+.

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