Music

[Review] Opera Diabolicus ‘†1614’

Published

12 years ago

January 26, 2012

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.

JonathanBarkan

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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Movies

‘M3GAN 2.0’ – Ivanna Sakhno and Allison Williams Starring in Horror Sequel

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2024

John Squires

Pictured: Ivanna Sakhno in 'Let It Snow'

Blumhouse is bringing killer doll M3GAN back to the screen in M3GAN 2.0 in 2025, and Deadline reports today that Ivanna Sakhno (Let It Snow, “Ahsoka”) has signed on to star.

Ivanna Sakhno is said to have a “major role” in the upcoming sequel.

The follow-up from Universal and Blumhouse will release in theaters on May 16, 2025.

Allison Williams and Violet McGraw are back for the sequel, with Akela Cooper (Malignant, M3GAN) once again writing the script and James Wan on board to produce.

SPOILER WARNING: M3GAN ends with the titular doll being destroyed, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Child’s Play franchise it’s that killer dolls can never truly be killed!

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

M3GAN 2.0 - Best of 2023