Three song trilogy Letters To A Vampire by The Sweet Kill premieres today. As Halloween is upon us, a trio of chiller diller tunes for the children of the damned is gifted to us by this artist…
Tell us about your new EP:
The “Letters To A Vampire” EP started with the song “Forbidden” which was co-written by NYC based chanteuse Danielle Parente and my former Flash Bastard band mate Donal Finn. As we were writing “Forbidden” we knew we tapped an otherworldly energy. However with only a few days to finish we did the best we could in a short time. A lot of sync houses were into the song but it never landed anywhere. Thus it was put on the back burner until the pandemic hit. I went through a wide range of emotions of seeing my mortality and then reflecting back to my turbulent times leading to sobriety. Through the lens of this perspective I felt compelled to revisit and rework “Forbidden”. I made it faster, changed the arrangement, added a new chorus and ultimately gutted the production. The thematic narration involves a lustful couple caroming around in the darkness stumbling upon the powerful elements of love. “…Maybe we were wrong to do it, or just sick for what we need, maybe we were outcasts all along, but every night the sun sets slowly, my darkened heart controls me, sucked into the black hole of your arms… Forbidden lust”
Can you tell us about the song Queen Of The Damned?
“Forbidden” catapulted me deep into the occult as I researched the seductive process of vampires. The title “Queen Of The Damned” became my muse as I described my disdain for the mundane “normal” life during this pandemic lock down. In addition I watched the Last Dance Chicago Bulls documentary and was reminded of the efficacy of their theme song, which was the 1982 Alan Parsons song, “Sirius”. Curiously I started to play the “Queen Of The Damned” chords underneath the repetitive guitar riff of the Chicago Bulls theme song. This worked so well I procured the license to replay the Sirius guitar riff enhancing the solid sound design of “Queen Of The Damned”. Thematically the Queen saves me from a world of disease and fear, as I become the King of the vampires and collectively turn the world into our immortal army. “Queen Of The Damned” outlines the regal mandate of life everlasting. “…Was lost now I’m found, we fly the speed of sound, I owe my soul you saved, kiss me till our lips fall off, so drunk on all your blood lights my soul on fire …my Queen of the damned, going to live to the end of time, I’m the king of the vampires…”
Tell us about the song and music video Undead:
The recently written “Undead” became the focus track of “Letters To A Vampire”. My dear friend Nassim Nadery and I were brainstorming the dark world of the occult spontaneously searching all over Los Angeles for haunted forests, warehouses and graveyards. I wanted Nassim to co-star in a video shot by director Leslie Alejandro who was very adamant to avoid being too “on the nose”. This creative collaboration led to the inception of “Undead” which was written to encapsulate the darkness in the video we were searching for. “Undead” illustrates the struggle of a vampire who is in love with his mortal girlfriend. She is sick and dying and he has no choice but to save her by turning her immortal. The sonic cinematic soundscapes of live piano and a full string section allude to getting lost in horror/fantasy movie or walking on a fall day in a forest as the seasons change. I love the fear of the unknown and the fantasy of magic. When these elements mix with the spirit world transcendence occurs. “Undead” provides an escape into the realm of ones own infinite imagination. Dare to dream big and never sell yourself short “…Touch the snow on an icy peak, as the wind chills this reckoning, where Gods and Monsters breed, so come with me… into the Undead slip into the mystery”
How did you come up with the title Letters To A Vampire?
I was plagued with waves of self-doubt and existential crisis so it was suggested to read Letters To A Young Poet (a correspondence between an aspiring poet and established poet Rainer Maria Rilke). This book masterfully described the artistic process. I’ll never forget how sovereignly re-affirmed and confident I felt after which inspired “Letters To A Vampire”. In this latest release I codify The Sweet Kill proof of concept that the battle between good and evil lies within. The “Sweet” is the destined path ahead; The Kill is the temptation to the dark side. The lifestyle of a vampire isn’t all fangs and blood; in fact that’s all a metaphor for seduction and arousal. Tantric poetically mirrors the vampires’ power to dissolve lovers morphing into the one universal entity. The “Letters To A Vampire” EP captures 3 very different songs, with 3 different perspectives all seductively supporting how love will conquer all. Happy Halloween 2020
MORE INFO:
www.thesweetkill.com
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