Metamorphosis Club proudly presents:
‡ THE SPIRITUAL BAT [Deathrock // American Gothic]
☩ LA GRAZIA OBLIQUA [Darkwave // Neo-Folk]
"Genealogy" new single [official video premiere]
Friday 19th October at Traffic Club, Rome.
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The Spiritual Bat is Dario Passamonti (Music and Arrangements) and Rosetta Garrì (Lyrics and Arrangements, percussions). Initially meaning to release all instrumental music, when a recording session for acoustic drums was set up, Rosetta, who had previously been the drummer, on a spur of the moment wrote and recorded the lyrics and vocals for Through The Shadows. The Spiritual Bat is an evolution from "The Spiritual Bats" project which was conceived in 1992 by Dario Passamonti with former singer Matteo Bracaglia. The vinyl EP Spiritual Bats was released in 1993. The project always featured artwork by the Alchemisti Painters (Biennial of Venice, 1986 Art and Alchemy section), as well as their installations and projections during live performances. In November 1994 the Spiritual Bats had the pleasure and the honour of opening for Rozz Williams (Christian Death) and his Daucus Karota, at the Black Out (Rome). Confession was recorded in May 1995, immediately after a show at the Velvet. Shamanic drummer Rosetta, was present at that event, and joined the group shortly after. Sacrament was released in 1999, after the live show at CB’s Gallery (Alchemy), New York, August 1998, with the projection of the Funeral Cries Video. In addition to the Alchemisti Art, Sacrament proudly features the Graphics Art by Eric Hammer, (Requiem In White, Mors Syphilitica), today also known as Doc Hammer (Venture Brothers). In 1999 the track Crucifixion was included The Unquiet Grave Volume 1 by CLEOPATRA. In 2004 the founders of the project decided to part. Dario continues to bring his visions to life through sound with Rosetta. Thanks to the encouragement of fans and a promise to a friend who passed away in 2008, they decided to share that intimate dimension: The Bat was now ready to come out live. Several European concerts and three U.S. tours have taken place since then: the 2009 Tour which followed the release of the duo’s debut album Through The Shadows, The Lowlands Tour in 2010 (with the support of Sullen Serenade, from Texas). Highlights of 2012 include the Whitby Gothic Weekend in the UK and San La Muerte Festival in San Antonio, TX. In 2011 The Spiritual Bat had signed with the historic German label DANSE MACABRE for the release of the album CRUEL MACHINE. A limited, hand-numbered edition of the same album, packaged in a deluxe folder including a poster was also released early in 2012 by Philadelphia based label Industry8/Digital Ferret, followed in the summer by The Cruel Machine US Tour (23 dates all over the United States), which confirmed new and old friendships in the dark scenes of the States, a journey in which the duo gained strength and self-confidence on stage. Back in Italy band rehearsals are resumed with Alessio Santoni (Ufip-Facus) on drums, but the new bass player unfortunately cannot commit due to personal reasons. Alessio, great professional who had already collaborated on the Through The Shadows and Cruel Machine recordings, as well as old friend met through sound engineer Claudio Mura, continues with dedication this journey with The Spiritual Bat. In May 2013 The Spiritual Bat appear live in the 22nd edition of Wave Gotik Treffen, international festival held annually in Leipzig, Germany, performing on the prestigious stage of the Werk II.
The album Mosaic was released on March 28th, 2014, through Danse Macabre Records. Mosaic boasts Visuals by Gli Alchimisti in collaboration with Doc Hammer (Venture Brothers, Weep, Mors Syphilitica, Requiem In White), Guest Musicians Ashkelon Sain (Trance To The Sun, Soriah), Greg Scott Cruz (Sullen Serenade, Inheirent) and Tyves Oben (Place4Tears, Scarless Arms), besides old drummer Alessio Santoni (Ufip, Facus, Volume); photography by Laura Rossi and Mastering by Marco Cento. Mosaic was supported by the longest tour to date, the Inside The Mosaic US Tour, an amazing adventure. The band left home with 23 gigs, and ended up playing 30 shows, 29 across the USA from coast to coast, and, for the first time, one show in Mexico. This was also the year of guest musicians, a great accomplishment. The versatile multi-instrumentalist and composer Ashkelon Sain, besides contributing some arrangements on the album, also played bass live with TSB all the way down the West Coast and across to Texas and all the way up to Chicago. Doug Principato played bass on the East Coast. Old tour-mate Greg Scott Cruz joined the Bat on stage with live keyboards on If I Were A Flower (The Journey), in San Antonio, TX. Back home, a European mini-tour followed including The Return of The Batcave Festival, in Wroclaw, Poland, a performance in Prague, Czech Republic and one in Ilmenau, Germany. The new album release is delayed due to personal and family issues, but in 2016 TSB release The Vision Of Sound ep, which they present live at Les Fleurs Du Mal Party in Rome, Italy, at Castle Party Festival in Poland, with Emilio Torella on bass and Massimo Ceci on drums, and then in the USA coast-to-coast with Aaron Nicholes (Legion Within) on drums, on The Vision Of Sound Tour, including one show in Mexico City. The new album is being released in 2017, with the title "Your Own World – And The Vision Of Sound".
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Il gruppo de La Grazia Obliqua nasce dal laboratorio musicale del Ghostrack Studio di Roma come collettivo musicale ed artistico aperto a diverse modalità espressive. Muove i primi passi con progetti legati alla realtà territoriale tra cui un contributo sonoro e testuale dedicato a Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Nel contesto del Forum Territoriale Permanente, il gruppo ha partecipato attivamente a due edizioni del festival estivo “Eclettica”.
Nei primi anni di attività la band ha sviluppato divesri progetti artistici, tra cui la riproposizione dell’intero album omonimo dei Velvet Underground (Velvet Underground & Nico), gettando in tal modo le basi della propria poetica sonora e concettuale: un mix di ballate oscure elettroacustiche.
Dopo un’attività di varie esperienze live, decidono di dedicarsi ad una scrittura di brani originali, con radici che affondano nelle esperienze sonore dei gruppi dei primi anni '80 che hanno segnato gli albori della new wave e del gothic, senza tralasciare le lezioni dei cantautori del passato. Il gruppo giunge alla realizzazione di un repertorio inedito frutto dell'alchimia di tali sonorità che fa dell'eclettismo e della liberà espressiva assoluta la propria cifra stilistica: darkwave, ballate crepuscolari, elettronica accompagnano una scrittura fatta di liriche immaginifiche e introspettive.
Il tema della "crisi", del crollo dei valori, della decadenza della civiltà occidentale e di un ritorno alla Bellezza come dimensione etica ed estetica è centrale nella loro poetica.
Tema valorizzato ed esasperato dalle performance e dai contributi visual che arricchiscono le performance dal vivo.
Nell’aprile 2017 esce un promo ep prodotto dalla X-Records di Roma e registrato presso il Ghostrack Studio. Il lavoro attira subito l’attenzione delle fanzine specializzate e delle radio del circuito indipendente che commentano positivamente l’originalità e l’eleganza dei brani.
A maggio 2017 esce l’ep ufficiale omonimo “La Grazia Obliqua”.
Attualmente in lavorazione il primo full lenght della band "Canzoni per tramonti ed albe (al crepuscolo dell'Occidente)", da cui estratto il singolo/video, "Genealogy"
to be continued …
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Musick To Play In The Dark.
All genres. Must wear all black.
Total Black
music_code_by_
Dj Severance & Dj Frank Black
Wave | Indie | Post-punk | Darkwave | Classic Goth
Minimal | Industrial | E.b.m. | Acid | New Beat
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►Garden Area // Alternative market & stand
► Open 10pm // Close 5am
Traffic Live Club, via Prenestina 738 [Roma]
