The Electric Hellfire Club
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The Electric Hellfire Club was an American
industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
band mixing elements of
glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam r ...
,
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
,
gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...
, and
psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
. The band's lyrics contain
tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
references to sin, violence, sex, devil worship and similar themes. The band also made use of sampling, mainly from low-budget horror films.


History

Based in
Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...
, the Electric Hellfire Club was formed in 1991 when
Thomas Thorn Thomas Torquemada Thorn (born ''Thomas A. Lockyear, II''; 2 August 1964) is an American musician. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, he is best known as co-founder of, and lead vocalist for, the industrial metal band The Electric Hellfire Club. Durin ...
(a.k.a. Buck Ryder), departed the industrial/techno band
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (often shortened to Thrill Kill Kult or TKK) is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based in Chicago and founded by Groovie Mann (born Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (born Marston Daley). ...
. The Electric Hellfire Club was initially composed of Thorn (vocals, keyboard programming), co-founder and keyboardist Shane Lassen (a.k.a. Rev. Dr. Luv), and guitarist Ronny Valeo. After the initial string of live shows, drummer Eric Peterson (a.k.a. Janna Flail) was added to enhance the band's live shows, thus completing the band's original lineup. Prior to recording the first album, '' Burn, Baby, Burn!'', dancer and back-up singer Sabrina Satana joined the group, and Peterson was replaced on drums by percussionist Richard Frost. The EHC toured extensively throughout the early to mid-1990s, both as an opening act, and as headliners in their own right. They toured with
Type O Negative Type O Negative were an American gothic metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989 by Peter Steele (bass, lead vocals), Kenny Hickey (guitar, co-lead vocals), Josh Silver (keyboards, backing vocals), and Sal Abruscato (drums, percussi ...
,
Christian Death Christian Death is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles County, California, in 1979 by Rozz Williams. With major line-up changes over the years, Christian Death has retained "a relentlessly confrontational stand against organized religi ...
,
Spahn Ranch Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a 55-acre (22.3 ha) movie ranch in Los Angeles, California. For a period it was used as a ranch, dairy farm and later movie set during the era of westerns. After a decline in use for filming b ...
,
Penal Colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...
, and
Genitorturers The Genitorturers are an American industrial metal band with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band". History Originating in Orlando, Florida, t ...
, amongst others. On January 22, 1996, Shane Lassen was killed in an automobile accident. After the death of The Rev. Dr. Luv, the band regrouped and recorded the album ''
Calling Dr. Luv ''Calling Dr. Luv'' is the third studio album by American industrial band The Electric Hellfire Club, released on September 3, 1996, by Cleopatra Records. The album is named after the Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips agai ...
'', dedicating the title track, a cover of the
KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
song from which Lassen drew his stage name, in his honor. After recording ''Calling Dr. Luv'', the band began extensive touring again, setting out on the road with
Boyd Rice Boyd Blake Rice (born December 16, 1956) is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the ''Partridge Family Temple'' religious group, co-founder of ...
. During this period of near-constant touring, the band toured with such acts as Type O Negative, Danzig,
Coal Chamber Coal Chamber is an American nu metal band formed by Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón in Los Angeles, California in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, the two had also created the band She's in Pain, in 1992. The original lineup also consisted of bassist ...
,
GWAR Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...
, Powerman 5000,
Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
,
Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Gree ...
, and played one-off shows with Spahn Ranch, and
Alien Sex Fiend Alien Sex Fiend are an English gothic rock band, formed in London, England in 1982. The current lineup of the band consists of Nik Fiend and Mrs Fiend. Five of the group's albums and 12 of their singles reached top 20 positions in the UK indie ...
. Before setting off on tour with GWAR in the summer of 1997, the band entered the studio and recorded the single "D.W.S.O.B", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film ''
Gummo ''Gummo'' is a 1997 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine, starring Jacob Reynolds, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, and Chloë Sevigny. The film is set (but was not filmed) in Xenia, Ohio, a Midwestern American tow ...
''. They also performed a cover tune for the television theme song "Charles in Charge" changing it and the inferred meaning with a
goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...
and
industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...
style. The song was released on the two-CD set of 36 TV show opening tunes of TV
cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...
s done by gothic and industrial bands. The CD was titled ''TV Terror: Felching a Dead Horse'', which was released in September 1997. Following the completion of an extensive tour in 2002, the band entered a period of extended hiatus. A cover song of
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
's "Devil's Dance", released through the band's website in early 2004, was a brief flurry before the band scattered in 2005. Front man Thomas Thorn relocated from the band's native Wisconsin to the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
, and Sabrina Satana relocated to Los Angeles. The official website went offline, and the official message board was taken down. In 2007, a new official website appeared, and the band's page on the website myspace.com began receiving updates. Information online indicated that the band was regrouping and possibly working together again, and that Wilhelm Curse had resumed keyboarding duties for the band. Throughout mid to late 2008, the band began releasing demo versions of previous songs, and other rare recordings via Myspace account. These tracks were available for streaming. Early 2009 brought about the reactivation of the band in earnest. In January, it was reported on the official website and on the band's MySpace page that preliminary work had started on a new full-length album, which would mark the band's first studio album in seven years. It also saw Charles Edward from the
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
area
gothic metal Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...
band Seraphim Shock join the band as guitarist, replacing long time band member Ricktor Ravensbrück, who was serving time in federal prison on drug charges. Original drummer Eric Peterson rejoined the band in February, reuniting half of the band's original lineup. In February 2011, a news update to the band's official site indicated that work on a new album was "indefinitely postponed". Subsequently, however, Frozen North Records announced via MK Ultra that Thorn, Ravensbrück and company had reunited and been signed to FNR in February 2014 to produce their first new album in over a decade, titled ''Tech Noir''. The album reportedly would have paid tribute to not only the band's electro-industrial roots, but also maintain the heavy-hitting metal crunch they have been associated with more lately. On November 2, 2016, Thomas Thorn announced via his Facebook page that The Electric Hellfire Club will never create new music again. The band marked its 25th anniversary with one final show in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, on December 2, 2016.


Lineup

The band underwent many changes in membership, with only front man Thomas Thorn remaining throughout its history. This was the classic lineup: *Thomas Thorn – vocals, keyboards, samples, programming (1991–2016) *Sabrina Satana – bass (1993–2002) *Eric Peterson – drums (1991–1992, 2009–2016) *Ricktor Ravensbrück – guitars (1996–2009, 2014–2016)


Discography

*'' Burn, Baby, Burn!'' (1993),
Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Dea ...
*''
Satan's Little Helpers ''Satan's Little Helpers'' is a 1994 EP by American industrial rock band The Electric Hellfire Club. This release features remixes of previously released material from their debut CD '' Burn, Baby, Burn!''; Psychedelic Sacrifice, The Electric Hel ...
'' (1994), Cleopatra Records *'' Kiss the Goat'' (1995), Cleopatra Records (reissued 2005) *''Trick or Treat? Halloween '95'' (1995), Cleopatra Records (limited pressing of 1,000 LPs on orange vinyl, and 500 CD copies) *''
Calling Dr. Luv ''Calling Dr. Luv'' is the third studio album by American industrial band The Electric Hellfire Club, released on September 3, 1996, by Cleopatra Records. The album is named after the Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips agai ...
'' (1996), Cleopatra Records *''Unholy Roller'' (1998), Cleopatra Records *''Empathy for the Devil'' (2000), Cleopatra Records *''Witness The Millennium'' (2000), Cleopatra Records *''Electronomicon'' (2002), Cleopatra Records (reissued 2005) *''Necessary Evils – The Best of'' (2016), Cleopatra Records


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Electric Hellfire Club Musical groups established in 1991 Musical quintets American industrial rock musical groups American industrial metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Wisconsin 1991 establishments in Wisconsin