Bella Morte
Bella Morte is a gothic band that was formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. They incorporate elements of metal, dark wave, deathrock, alternative and synthpop.[1] The band's name means "beautiful death" in Italian. According to Andy Deane, the name was chosen to "suggest that beauty can be found in tragedy", which is a theme occurring in every Bella Morte album.[2]
Bella Morte | |
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Founding member and singer Andy Deane of Bella Morte at Dragon Con in 2006 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
Genres | Gothic rock, dark wave, industrial, deathrock |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Metropolis |
Members | Andy Deane Tony Lechmanski Marshall Camden |
Past members | Branden Shores |
As of 2015, they are signed to Metropolis Records.[3] Bella Morte previously released albums through their own label, Some Wear Leather,[1] and through Cleopatra Records. In early fall 2006, Metropolis Records announced that Bella Morte had reached number one on the company's pre-order sales list with their new album, Bleed the Grey Sky Black,[4] which was released on October 10, 2006.
The bass guitarist and co-founder Gopal Metro decided to leave the band, playing his last show on March 10, 2007, in Charlottesville. At the same show, the vocalist Andy Deane announced that Tony Pugh would replace Metro. At the beginning of summer 2008 it was announced that Jordan Marchini would not be touring with the band any longer. He returned in 2011.[5]
Current band members
- Andy Deane – vocals
- Tony Lechmanski – guitars
- Marshall Camden – bass
Former band members
- Gopal Metro – bass
- Tony Pugh – bass
- Jordan Marchini – drums
- Branden Shores – drums
- Scotty Derrico – drums
- Clay Caricofe – drums
- Chris "Frizzle" – guitars
- Bn Whitlow – guitars
- Micah Consylman – keyboards (mainly the keytar during live performance)
- James Warnock – keyboards, lighting
Discography
Full releases
- Remorse (cassette only, demo) (1996)
- Remains (1997)
- Where Shadows Lie (2000)
- The Death Rock EP (Vinyl – limited to 300) (2001)
- The Quiet (2002)
- The Death Rock EP (CD w/ bonus tracks) (2002)
- Remains (Remastered Version) (2002)
- As the Reasons Die (2004)
- Songs for the Dead (2004)
- Bleed The Grey Sky Black (2006)
- Beautiful Death (October 7, 2008)
- Before the Flood (June 14, 2011)
- Rare and Unreleased, volume 1 (February 14, 2012)
- The Best of Bella Morte 1996–2012 (June 25, 2013)
- Exorcisms (2014)
- Year of the Ghost (August 14, 2017)
Side projects
Andy Deane released a solo album as "The Rain Within", a reference to the Bella Morte song "The Rain Within Her Hands", in 2010 titled Pain Management.
Compilations
- The Pink and The Black (1998) (Delinquent Records) – "One Winter's Night"
- The Unquiet Grave Vol 1 (1998) (Cleopatra Records) – "Funeral Night"
- Music from the Succubus Club (2000) (Dancing Ferret Discs) – "Fall No More"
- The Darkest Millennium (2000) (Cleopatra Records) – "The Rain Within Her Hands"
- A Gothic-Industrial Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins (2001) (Cleopatra Records) – "Soma"
- New Dark Noise (2002) (Cleopatra Records) – "Relics"
- Electronic Saviors Volume 2: Recurrence (2012) (Metropolis Records) - "Lost"
- Electronic Saviors Volume 3: Remission (2014) (Metropolis Records) - "The One Beside Me"
Music videos
- "In The Dirt" directed by Lloyd Kaufman was filmed on February 20, 2010, at Con Nooga in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- "Find Forever Gone" directed by Eric Thomas Craven. Released on September 30, 2008
- "On the Edge" directed by Eric Thomas Craven. Released on February 14, 2008
- "Earth Angel" directed by Eric Thomas Craven. Released on February 14, 2007
- "Another Way" directed by Wendy Shuey (2004)
Media appearances
- Bella Morte appears as zombies in the graphic novel The Abandoned by Sophie Campbell, published by TokyoPop.
- Andy Deane appeared on The Montel Williams Show in June 1999, in an episode concerning the goth scene.
- Bella Morte are mentioned in Shawn Decker's autobiography My Pet Virus.
- Posters advertising a Bella Morte concert with the As the Reasons Die artwork appear in the Asylum club scenes of the computer game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
- Bella Morte lyrics appear in the "Wet Moon" graphic novels by Sophie Campbell (then known as Ross Campbell), published by Oni Press. In volume 3 of the series, the characters attend a live Bella Morte show.
- Members of the band appear in the documentary Why You Do This, directed by Michael Dafferner of Car Bomb. Footage is taken from Bella Morte's 2008 tour with Car Bomb.
References
- Wilson, MacKenzie. Biography for Bella Morte at AllMusic. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- Torstensson, Helena. "Bella Morte (Andy Deane) Interview". Venia-mag.net. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- "Artists – Metropolis Records". Metropolis-records.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
- "Innovative Pop, Rock and Electronic Music – Metropolis Records". Metropolis-records.com. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
- "Bella Morte Official Website". Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2020-03-23.