Today marks the release of The Sixth Chamber‘s new video ‘Red Death Masquerade.’ I’ve been lucky enough at this point to encounter a few of the long-running Los Angeles-based goth/doom rockers’ works over the last couple years, and as band spearhead Rahne Pistor stands astride a grave in the clip for “Red Death Masquerade,” the song’s metallic-riffed underpinning met with theatrics of keys and vocal melody to go with its classic-vibing drive, it feels right in line sound-wise with what I’d most hope for from them. I was never cool enough to be goth, and I’m still not, but hell’s bells, I’ve seen Fields of the Nephilim, so I can vibe on “Red Death Masquerade” without any trouble. At the end of the day, catchy is catchy, songwriting is songwriting.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also take a second to value the work put into aesthetic here. If you’re digging into the video, you’ll see the elaborate nature of The Sixth Chamber‘s presentation goes beyond even the settings or the makeup worn by Pistor and Loretta Vampz and Dani Divine, who also feature in the clip, as they draw liberally upon the traditions of Victorian horror, sexploitation cinema, and DIY craft, and even if the storyline is a means to the end that is the blood and the implied sex, these too are part and parcel of the aesthetic. I do not envy Dani Divine or Loretta Vampz, or Rahne Pistor their makeup routines. It is an essential component to the performance of the art, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easy.

“Red Death Masquerade” has been streaming for about a month now on The Sixth Chamber‘s Bandcamp page, linked below. The clip was filmed in New Orleans this past December and you can read more about the circumstances that go with that in the PR wire info below — a case of timely coincidence or supernatural meant-to-be-ism, depending entirely on your point of view.

NSFW? Yeah, probably not if you want to keep that job. But you should quit that job anyway, as I keep telling you.

Please enjoy:

The Sixth Chamber, “Red Death Masquerade” video premiere

“Red Death Masquerade” is here! Like the horrid nascent vampire plague it depicts, The Sixth Chamber’s new single and music video will be unleashed Friday, April 15th, leading a foray into the darkest depths of antiquarian New Orleans vampire lore.

The new video stars British vampire/fetish queen and gothic model sensation Dani Divine as she is stalked throughout the French Quarter and the cemeteries of New Orleans by a malignant vampiric fiend (played by extreme gothic couture and headpiece designer Loretta Vampz) in a lustful, blood-soaked tale of woe and seduction. Will her night of pleasure and prurient indulgence end in eternal horror and damnation? Are her fears real or simply her imagination?

Dani Divine has been a featured headlining burlesque performer and poster model for the Endless Night Vampire Ball events for the past few years along with performing fire spinning at Bloodstock Open Air Festival and other major events. She was also featured in the October 29, 2020 Rolling Stone article about the Vampire Ball.

In an eerie twist of synchronicity, the “Red Death Masquerade” music video was filmed throughout the day on December 11th in New Orleans, at the exact day and time of famed New Orleans vampire literary giant Anne Rice’s death….in the exact cemetery that she would subsequently be buried in – Metairie Cemetery.

The video was directed by Mark Newton, who has worked in various roles on numerous film productions including Danzig’s Verotika; Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate’s Cove (starring Malcolm McDowell); and Death Rising.

PERSONNEL:
Rahne Pistor ~ Vocals, Guitar
Erik Peterson ~ Drums
Bobby Parker ~ Bass
Palo Henderson ~ Keyboards

The Sixth Chamber on Facebook

The Sixth Chamber on Instagram

The Sixth Chamber on Bandcamp

With roots in Los Angeles that go back 20 years but just two full-lengths under their collective belt, The Sixth Chamber manage to bring a storied blend of styles to the goth-horror narrative of their new single “Walpurgis Night.” And by “the goth-horror narrative,” I mean the goth-horror narrative, since the song is essentially telling the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Because, damn it, if you’re going to do a thing, go all-in.

And The Sixth Chamber are nothing if not that. Their sound brings together elements of stately goth rock, classic heavy metal, and doom, and with a hearty dose of church organ to boot, “Walpurgis Night” offers a duly creepy feel to go with its rampant hook about the undead. Led as ever by guitarist/vocalist Rahne Pistor, their songcraft wants nothing for structure or melody and their work weaves between influences with the organic otherness of a band working outside of time. I’m pretty sure I’ve likened them before to Type O Negative or the underappreciated Bronx Casket Co. — and if not, shame on me — but if not, the obvious glee of their darkness comes through even or maybe especially in the animated lyric video that accompanies “Walpurgis Night” below.

For further grim treasures, I might advise digging into their Bandcamp. Personnel and styles vary, but there’s always a darker undercurrent that unites the material across the swath of releases.

But of course, this first. Enjoy:

The Sixth Chamber, “Walpurgis Night” official lyric video

New vampire-themed rock to satisfy your preternatural drive for blood! Mythical mysterians The Sixth Chamber make a foray into the darkest depths of antiquarian vampire lore with the release of the new single “Walpurgis Night”.

Lyric video artwork and direction by Marlena Sidor
End screen composite photo by Marlena Sidor, Constantin Werner and Matthew Fields

The Sixth Chamber:
Rahne Pistor ~ Vocals, Guitar
Alan St Jon ~ Keyboards
Bobby Parker ~ Bass
Erik Peterson ~ Drums
Lillian Liu ~ Violin

The Sixth Chamber on Thee Facebooks

The Sixth Chamber on Instagram

The Sixth Chamber on Bandcamp

Usually when I post about a song or an album or whatever it is that’s not out yet I’ll play coy. Not this time. No way, I’ve heard this thing, and I wish, I wish, I wish you could hear it too. The Sixth Chamber have a new keyboardist in Alan St. Jon, who plays with Billy Squier and has done time with an impressive list of others in the studio and on stage — my understanding is that if you’re insanely talented and not a prick, being a session musician is a really good gig to get — and they bid him welcome with due theatricality on “Blood of the Prophet,” their new single. Somewhere between goth and classic prog, the song resides in a dark and dramatic expanse and the keys play a huge role in making it all come together.

I don’t know what the release plan is — I assume it’ll be on Bandcamp, and that’s linked below — but it’s out July 31, and it’s delightfully, delightfully weird. Fun in an apocalyptic Los Angeles kind of way.

The PR wire tells the tale:

THE SIXTH CHAMBER – Blood of the Prophet

Los Angeles-based mythical mysterians The Sixth Chamber are set to release the new single “Blood of the Prophet” on July 31st, which we are calling the soundtrack to the end of the world. The new track is a dark, surreal lyrical foray into timeless dreamlands and forgotten aeons.

This is the the debut recording with legendary classic rock synth master Alan St Jon in the lineup. St Jon is an original and current member of classic rock act Billy Squier. He was also keyboardist for Alice Cooper during the late ‘80s ‘Trash’ era and toured and recorded with Iggy Pop, John Entwistle, Leslie West, Twisted Sister and others. St Jon has 14 Gold and Platinum album awards to his credit and was the go-to guy for studio sessions for famed producer Desmond Child for many years.

The Sixth Chamber was founded in 2001 by songwriter and lead vocalist/guitarist Rahne Pistor and has left a 19-year triumphant legacy of gothic, doom, psychedelic rock and proto-metal tinged releases. Throughout its unyielding musical voyage The Sixth Chamber has shared management with Type O Negative, Mountain and Megadeth; played at the funeral of Jimi Hendrix/Band of Gypsys drummer Buddy Miles as invited guests; and provided music on the soundtrack of the Lions Gate distributed film Dance of the Dead.

SONG CREDITS:
Rahne Pistor – Vocals, Guitar
Alan St Jon – Keyboards
Bobby Parker – Bass
Erik Peterson – Drums

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https://thesixthchamber.bandcamp.com/

The Sixth Chamber, “Entrance to the Cold Waste” official video

If you find yourself wondering what’s going on with the new video from Los Angeles-based goth-tinged doom rockers The Sixth Chamber, that’s okay. Between the desert and the bellydancing and the demon sultan, there are a fair amount of references to various mythological concepts, and bellies, and yeah, it’s all pretty wild. Not the least counterintuitive is the fact that the song is called “Entrance to the Cold Waste” and the clip was filmed in Death Valley on what looks like a stinking-hot kind of afternoon. Whatever else you listen to today, it’s not gonna sound like this.

Founded by guitarist/vocalist Rahne Pistor around the turn of the century, The Sixth Chamber‘s new single features members of Crypt Sermon and Salem’s Bend, and if pulling players from across the country (Crypt Sermon being based in Philadelphia) seems out there, that’s just the start of it. Their first show was in 2002 opening for Chuck Dukowski. They played Buddy Miles‘ funeral, and their last video had Ron Jeremy in it. So, even before you click play on the YouTube embed below, you need to understand that “out there” is a big part of what The Sixth Chamber do. And if you hear a hint of New York goth metal â la Type O Negative in “Entrance to the Cold Waste,” you’re probably not far off. Pistor spent time in the late ’90s in New York doing Misfits tunes alongside Bobby Steele in The Undead, so there’s about no way he would’ve escaped that band’s sphere of influence.

But “Entrance to the Cold Waste” isn’t at all so easy to pin down as just that. Rather, its theatricality comes coupled with an underlying course of classically doomed grooving and fuzzed-out tones. It’s a rare balance of stylistic elements, and the visuals to which they’re set — from the swordfight to the actual eating of a heart — tell a story that’s as entrancing as it is obscure. I’m not sure you’ll want to look away, but even if you did, you probably wouldn’t be able to do so.

“Entrace to the Cold Waste” is available as a single now, and the video was directed by Constantin Werner. It’s my pleasure to host the premiere below.

Please enjoy:

The Sixth Chamber, “Entrance to the Cold Waste” official video premiere

An entheogenic seeker and sorcerer (Rahne Pistor) stalks an irresistible will-o’-the-wisp sorceress (Mahafsoun) through the vast tortured waste far beyond the waking world toward the marvelous sunset city. En route of his dream quest he encounters the creeper from the great beyond and other grim perils. What unspeakable horrors lie at the prehistoric stone monastery in the dominion of the crude and mischievous demon sultan Azathoth (Stanton Lavey), that evil devil? Who is left to trust? Do the seeker’s true enemies lie within? Is reaching the wondrous Kadath in all its glory worth the wholesale scourging of his soul?

Directed by Constantin Werner.

STARRING:
Rahne Pistor
Mahafsoun
Stanton Lavey
Brian Bodt

Other notable facts about the production:
*It features a cameo by the grandson of Satanic Bible author and Church of Satan Founder Anton Lavey, who plays a crude heathen elder god of a guttural devil sect too awful to mention.
*It was shot in the scorching heat and otherworldly wastelands of Death Valley, CA this past summer
*The video stars the illustrious gothic metal belly dancer Mahafsoun, a well-known YouTube personality and early adopter of this dance sub-genre.
*The song includes lead guitarist Steve Jansson of Crypt Sermon and bassist Bobby Parker of Salem’s Bend

SONG CREDITS:
Rahne Pistor – Vocals, Guitar
Steve Jansson – Guitar
Bobby Parker – Bass
Jameson Cluchey – Drums
Adam Thompson – Keyboards

The Sixth Chamber on Thee Facebooks

The Sixth Chamber on Instagram

The Sixth Chamber on Bandcamp