Devil Doll (band)
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| Devil Doll | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Venice, Italy Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Genre(s) | Experimental rock Progressive rock Gothic rock Symphonic rock |
| Years active | 1987–1997 |
| Label(s) | Hurdy Gurdy |
| Former members | |
| Last known lineup: Mr. Doctor Francesco Carta Bor Zuljan Jani Hace Roman Ratej Davor Klaric Michel Fantini Jesurum |
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Devil Doll is an Italian-Slovenian experimental rock band formed in 1987 by the mysterious "Mr. Doctor". The band has gained a cult following, taking influences from gothic rock, classical and slavonic folk music, and fronted by the sprechgesang of Mr. Doctor himself. Devil Doll albums were all released on small labels in limited quantities.
Contents |
[edit] History
Mr. Doctor recruits the members of Devil Doll through an advertisement with the heading:
"A man is the less likely to become great the more he is dominated by reason: few can achieve greatness - and none in art - if they are not dominated by illusion."
Originally, two lineups were formed, one in Venice, Italy, and one in Ljubljana in former Yugoslavia (now Slovenia).
The first work of Devil Doll was The Mark of the Beast, recorded in Tivoli Studios, Ljubljana in the last half of 1987. Amongst the sound technicians were Jurij Toni (most known for working with Laibach), who would work with the band for the next ten years. The Mark of the Beast was finished, and a single copy pressed, in February 1988. The cover to the album was painted by Mr. Doctor himself, who keeps the album in his home to this day. No other copies exist: "This is a painting, not a graphic work". A few passages from the album, however, are said to make "cameos" in future Devil Doll albums.
Later the same year, work on a second composition began. This work, entitled The Girl Who Was... Death, was inspired by the 1967 British television series The Prisoner. 500 copies of the album were originally pressed, in the beginning of 1989, of which only 150 were released. These were distributed out amongst the audience of the second live performance of the composition (the first had occurred before the pressing of the album), each with a unique inlay created by Mr. Doctor. Some of these inlays were written in his own blood. The remaining 350 copies of the album were destroyed by Mr. Doctor once he returned home.
In 1989, Mr. Doctor began the work on three different compositions: The Black Holes of My Mind, composition incorporating esoteric quotations and subliminal messages; Mr. Doctor Sings Hanns Eisler, an interpretation of four of German composer Hanns Eisler's works; and Eliogabalus, inspired by Antonin Artaud's work "Heliogabalus: Or, The Crowned Anarchist". Mr. Doctor Sings Hanns Eisler was never released, and the two former compositions were, due to budget limitations, cut down to fit on a single vinyl, named Eliogabalus. The shortened version of The Black Holes of My Mind was renamed Mr. Doctor for this release, while Eliogabalus retained its name. Eliogabalus was released in 1990, in three different pressings, one of 50 and two of 900 copies. One of the pressings of 900 was on CD.
In 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the independence of Slovenia, the two lineups of Devil Doll were combined into one, and in December, the combined lineup, with the new pianist Francesco Carta, entered Tivoli Studios to record Sacrilegium.
Sacrilegium was released in May 1992. It was released only on CD, but the Devil Doll fanclub released 900 numbered vinyl copies with inlays designed by Mr. Doctor and Adriana Marac.
In January the next year, a soundtrack to a movie by Mr. Doctor, The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms, was released. The 900 copies sold out in 72 hours. In March, drummer Roberto Dani left the band, and was replaced by Slovenian Roman Ratej.
In July 1993 Devil Doll entered Tivoli Studios for recording of The Day of Wrath - Dies Irae. During a mixing session, the studio caught fire. Both Jurij Toni and Mr. Doctor were able to escape, although Toni ended up hospitalised for several days. Mr. Doctor refused to rerecord the album, and rumours of a split-up began circulating. 20 copies of a book containing the sheet music for The Day of Wrath - Dies Irae, as well as a tape of the unmixed recording, was released, though.
At the end of 1994 Mr. Doctor finally agreed to rerecord Dies Irae. The recording started in January 1995 in Akademik Studios. Devil Doll was backed by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, of which band member Sasha Olenjuk was leader and first violinist. Later, Norina Radovan, a Croatian soprano, was recruited to sing a duet with Mr. Doctor on the album. The recording was released in February 1996, and is the only composition to consist of multiple tracks (Eliogabalus consists of two tracks, but these are two different compositions supposed to have been released on two different albums).
A last album, The Day of Wrath, soundtrack to the second of Mr. Doctor's movies, of the same name, was scheduled for release in 1997, but was never released.
While Devil Doll has never been officially disbanded, nothing has been released since Dies Irae. In 2004, a mailing action was started by a fan and the Fan Club to make Mr. Doctor and Devil Doll produce more material. The letters were printed in a book named A Thousand Letters to Mr. Doctor. Mr. Doctor replied to the effort in 2005, and sent the fan, who started the mailing action, a gift of appreciation. This gift was Mr. Doctor's personal copy (number 1) of Sacrilegium. Handmade and written in a leatherbox and as extra a handmade, signed artwork with the word 'Astonished' on it.
In October 2007 Mr. Doctor did his first public interview in two decades in a Slovenian magazine. He revealed that his real name is Mario Panciera.
[edit] Members
[edit] Final line-up
- Mr. Doctor - vocals
- Francesco Carta - piano
- Sasha Olenjuk - violin
- Bor Zuljan - guitar
- Jani Hace - bass
- Roman Ratej - drums
- Davor Klaric - keyboards
- Michel Fantini Jesurum - pipe organ
[edit] Former
- Edoardo Beato - piano
- Katia Giubbilei - violin
- Albert Dorigo - guitar
- Rick Bosco - bass
- Roberto Dani - drums
- Lucko Kodermac - drums
[edit] Discography
- The Mark of the Beast (1988) (only one copy exists)
- The Girl Who Was... Death (1989)
- Eliogabalus (1990)
- Sacrilegium (1992)
- The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms (1993)
- Dies Irae (1996)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- DevilDoll.nl - A website with a fairly large amount of information about the band.
- Hurdy Gurdy - The Official Hurdy Gurdy Books website.
