The names of both the band and the album have a ‘West End musical’ ring to them, but Theatres Des Vampires is, in fact, a Goth-metal band from Italy.

To call this an aspiring band would be mistaken, given it’s been around since 1994 and has several releases to its name; unfortunately it is what Moonlight Waltz’s 12 tracks, regardless of the epic production they are draped in suggests.

Solely fronted by Sonya Scarlet since the departure of male vocalist Lord Vampyr in 2004, Theatres Des Vampires are deeply loyal to their implied theme, their music brimming with Gothic characteristics, hard rocking riffs and grandiose melodies oozing out of every minute this album has to offer.

Clearly, Theatres Des Vampires have their eyes set on following in the steps of Within Temptation or fellow countrymen Lacuna Coil, and they do have the potential to get there. However, it’s going to take a bit more depth, a more inventive approach on their part if they’re going to come up with something that truly challenges these bands’ position at the helm of contemporary Gothic metal.

The moments of symphonic grandeur that sparkle on songs like Figlio Della Luna, Illusion, Medusa and the title track, are evident signs that this is a band with its heart in the right place, while the rest of the album, essentially a female-fronted equivalent of Ville Valo’s HIM, is guaranteed to please those with Gothic inclinations.

CD reviewed by courtesy of www.exotique.com.mt