VIPER VAMPIRES
The VIPER VAMPIRES is a project I have wanted to start for several years, though the exact form it would take was never entirely clear. A concrete opportunity for the VIPER VAMPIRES arose when my good friend Hugh S. Howl approached me with a request from his buddy, Alan Ogallon. He sent me a bass line, asking if I could do something with it. My response was immediate: "Of course we can." Unfortunately, the song ended up sitting in a drawer for several years. Recently, however, I unearthed it and combined it with both existing and new ideas. Since the songs were all quite different, I decided to record them this time with guest singers and to conceptually unite everything under the project name VIPER VAMPIRES.
Ashley Dayour (AT)
Whispers In The Shadow, The Devil & The Universe
I had compiled songs that thematically explored the current state of the world – something we all feel shifting in ways that aren’t beneficial for 90 – 99% of people. Since my own perspective is inherently limited, I wanted to incorporate the views of several musician friends, especially singers and lyricists. I didn’t want to dictate the lyrics; instead, I encouraged everyone to let their creativity flow freely. They could express their personal thoughts or craft fictional stories. I simply suggested a theme for each song, one that I believed would resonate with the individual artist.
This is how, for example, the aforementioned "No Kings" came about. This song was the initial spark for the entire collaborative project. It’s no surprise that the track quickly took on its
distinctive sound, as the bass line served as its foundation, and Hugh and I share a deep appreciation for bands like Christian Death and Rikk Agnew.
In fact, I even overcame my initial hesitation and reached out to Gitane Demone, asking if she – and possibly Rikk – would participate in the song.
Rëverend Gonz (DE)
INSECT SKIN, Love Like Blood
Gordon Young (UK)
Seraphin Twin, Dream Disciples, Pretentious Moi?,
Children On Stun, October Burns Black, Hallowed Hearts
After seeing Gitane’s video documenting her involvement in the first "No Kings" mass protest, I asked if she would share her impressions, feelings, and experiences of life in America under the rule of right-wing technocrats in the song’s lyrics. Following several deeply moving chat exchanges, she unfortunately had to decline for entirely understandable personal reasons. She never said whether one of those reasons was a dislike for the music. If so, she always remained the grande dame I had always thought she was – charming to the core.
Fortunately, Mikael Körner from Funhouse recommended Miriam as my vocal partner for the song, and she truly proved to be a stroke of luck for the Vampires! In the end, we stayed with the original idea of basing the song on the "No Kings" protests and simply made two of the participants the protagonists. So, in a way, Gitane and Rikk are involved after all. 🖤
Jacques Moch (DE)
Merciful Nuns, Sweet Ermengarde
Mike York (DE)
KALT, Garden Of Delight, Sweet Ermengarde, La Scaltra
One of the goals I feel most strongly about with this project is raising funds from the record’s proceeds to support organizations like an animal rescue group that, for instance, saves animals from war zones and provides them with care on-site. "We All Fall To The Ground" is one of two songs, inspired by the conviction that a peaceful society can only exist if humanity ends the exploitation of humans and animals, thus preventing endless suffering for countless living beings. Therefore, I wrote the song from the perspective of a pet, describing how hundreds – even thousands – of animals are currently wandering, suffering, and dying in the chaos of the war in Ukraine.
As long as there are people, there seem to be wars. In most Western countries of the Northern Hemisphere, we rarely experience war directly. Most of us are incredibly fortunate to know war only from television or stories told by our grandparents. However, I learned in a truly harrowing way how close war can come to our lives at the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, through the experiences of a Russion-born colleague. During a team meeting, he mentioned he might not be able to work for the next few days. He didn’t know how long he’d be away.
Miriam Hexe (IT)
Septa Nòxa
Peer Lebrecht (DE)
Golden Apes, Voyna
When we asked if the war was the reason, he confirmed it: he had to help pack trucks with aid supplies for Ukraine. A few days later, he requested more time off because the front line had moved dangerously close to his girlfriend’s parents’ house, and it was essential to help get the family to safety. Two days after that, he updated us that the family was alive, but their home was gone. I shared this story with Miriam – about how solidarity and love across borders, even between people from warring nations, are entirely ordinary – and she was deeply moved. She went on to write the profoundly touching "Flags of Love."
The balance of the world is shaking, and I believe true peace will remain out of reach as long as we continue to spread suffering, pain, and death on an industrial scale – and as long as we fail to show compassion to all living beings and to nature itself.
While billions of poor souls endure daily wars in factory farms and slaughterhouses, we humans keep fighting among ourselves. And we even drag those companions – whom we claim to love more than the poor souls we exploit – into our wars. Every day, countless animals suffer, like those lost and wandering helplessly in the chaos of war in Ukraine, enduring pain and death.
Valentina Veil (AU/DE)
VV & THE VOID
I believe justice for humans cannot exist without justice for animals. How can we demand fairness, compassion, and dignity for ourselves while denying it to
billions of sentient beings? The same systems that exploit animals also exploit people – perpetuating cycles of violence, inequality, and suffering. If we want a world where human rights are
truly respected, we must first recognize that the fight for justice is inseparable from how we treat all life and nature as a whole. I believe we must start where most people prefer to look away
– because deep down, many of us know it’s simply wrong.
Many of us feel how life is worsening for 90 to 99 percent of humanity. Ultra-conservative, far-right movements, and radical religious sects are poisoning public discourse. Fueled and enabled by
tech giants that increasingly act against their own users, violate human rights, and pursue utterly destructive goals.
Given the limits of my own perspective, I sought advice from fellow musicians – especially singers and lyricists whose voices reflect these concerns. My heartfelt thanks go to the artists
involved in this project for their support.
The sale of this album is intended to make a financial contribution to the heroic work of animal welfare organizations to rescue and help suffering souls, making their lives a little more
bearable, and perhaps helping some of these broken souls find a way to a more fulfilling, hopeful life. All proceeds from this album go to organizations that rescue and care for animals in war
zones.
I feel truly blessed to be supported by these amazing artists for this project. Their moving and artistic contributions have made this album something special.
- We are VIPER VAMPIRES -
Ashley Dayour (AT)
Whispers In The Shadow, The Devil & The Universe
Gordon Young (UK)
Seraphin Twin, Dream Disciples, Pretentious Moi?,
Children On Stun, October Burns Black, Hallowed Hearts
Jacques Moch (DE)
Merciful Nuns, Sweet Ermengarde
Mike York (DE)
KALT, Garden Of Delight, Sweet Ermengarde, La Scaltra
Miriam Hexe (IT)
Septa Nòxa
Peer Lebrecht (DE)
Golden Apes, Voyna
Rëverend Gonz (DE)
INSECT SKIN, Love Like Blood
Valentina Veil (AU/DE)
VV & THE VOID
Cheers, Mike
- Infosheet (pdf)
- Artwork (CMYK + RGB)
- Musicians Greyscale (TIFF)
- Musicians RGB (JPG)
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