Nightmare Sonata

Nightmare Sonata
Origin	Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Genres	Horror punk, punk
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Unsigned
Website	http://www.facebook.com/nightmaresonata
Members
Benjamin Samedi Billy Bones Pork Vega

Nightmare Sonata is a horror punk band from Greensboro, North Carolina. The original incarnation of the band formed in 2003 as an industrial metal band. They are notable for being the only Voodoo^{[disambiguation needed ]} horror punk band in the world. They are also notable for their theatrical stage shows in which they have acts of BDSM, Torture, & Crucifixion.

History

The band was formed by Benjamin Samedi in 2003. After seeing the band several times with various temporary lineups, Billy Bones joined the band playing bass. When previous drummer Doc left the band Benjamin recruited Vega to play drums. After a short East Coast tour the band realized the need for a second guitarist. Billy asked his personal friend Mark to audition. After one practice he was hired, being dubbed "Pork" as a suitable substitute for his real name.

The band has released several self-produced EP's. The most recent of which is the "Necrophile EP' They are currently recording their first full length album. They provide music for the Lloyd Kaufman film, Hack Job. In May 2011 they supported Polkadot Cadaver on their "All Of Our Friends Are Dead Tour". In November They supported Wednesday 13, Vampires Everywhere! & Polkadot Cadaver on the "Something Wicked This Way Comes" tour.

Musical style

The band plays a unique style of horror punk, containing elements of punk, metal and rock. Front man Benjamin Samedi is heavily influenced by bands such as The Misfits, Cradle of Filth and Type O Negative. He takes a large cue from Type O Negative Front man Pete Steele on his vocal style. Bassist Billy Bones considers NOFX, GWAR, and Journey as key influences(having previously played in a Journey cover band). Pork has almost no Punk influences as opposed to the rest of the band. He considers Thrash Metal acts such as Slayer & Anthrax his main influences. Drummer Vega has more diverse influences, Citing Drum & Bass drummer Jojo Mayer as one of his favorite drummers. He also cites Chris Adler (of Lamb of God), Shannon Larkin (of Godsmack) & Derek Roddy(of Extreme Metal fame) as heavy influences on his style. Many of the bands songs are very fast (upwards of 200 BPM) and in Double Time (such as Wicked Sandman, Bloodbath & Bloody Valentine) In contrast to this, other songs are usually at a moderate tempo(160-200 BPM), with a more groovy metal influenced feel (Shiver, Frustration Rage & Ode To It All). Though there are many exceptions to this rule, Zombie Slave Ballad being most prominent. Benjamin is a practicing Vodoun. His lyrics reflect his religion as many songs reference Vodou themes and practices.

Image

The band shows their influences from The Misfits, Alice Cooper, and many Black Metal bands in that they always wear face paint on stage. The bands takes their image very seriously. Front man Benjamin Samedi dons skull face paint with a top hat, reminisce of Vodou Lwa Baron Samedi. In fact, the legend of Benjamin Samedi forms that he is the delinquent great-nephew of the Baron, who is the guardian of the cemetery and the dead. Rhythm Guitarist Pork has a whited out head with black eyes and face paint. Billy Bones has varying makeup styles, ranging from decomposing zombie to something more like Heath Ledger's Joker from Batman. Vega Has face paint that resembles many Black Metal musicians and his torso is covered in fake blood. The entire band wears all black at performances, and most of their equipment is also black. The band frequently plays Cover songs, usually of Misfits songs.

External links

• http://www.facebook.com/nightmaresonata
• http://myspace.com/nightmaresonata