Death Rock

Death rock evolved in the late seventies on the west coast of America while goth itself developed out of Britain. Though both movements have evolved separately, bands from each side have borrowed and come to influence each other. Death rock evolved alongside punk and came to be seen as a darker version of the punk movement. Death rock artists for the most part have take inspiration from old horror movies, camp and spooky aesthetics.

Bands like 45 Grave are known for their tongue in cheek and horror themes in their music and stage performances. Other themes include religious references, cabaret and other theatrical themes that have come to define death rock over the decades. Death rock bands, however, have displayed dark emotion and bands like Christian Death were the ones who came to give death rock its own definitive sound. When Rozz Williams was in Christian Death in the early eighties, the album Only Theatre of Pain of 1981 is a deathrock classic. It was Christian Death who shifted the death rock scene into a more dark emotional, cabaret style instead of the horror punk elements in other bands.

Musicians and fans within the death rock scene sported theatrical makeup and throwback punk elements when it came to fashion. Mowhaks were popular and in the death rock scene they became deathawks which were had its own distinct style from the traditional Mohawk of the punk movements. For more on the death hawk, look it up on the article directory. Death rock fashion came mix elements from both goth and punk and merged it into one unique style independent of both goth and punk.