The scoring process for Drew Daywalt’s webseries CAMERA OBSCURA has begun! It’s been an exhausting but satisfying first week, and the music for episodes 1 through 3 is now complete. We can’t reveal many details about what’s happening onscreen during these opening chapters, but we can say that you’ll get to hear a new CORVO track titled “Where” [written and sung by NiNi] in Episode 1, as well as some creepy dark ambient compositions by G9 and a surprise performance that reveals NiNi’s inner Beelzebub.

Studio photos will probably be posted within the next week, including the recording of “Where,” G9 surrounded by his weapons of weirdness in the newly revamped Crow’s Nest, and some other odds and ends. Video footage from the studio may also be popping up in a future update, beginning with some revealing footage of “studio kittehs” Batty and Wylee practicing their own variety of forced shiatsu.

Inspirational visuals have been playing round the clock during this weekend’s recording sessions, including EVIL DEAD II, DEADTIME STORIES and the first season of THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

The series will be launching very soon (in plenty of time for Halloween), and we can’t wait to see the finished product!

G9 + NiNi

[DOWNLOAD CORPUS CORVI MP3]

Okay, so we can’t give too much away about the work we’ve done so far on the CAMERA OBSCURA score, but it won’t be naughty to tell you that we’re definitely getting in touch with our “ancient primal” sides these days.

This is NOT a CAMERA OBSCURA track, but a little something we conjured up in preparation for the series. It all began as an experiment with new percussive elements we’d planned on using, and then, as always around here, a twisted fairytale evolved from the music, which then became a video, which then became a piece of digital art.

The story behind the song involves a sensual, Lovecraftian, “Raven Cult” called The Corpus Corvi, and the woman you see is the High Priestess. The visuals were definitely inspired by Dario Argento’s LA TERZA MADRE, and musically, we were both inspired by the ravens constantly flapping their wings in our skulls. It is our hope that this will make your imaginations run a little wild with ours, and if not… well, that our weird little stories will at least entertain you!

-NiNi + G9

With G9′s music and NiNi’s voice – speaking instead of singing, this time – as well as NiNi’s graphic illustrations and editing, the supernaturally sexy world of hard-edged heroine, Liz Phoenix has come to life in a video that NiNi says was “visually inspired by the films 300, Watchmen, and a little bit of Grindhouse: Planet Terror.”

“I also see the two MEN in my life as they REALLY are: a shape-shifting witch, and a half-vampire that’s turning bat-shit-evil! I STILL don’t know whether to kiss or kill them.”
~Liz Phoenix, DOOMSDAY CAN WAIT Video

For you bookworms in Corvo’s Murder – we know there’s quite a few of you – we’d like to say rather objectively that The Phoenix Chronicles is a fascinating series with “Revelationary” characters and creatures [Revelations + revolutionary = Revelationary!] that we’re sure you’d love to meet. The books kept our imaginations, dark art, and romantic horror rock music alive, kicking…and definitely biting!

To learn more about the series, shape-shift on over to Lori’s website. We hope you enjoy the video! Press the little “HQ” button before you hit “play” to see it in high quality and hear it in stereo!
xxx,
NiNi + G9,
Corvo

[+YouTube Favorites]
[The Chamber Door Podcast Enclosure]

Speaking of Telltale, yes, we are still recording and working very hard on the debut album. Without the backing and money of huge label-dom, we’re truly on our own with this album bizness, and learning that although rewarding and exactly where we want to be, the DIY music process can feel like stone ages pass between “official” releases, which can be frustrating to us and to our fans! However, 2009 is already turning into an extremely prolific year for Corvo, which you will see this week, because we have “more where this came from!”

For now, we really do hope that upon hearing The Devils (Telltale Cut), you’ll feel like Telltale will be worth the wait, because that’s our goal. As the song gets added to more podcasts, playlists, sites and stores, we will keep you posted! For now, the download is FREE, so pass it on to your friends and enjoy! xxx, NiNi

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KEYVO says: I think my brain just exploded, i love it.

MADDSKEELZ says: I really don’t care that this has limited vocal samples. This is completely amazing. It reminds me of one of the Closer remixes. Singlehandedly the best industrial mix on here. Absolutely gut wrenchingly scary. Well freakin done.

Favorite GHOSTLIGHT MIX Comments…

PD17 says: so beautiful it sends chills down my spine

MALOK THE MULE says: I love this sound…the name pretty much directly describes it too, ghostly as it is. Its beauty all over. Great stuff.

JANUX says: Now THIS is what im talking about. Something unique! I love it. It doesn’t sound like everyone else. -Travis of Janux

We did not “win” the Celldweller SWITCHBACK remix contest as far as prizes or placement in the top three. We also did not make it onto the remix CD, at least not yet… I’m not even sure that a remix CD will be made, honestly… it seems that Klayton prefers widgets these days [as do most indie musicians, ourselves included!], so maybe at some point, we could wind up being featured on the Celldweller widget. That would be awesome, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine by us, because the contest benefited us above and beyond widget-stardom or CD placement in ways we could not have predicted when we first created the remixes.

It’s an honor that we were welcomed as a featured remix artist, which thrilled us about as much as [if not, more than] getting on a CD. We also received some great compliments from the Celldweller community, a few favorites are posted in this entry. But most importantly, the one outcome we could not have predicted was that it showed us what we’re really, truly capable of as musicians. We took a few risks, mixed together some genres that typically aren’t “supposed” to work together [what did we have to lose?] and made them work… I mean, really, really work. In essence, dissecting SWITCHBACK helped us further evolve our signature sound: beauty and beast [GHOSTLIGHT=Beauty, SOULSNATCHER=Beast], a mix of symphonies, choirs, crunchy guitars, fucked-up drum kits and frightening electronics… and we continue to explore that crazy Corvo concoction with each track as our debut full-length TELLTALE unfolds.

So thank you, Klayton, for letting us dive into a song you’ve written that we’ve always loved… you continue to inspire us as indie musicians, and through your work and embrace of independent musicians, we… well… know it sounds hokey, but… we sort of found ourselves.

-NiNi + G9

The Cart
First off, Amazon now offers the special edition CD for the same price as the regular CD oh wait, I’m sorry. The special edition CD is a penny more than the regular. *shaking my fist* You bastards. Seriously, no-brainer, there. Night Eternal Special Edition: sold. *ka-ching!* View shopping cart: Night Eternal Special Edition + book that I’ve wanted for ages. Both items covered by prime membership = free 2-day shipping for me, *ka-ching!* But… I don’t want to wait two whole days… I don’t believe in bit-torrenting [it goes against my nature as a musician]. Hmm… computer speakers and flash streaming just isn’t cutting it anymore, and it’s Friday night, dammit, I want to listen to Night Eternal now-now-now-now-now! [That was my Herman Munster tantrum]. Update shopping cart: full album MP3 download + Special Edition CD + book I’ve wanted for ages. *ka-ching!* Sold to the crazy pig-tailed metal head.

Sidebar: I Believe in Music Karma Faeries
Yes, it’s true: I purchased Night Eternal twice. It’s just a fact: my music consumption habits straddle two worlds, that of the physical collector, and that of the instant gratification digital consumer. It’s probably a good thing that I never got deeply attached to vinyl [love the sound, hate the warping]. So I admit, I do sometimes buy MP3s first, and then buy the physical CDs later. I double-dip. Into my wallet. For my favorite bands. I figure, enough people probably steal their music anyway, so I’d like to think that maybe I’m helping set the scales back into balance in some small way. I also figure, it can’t hurt to spread some good musician mojo around, right? Call it karma, and call it a day? While I’m confessing, I’ve done this for two other bands, at least. Stream of Passion, Apocalyptica and Dimmu Borgir… okay, three… no, four, including Moonspell. /Sidebar

The Perfect Drug
After a difficult day at the loathsome 9-5, and then another eight hours working on Corvo, the work I’d rather be immersed in all day, I’d mapped out a perfect 16-hour work day exhaustion escape plan. I loaded up the CD player with my burned MP3s, turned off all the lights [except for that white-light holiday strand that's never unplugged], poured a glass of red wine, and soaked in the sounds of Night Eternal from a *proper* stereo [and a pretty f^cking loud one, too]. All this at around 2:30 AM. SO perfect. A little delirious from fatigue, slightly numb, very comfortable in the dark, and greatly in need of going someplace far, far away in my mind for a while. Of course, purring cats involved themselves in this escape plan… my cats love metal, it actually calms them.

School of Metal
G9 was there next to me, so at times throughout the CD, “musician nerd-speak” would ensue, with talk of things like lyrics, mood, gear estimates, melodies, orchestral elements… like our own musical “In Search Of…” complete with mystery, theory and conjecture. Even when huge fans of a band, we still can’t help but treat the experience of a new album or new concert as school… we can’t help but wander down the path of, “How did they do that? Can we be that effective, and how?” [We draw the line at pocket protectors]. But with Night Eternal, the album was so gripping, we mostly enjoyed the journey together in silence, saving every musician’s note for when the musical notes took us to our final destination.

I Never Drink…
While listening to Fernando’s opening words of “At Tragic Heights” [from the book of Revelation, of course], the same image that hits me often when I hear his voice, hit me again: Gary Oldman’s Dracula. And I can’t help but imagine him [Fernando, not Gary] saying to me, “Welcome… to my…. hhhhh…home.” In this inner-dialogue, I omit the part about “I never drink… wine,” because I know for a fact that Fernando does indeed drink wine. [Wouldn't it be cool if he drank Corvo wine]? At any rate, water, wine, blood, Snapple… it doesn’t really matter what he drinks, it will not change the fact that Fernando Ribeiro is the reincarnation of Vlad Tepes… at least, Vlad’s inner rock-god… and Lestat, you’ve got nothing on my visions of Fernando rocking the impaler. *cough*

Six Feet Under the Influence
As each track unfolded, I swear, every time I opened my eyes, I was another foot under ground. By the end of the album, I was literally in a coffin. I don’t know where it came from, but there I was, clad in funeral garb, laying in a coffin. Cobwebs everywhere, doors squeaking for no reason… in unison… mice running across the ceiling, succubi eating babies all around me. It was… out. of. control. What I’m trying to say is that Night Eternal is Gothic as f^ck, people! But… in a very authentic way. Everything I love about Gothic art, architecture, literature and film is present in this album, and what’s so cool about Moonspell as artists, is that they’re not following the latest “Goffik trends,” this is just… who they are… and they just may “turn” you if you don’t cover your necks.

Night Eternal Re-Animated
The special edition CD arrived the following Tuesday, and I jumped around the house yelling, “a penny, a penny, a penny, a penny!” This CD is a thing of beauty. It’s a high quality digipak, very thoughtfully designed with the Devil in the details. It includes a wicked-cool keepsake sticker of the album cover, as well as a lyric booklet dripping with dark art and gorgeous band photos. As if the collector quality of the packaging isn’t enough, the special edition CD also includes three bonus tracks, and a DVD, complete with three live performances from Wacken Open Air, including fan-favorite Finesterra, and one of my favorites, Memento Mori [both from another Moonspell masterpiece, Memorial]. Along with live performance clips, the DVD includes the official video for Finesterra, a behind-the-scenes short video, and… and… the reason why I’m so happy I sprung for that extra penny and bought the special edition: the video for “Luna.” I swear, the bittersweet beauty of the tragically whimsical visuals and melancholic melodies swept me up into a black magic carpet-ride. No pixels, no fuzzy mono-tracks or sub-standard stereo coming from crap computer speakers… this is why I’m not quite convinced that Internet video will ever be a replacement for “real” TV. As “Luna” completed the viewing experience of Night Eternal, G9 turned to me and said, “Did they jump into our heads and rip that video right out of us?” Well… holy head like a hole, G-Man, I do believe they did.

In short, this is one of the best albums of the year, and definitely, one of the best ever by Moonspell. Do with that what you will.

Try the NIGHT ETERNAL Diet and Be Instantly Transformed!

BEFORE: A crazy, yet innocent pig-tailed metal head…

AFTER: Have you seen my teeth?!

Happy Friday the 13th!
<3 + ^v^
-NiNi + G9 [Corvo]

The Music: It’s not every day a band gets to talk about being commissioned by a #1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author to write a theme song for an upcoming book release, but with Christine Feehan and CORVO, that’s exactly what transpired. TURBULENT SEA is the 6th novel in Feehan’s popular Drake Sisters series, and the song is the official theme written for the character Joley, who is a rock star and… a witch!

The band wrote the song to be Joley’s fictional “hit single” for her “music video,” in which Christine’s daughter is the face of the heroine, and NiNi is [literally] the voice. Since the book series is considered supernatural romance, G9 wrote the song in a more romantic, Gothic pop style, completely departing from CORVO’s signature romantic horror rock sound. This is not the permanent direction the band has taken while recording debut album Telltale, rather, a unique work tailor-made specifically to fit the story and the main character.

From NiNi: Turbulent Sea has been one of those projects that as a musician, is a dream come true. It was like writing for a movie, but even better, because it’s so unique to write a song for a book , and to connect with the main character through singing! G9 and I both feel that Christine is doing something really special by crossing from literature into music and also into video for her readers, and we are honored to be part of that. I hope I’ve represented Joley’s voice in a way that will connect this beloved character even deeper to Christine’s readers. I bought the first book in the Drake Sisters series, because now I’m so personally attached to them, I’ve got to read their stories!

About The Novel: Number one NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author Christine Feehan returns to the “erotic, exotic, and suspenseful” world of the paranormally gifted Drake sisters with the wildest sister of them all: impulsive, celebrated, worshiped… and in danger.

About The Star: Joley Drake was born with a legacy of unexpected magical gifts, but it was the gift of singing that made her an overnight sensation—a rock and roll goddess trapped by fame, fortune, and ambition. Heated by the flush of success, Joley could have any man she wanted. But there’s only man who can give her what she really needs… [ more about the novel... ]

darkness lives inside me
a secret that I hide
the light from all the rest is
lost upon the tide…

a touch of lightning, magick
leaves me marked and cold
I want, I crave, love that sells my soul

LIKE A TURBULENT SEA
PULLING AT ME
IN PASSION AND IN FEAR
I’M DROWNING…

the wave crashes in my heart
darkness follows, light departs…

LIKE A TURBULENT SEA
PULLING AT ME
IN PASSION AND IN FEAR
I’M DROWNING…

Turbulent Sea:
Book 6 of Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters Series Coming This Summer
Official Theme Song Written and Performed by Corvo
Original Lyrics © 2008 Sheila Clover, Circle of Seven Productions
Lyrics Adapted For Music by NiNi of Corvo
Reprinted With Permission