Okay, I tried searching this but all the results I got contradicted each other. Here is what I want to know is, is death rock music (or deathrock if you want to nit pick):
a) A subgenre of goth rock like ethreal and darkwave?
b) A music genre related to/half way between punk and goth?
Secondly, is a deathrocker:
a) A subcultre in its own right?
b) A subsection of goth like the victorian types, fetish etc?
I've heard Christian Death and Alien Sex Fiend refered to as both goth and death rock? So are they:
a) death rock?
b) goth rock(within the deathrock subgenre)?
c) bands that preform music of both genres?
Thanks!

I've always seen it as a sub-genre of gothic music that was more rock, punk and horror mixed together. Originally I believe Rozz Wiliams used it to describe the music of Christian Death.

A typical deathrock fashion would be ripped pantyhose and fishnets (worn as shirts or on the legs), a teased up mowhawk and whiteface. Check out pictures of Specimen, Cinema Strange and Antiworld for examples.

I love deathrock. Oh and for more information:

http://www.deathrock.com
http://www.deathrock.net
http://www.starvox.net/crypt/dr/dr.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathrock
http://www.dropdeadfestival.com/

Yeah, it`s kind of an offshoot of gothic rock closer to it`s punk roots, far more aggressive and doesn`t take itself so seriously. Bands aren`t afraid to put on an all-out stage show and have fun, yet still keep a touch of dark seriousness to separate themselves from the punk crowd.

Well, actually death rock is kind of a new word to describe an old sound, depending on who you talk to..... Some people referred to it as horror rock, and some as Batcave(England`s answer to the emerging American death rock movement)
Alien Sex Fiend is kind of a unique unusual band, mixing the batcave sound similar to Specimen and Virgin Prunes with industrial/electronic elements.
Bands range from all over the spectrum. Bands like Misfits, 45 Grave, and Antiworld are closer to punk, while early Christian Death, Cinema Strange, and Danse Society are closer to goth rock.

Just like some people believe that 'cybergoths' don't belong to the goth subculture, people might think the same for deathrockers- the anti cyber. But I don't meet a lot of people who think that.


Like centurion mentioned, some deathrock bands lean closer to punk, some to goth- but there's a mix of both. It's hard to give an answer to these questions.

I dont consider Cybergoth a descendant of goth rock because it just doesnt even remind me of the deathrock, goth rock and the other styles of goth i listen to. I think deathrock is goth, It has a punk and a goth side and its fairly well documented that goth evolved out of the punk side. While cyber (IMO) evolved from 2nd and third generation bands, who were already mutations of "regular goth". So my answers to your question would be A,B,C. Its just my thoughts though and I in know way consider myself a more then average source of musical knowledge.

I don't get how Bella Morte are Death Rock, especially when Cinema Strange are also considerred to be.

I love deathrock. It's got this underrated quality to it.

Death rock, and all the other "goth" rock genres came from the american rock scene in the late 80's after they realised how stupid they looked with permed hair and spandex and hijacked the goth image. They have nothing to do with the English goth scene of the early 80's - they could never be that original.
Alien Sex Fiend describe themselves as positive punk on the Liquid Head In Tokyo Video - you can't argue with Mrs Fiend :p

Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right to me...

Doesn't sound right to me either Drael.

What does the late 80's, Spandex and permed hair have to do with Death Rock? Hmmm, Glam metal grew out of a completely seperate branch of music.
Try the late 70's and the punk movement, back when glam metal was merely a twinkle in Van Halens eye

According to Meltdown magazine deathrock was what goth music was originally called in America before they started calling it goth, and then it became a label for a particular type of goth music which had horror punk elements in it. Deathrock is a subgenre of goth so when people say bands like Alien Sex Fiend are goth they are right really.

To answer your questions on whether deathrockers are a subgroup of goths like Victorian goths etc yes, in that you get people who are really into it and dress deathrock. Deathrock fashion tends to be things like ripped up clothes, big hair.

Here's what some people in the UK scene think deathrock is:

So what is this 'deathrock', then eh?

I like LittleMissMercy's description:



[url=http://www.starvox.net/crypt/dr/dr.htm]Irreconcilable Differences:
The EBM/Goth Split[/url]

[url=http://www.starvox.net/feat/kfk.htm]Interview with Patrick Mata of Kommunity FK:
Where Deathrock Has Been and Where its Going[/url]

Goth is really one of those things that would have happened anyway, I think. So I'm not not sure exactly where it comes from is entirely the most important thing ever.

I'm not really sure if I'd consider deathrock as a subgenre of goths so much as a seperate one that overlaps heavily with it. After all, most of the early '80s American deathrockers came around independantly of the English goth movement.

I'd definately consider some of the classic deathrock bands to also be goth, such as Christian Death. But some of them (like 45 Grave) would simply be dark punk. In retrospect, some of the old English goth and posi-punk bands could definately also be considered deathrock. Of course, now deathrock and posi-punk bands seem to be popping up all over the place. Which is a Good Thing­­&tm;, most definately.

The point that I was making in my earlier post was that goth rock, death rock, etc. has more in common with metal than goth.

The UK goth scene was dying out in the late 80's, most of the original goth bands had split up years earlier. At the same time the american rock bands stopped perming their hair and wearing spandex and started to look like goths. That's how I remember it.

In my opinion, anything with "rock" in it's label definitely is not goth.

sorry, that post didn`t make sense..... And how the hell is gothic rock closer to metal than goth??? I`d love to hear somebody tell Bauhaus that....

Goth came from gothic rock back in the late 70s/early 80s and the non-rock subgenres like darkwave and ethereal were offshoots of that and outside influences.

And I wouldn`t base a genre on it`s looks besides. I think it`s been proven time and time again that any musician of any genre can dress/look like anything.