Notre Dame

by Ed RivadaviaFounded in the late '90s by veteran heavy metal drummer turned singer Snowy Shaw (ex-King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Memento Mori, etc.), "erotic-black-horror-gothic- metal" ensemble Notre Dame have made quite a name for themselves with their energetic brand of heavy metal -- as well as a rather kitsch, highly theatrical, even cartoonish image. Clearly taking after his former boss King Diamond for direction, Shaw and his leather-clad, colorfully named comrades, Melissa 'Vampirella' Swan (vocals), Jean Pierre de Sade (guitars/bass), and Mannequin de Sade (drums), made their horror metal debut with the 1998 E.P. Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You!. A full album entitled Le Theatre du Vampire was released, fittingly enough, on Halloween, 1999, and the Nightmare Before Christmas E.P. was also delivered in time for the holidays. But Notre Dame went on an extended break over the next few years, so Shaw could lend his percussive talents to power metal band Dream Evil. When they finally reconvenes,in late 2003, it was to record their second album, Demi Monde Bizarros, which was released in early 2004 by Osmose Productions. (The fact that the two French brothers cited above actually claim to descend from the Marquis de Sade, of course, obviously adds to Notre Dame's cleverly conceived mystique.)