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Cleopatra’s Holiday Gift Guide Is Here

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 18, 2025
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Christmas is coming… but is your stocking getting fat? Whether you’re shopping for friends and family, or compiling a holiday gift guide for your readers, Cleopatra Records have something to put the jingle in everybody’s bells. And here are some of our most notable 2025 releases to get you started.

And you can preview EVERY ALBUM with Pirate Radio Cleopatra’s 25 from 25 special edition, available now on Mixcloud, as well as your favorite podcast platform, here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/CleopatraRecords/pirate-radio-cleopatra-25-from-25-special/

Ashes & Diamonds – Are Forever
From the creative minds of Daniel Ash (Bauhaus/Love & Rockets/Tones On Tail), Bruce Smith (Public Image Ltd/The Pop Group) and Paul Spencer Denman (Sade/Sweetback) comes a darkly glittering new musical project that marks a huge evolutionary step in these storied musicians incredible careers!

The album, recorded over the course of six years, contains sonically compelling, powerfully melodic music with mixing and engineering duties held by Robert Adam Stevenson (Queens of the Stone Age, Jane’s Addiction, The Kills)!

Eater – Duplication
British punk rock legends Eater return with their first full-length set of new recordings in nearly 50 years! Still led by the incomparable Andy Blade, Eater exudes all the attitude, raw energy and rebellious spirit of the early punk movement on this fantastic album of cover songs!

Includes revolutionary new takes on songs made famous by the bands that Eater emerged alongside and defined a generation including Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, The Damned, and more!

Enuff Z’nuff – Xtra Cherries
The brand new album from the legendary melodic rock maestros comes with a little something extra on top – a line-up of stellar guest artists!

In addition to the band’s always lushly produced and hook-filled songs, these tracks also include performances from Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, original Journey vocalist Robert Fleischman and current Journey axeman Neal Schon, GnR’s Steve Adler, Gunnar Nelson and lots more!

The Fuzztones – Buried Treasure
The rarest of rarities collections that’s actually an essential release for not only hardcore Fuzztones fans but even casual fans of superb garage rock!

Includes kick-ass studio versions of several songs that have only been released as live recordings PLUS two brand new soon-to-be-classic songs!

Humble Pie – Sunset Strip 69
One of the most sought after live recordings from British rock icons, Humble Pie! This historic show documents the band hitting the Whiskey in LA, on their first ever US tour, featuring the original band line-up of vocalist Steve Marriott, guitarist Peter Frampton, bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley!

Although comprising just five songs, several of these performances get extended into improvised blues rock masterpieces conjured by some of the greatest musicians of the ’70s classic rock era!

Kap Bambino – No Domination
French hard techno indie-tronic duo Kap Bambino launch an all-out assault on the world’s dancefloors with a deeply compelling and sonically disrupting full-length debut album!

Ken Booth & Jah Wobble – Old Fashioned Ways
Reggae icon Ken Boothe joins forces with dub and post-punk pioneer Jah Wobble for a genre-blurring journey that’s rich with soul, groove, and deep bass! Features bold reinterpretations of pop and soul staples like “Everything I Own,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Just My Imagination” bringing these timeless tunes into a lush, dubwise soundscape! Boothe’s golden voice pairs beautifully with Wobble’s signature low-end explorations, blending heart and atmosphere in every track!

L.A. Guns – Leopardskin
Hollywood bad boys L.A. Guns are BACK with the most primal and explosive studio album of their modern era! The Gunners bring back the authentic sounds and style of Hollywood’s heyday with a set of all-original material that rocks hard with incredibly hooky songs and memorable riffs!

CHECK CLEORECS.COM FOR SIGNED EDITIONS, TOO!

Melanie – Gathered In – The 1971 Gather Me Sessions
Never before released studio outtakes and demos from the historic 1971 album Gather Me by folk legend Melanie! Gather Me was the album that launched Melanie’s career into the stratosphere, containing the #1 Billboard chart hit “Brand New Key” (heard here from a New York live show just as the album was released), as well as such quintessential Melanie tracks as “Ring The Living Bell” (also a Top 40 hit), “Someday I’ll Be A Farmer” and more!

Ministry – The Squirrely Years
Industrial metal rebel and icon Al Jourgensen finally makes peace with his past, exhuming a dozen of the best songs from his early synthwave years for a thoroughly brutal makeover! Includes brand new studio re-animations of songs from the 1983 classic With Sympathy as well as early Wax Trax singles like “Everyday Is Halloween,” “All Day,” “I’m Falling” and so many others.

The Oxys – Casting Pearls Before Swine
Razor-sharp and riot-ready, Casting Pearls Before Swine is the all-original second album from rising punk firebrands The Oxys—louder, leaner, and meaner than ever! Following their 2022 debut, this new full-length proves the band isn’t just surviving the scene – they’re setting it on fire.

Rosetta Stone – Dose Makes The Poison
Veteran British goth pioneers Rosetta Stone return with their second album of the year, an all-original full-length that’s a striking continuation of their signature sound: brooding, atmospheric, and sharp-edged as ever!

Helmed once again by founding member and sonic architect Porl King, Dose Makes The Poison delves into a world in quiet disarray — offering subtle yet urgent commentary on the creeping erosion of empathy, tolerance, and truth in the modern age! Musically, the album embraces the cold elegance and propulsive rhythm that longtime fans cherish, but with a seasoned maturity that speaks to the band’s evolution!

Sexagisma – From The Batcave 1981-1985
A hidden gem pulled from the massively influential early ’80s London underground rock music scene centered around the legendary Batcave club!

Sexagisma were a pivotal act in the Batcave scene, whose highly theatrical, glam punk stylings would reverberate for years to come and shape what would eventually become goth rock! Compiled from a handful of never-before-released live tapes and demos, this anthology captures the band at their zenith, performing their original songs as well as covers by David Bowie, The Sweet and Alice Cooper! And, on one occasion, all three at the same time.

Sponge – Electric Cattle Gods
’90s alt-rock heroes open the vault on their early years to present this collection of rare and unreleased recordings capturing their nascent beginnings!

Includes raw, exuberant versions of songs that would later be recorded for the band’s 1994 major label debut Rotting Piñata, including a demo version of their breakout hit “Molly (16 Candles)” PLUS brand new songs not found anywhere else!

Thor – Rock The Universe
The mighty Thor looks back at his early years on the club circuit, when he and guest guitarist Frank Soda tore through North America with a set that bristled with killer covers… new versions of songs by The Kinks, The Doors, The Beatles, The Yardbirds, Montrose and many more are joined by a sensational cover of The Sweet’s “Action,” harkening back to Thor’s epochal performance on Merv Griffin in 1976!

WARFIELD – Deathrock Devotionals
The long-awaited CD and vinyl debut of She Wants Revenge frontman Justin Warfield, and his first ever solo project, WARFIELD. Includes the streaming hits “Fades” and “All The Fun (Kiss Kiss Kiss)” plus other modern Deathrock/Dark Wave classics.

The Warlocks – The Manic Excessive Sounds Of
L.A.’s preeminent indie psych rock institution, The Warlocks, scale the deepest depths and the highest heights on this monumentally transcendent new album! A truly bipolar album that splits its running time between emotionally engrossing, traditionally arranged songs and improv-heavy, loosely structured jams Warlocks fans know and love!

PRIEST Reveal Single for Chris Isaac’s ‘Wicked Game’ from “Gothic Noir” Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 25, 2025
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Hot on the heels of Cleopatra Records’ Goth Top 100 countdown, Sweden’s mighty Priest usher in the next generation of dark rock, a lush, cinematic cover of Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Game” – a heartfelt homage to David Lynch’s Wild at Heart movie, wherein the original track appears.

An electronic project started by former members of the Grammy Award-winning metal band Ghost, the enigmatic Priest skillfully translate Isaac’s country-esque guitars and rhythms into haunting Moog synthesizers and 80’s LinnDrum-sounds.

Priest says: ”We think it’s one of the best pop songs ever written and we were very happy when Cleopatra asked us to do a cover of this kind. We covered some unexplored territory for Priest here. I will always see the dark highway in Wild at Heart when I hear it.”

Priest is touring the USA between July 1 to August 3 — tickets on priestnexus.com

Stream Wicked Game here: https://orcd.co/priest_wickedgame

“Wicked Games” can also be heard on Gothic Noir, a thrill-packed deep dive into both the music’s sainted past and it’s immediate future.  

No less than six of the 19 tracks are exclusive to Gothic Noir, including vivacious offerings from Buzz Kull, Soviet Soviet, Lamori (brilliantly tackling Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”), Shad Shadows and Deus Ex Lumina, reimagining George Michael’s “Careless Whispers.”

They are joined by the cream of Cleopatra’s goth community, including Chris McCarter’s IKON; Gene Loves Jezebel; The Mission (the immortal “Severina”); Razed In Black; Batcave arch-glamsters Sexagisma; punk pioneers The Damned; Fear Cult; Miranda Sex Garden; and Christian Death – artists who, across a variety of guises, devoured almost 25% of the Top 100.

Elsewhere, Ministry shine a light on the darkest corners of their Squirrely Years with a 1982 demo of “Work For Love”; and with Joy Division, A Flock of Seagulls and UK post-punk marvels 1919 also on board, Gothic Noir promises to completely reinvent your listening plans as we heard into summer.

But – as Sexagisma put it on the foot-stomping preview of their own forthcoming album, c’mon, c’mon, it’s MONSTER FUN!

Track Listing:

  1. Truly Madly Deeply – Buzz Kull
  2. Iris – Soviet Soviet
  3. Leaders Of Men (Martin Hannett Sessions) – Joy Division
  4. Wicked Game – Priest
  5. Black Roses (2024 Single Version) – IKON
  6. Severina – The Mission
  7. Brown Eyed Girl – Lamori
  8. Serpent Queen – Gene Loves Jezebel
  9. Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) – A Flock Of Seagulls
  10. Spectre (Love is Dead) (Kill Shelter Remix) – Christian Death
  11. Work for Love (1982 Demo) – Ministry
  12. Anxiety – 1919
  13. Careless Whisper – Deus Ex Lumina
  14. Strangers in the Night – Shad Shadows
  15. Shadow of Love (Live) – The Damned
  16. Monster Fun (Bat Cave Deadly Mix) – Sexagisma
  17. Are You The One? – Miranda Sex Garden
  18. Share This Poison – Razed In Black
  19. She Loves Me Not – Fear Cult

CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=gothic+noir
DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/gothicnoir

Cleopatra Records’ Goth 100 Has Bats in Its Belfry

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 1, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Cleopatra Records have turned the goth underworld upside down as their much-anticipated Top 100 Albums countdown came to an end this week, wrapping up with one of the least-known Rozz Williams albums of all, and a spoken word one as well. 

Every King a Bastard Son was released in 1992, one of the late Christian Death frontman’s first solo recordings for Cleopatra. He envisioned, Williams said at the time, “something like Jim Morrison’s American Prayer, just the voice with snatches of familiar music, wind, rain, rhythms, playing behind it. But I was also thinking about Current 93, the later stuff, Crooked Crosses, things like that, and imagining a cross between the two.

“I think it succeeded.”

Clearly, it did.

Compiled from suggestions by fans, friends and folk from across the extended Cleopatra family, the Goth Top 100 launched a month ago on Mixcloud, YouTube and Cleopatra’s own website (links below). The four installments each count down 25 albums (each represented by one song apiece) at a time.  

Although Cleopatra itself launched in 1992, the label’s catalog reaches back to the early 1980s birth of goth in both the US (the Los Angeles deathrock scene) and the UK (the Batcave) and beyond. The Top 100 literally spans both the entire gothic spectrum and its timeline.

Classic acts from the 80s and 90s proliferate – deathrockers The Super Heroines, Christian Death and 45 Grave; Batcave habitués Sex Gang Children, Sex Beat, Alien Sex Fiend and Sexagisma; Sisters of Mercy proteges James Ray and the March Violets; second wavers Switchblade Symphony, Two Witches, IKON and the Electric Hellfire Club.

But the modern era too is widely represented, with entries for She Wants Revenge frontman Justin Warfield, Scotland’s Witch of the Vale, Crying Vessel and more.  Tribute albums, meanwhile, ensure mentions for figureheads the Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Bauhaus, while goth’s roots are explored via acts as far apart as Velvet Underground icon Nico, and the so-called “wickedest man in the world,” Aleister Crowley.

Available on Mixcloud, YouTube and Cleopatra’s own website, the entire eight hour program is fronted by Delaware DJ Lady Crow, already familiar as the sultry-voiced host of the label’s bimonthly Pirate Radio Cleopatra broadcasts.

She says, “Like most countdowns, I don’t think there are any two people on earth who would agree with every entry in the chart… I certainly don’t… but that’s part of the fun. I grew up on this music, and Cleopatra Records was my guide to what I needed to listen to – it was such a thrill to host this special, both a wild trip down memory lane and a crash course in a lot of things I’d missed, as well.”

VIEW THE FULL TOP 100 HERE: https://cleorecs.com/pages/ top-100-goth-albums

In addition to the countdown, Cleopatra are also launching a weeklong sale in which the entire 100 (less a few titles that are no longer in print) will be available at a special Buy 3, take 30% off price. The sale began yesterday, March 31.

LINKS:
Mixcloud / Cleorecs.com
https://www.mixcloud.com/genres/cleopatra-records-top-100-goth/

YouTube:
(PART 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg_8LuUGiyY
(PART 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3qud7Aowwo
(PART 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYhYHhm_1g8
(PART 4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lWoQOaxlyA

30% Off Sale: https://cleorecs.com/collections/top-100-goth-albums

Listen to Pirate Radio Cleopatra at https://www.mixcloud.com/CleopatraRecords/

Pirate Radio Cleopatra Counts Down the 100 Greatest Goth Albums

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 4, 2025
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With a catalog that stretches back more than three decades, Cleopatra Records has established itself among the most tenacious and versatile independent record labels around.

Punk, industrial, metal, jazz, folk, country, rockabilly, space rock, prog… Cleopatra acknowledges the importance of them all. For many fans, however, the label is best associated with gothic rock, and no surprise.  The label’s earliest release, back in 1992, was a now super-rare 45 featuring Christian Death and Sex Gang Children, and over the next few years, Cleopatra’s unmistakable logo decorated both new releases and archive offerings as the label established itself at the very forefront of the movement.

That accolade remains true to this day. When UK magazine Uncut published its Top 200 goth albums list earlier this year, no less than seven of its inclusions had graced the Cleopatra catalog.

Now the label itself unveils its personal Top 100, to be broadcast over four weeks in March by its own Pirate Radio Cleopatra – available to listen free of charge on Mixcloud, YouTube, Facebook, X and the Cleorecs.com website.

The exact contents of the Top 100 are, for obvious reasons, being kept tightly under wraps, to be revealed 25 albums at a time beginning March 7. One can expect, however, chart rankings for such Cleopatra stalwarts as Christian Death, Sex Gang Children, Rosetta Stone, Switchblade Symphony, the Electric Hellfire Club, IKON, James Ray, Gene Loves Jezebel, Screams For Tina and The Wake; plus nods in the direction of The Cure, Joy Division, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Bauhaus.  And all painted on a truly worldwide palette, with performers from as far afield as France, Germany, Finland, Australia and beyond.

All four shows will be hosted by Pirate Radio Cleopatra regular Lady Crow, who says: “It was important to showcase the sheer depth of the catalog. The oldest recording on the Top 100 predates the First World War; the most recent won’t even be released until the summer. In between those, there’s the LA death rock scene, the early 80s Batcave crowd, the 1990s second wave and maybe a lot more from the 21st century than people might expect.”

A number of artists have also recorded exclusive station IDs for inclusion in the shows.

As a climax to the broadcasts themselves, Cleopatra will be offering discounts on every album in the Top 100, with further promotions also in store.  Further details will be announced shortly.

LISTEN HERE:

VISIT CLEOPATRA RECORDS: http://www.cleorecs.com

Cleopatra Records Hit Hard in Uncut Magazine’s Ultimate Record Collection: 200 Greatest Goth Albums

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 19, 2025
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No less than SEVEN of Cleopatra’s best-loved vintage goth albums are included in the British publication’s recently issued Ultimate Record Collection: 200 Greatest Goth Albums bookazine.

Cleopatra Records is widely regarded as America’s premier goth label, an accolade that dates back to the first days after its 1992 founding.  With a well-honed eye for both new talent and established veterans, Cleopatra’s goth catalog includes both critical favorites (see below) and forgotten classics, plus a string of acclaimed compilations, tribute albums and live recordings.

#177: Corpus Delecti – Sylphes

Corpus Delecti’s second album from 1994, reissued in 2023 on purple-gold-white haze and purple/black splatter vinyl.

“Less nice in Nice, French gloom-mongers CD cut their teeth on the classic goth rock of Bauhaus and Christian Death over a trio of 90s’ albums… Sylphes was a stand-out, gathering synthetic omens overhead, dramatic post-punk mania below.”

#175: Rosetta Stone – An Eye For The Main Chance

Originally released in 1991, Rosetta Stone’s debut was reissued in 2024 on both white and clear vinyl.

“Built upon the serrated beats of a drum machine named Madame Razor, the first album, from the Liverpool goth-pop duo fed from ther jugular of the city’s noir-rock heritage while also nodding to the Mission, who gave them their big touring breakthrough.”

#166: Switchblade Symphony – Bread and Jam for Frances

Available for the first time on vinyl (pink and silver), Switchblade’s second album was originally released in 1997.

“The San Francisco group’s darkwave marriage of ethereal vocals, gothic rock and classical music was given a trip-hop twist….  ‘Soldiers,’ ‘Dirty Dog’ and ‘Harpsichord’ had a distinctly Bristolian swagger and sway beneath their black lace.”

#116: James Ray’s Gangwar – Dio Está de Nuestro Lado

First released via the Sisters of Mercy’s Merciful; Release label in 1992, Gangwar’s debut album is celebrated on the Cleopatra compilation Merciful Releases 1989-1992, available on CD and silver vinyl.

“A debut album… in electro-noir lockstep with the Sisters. Southern textures are set to dank electronic beats and devilish things are done to Alvin Stardust’s ‘My Coo Ca Choo.’”

#101: Nico – Drama of Exile

A pioneering Cleopatra reissue back in 1993 marked this remarkable album’s first ever US release.

“It needed Nico to make explicit the link between Bowie, Reed and the new dark wave. To show how a scarifying vocal might be done. To nail those Middle Eastern influences just so.”

#81: The Wake – Masked

Another from Cleopatra’s earliest days, Masked is available as both a limited edition 2CD set and on purple/white splatter vinyl.

“Thundering bass lines and gruff Anglophile vocalizations. Audacious and not without merit.”

#41: Sex Gang Children – Song and Legend

The 1983 classic reissued on limited edition gold vinyl.

“…Steeped in post-punk rhythms but has a chaotic and unrelenting heart, with producer Tony James unwilling to tame Andi Sexgang’s screeching vocals amid the Babylonian mayhem.”

Plus honorable mentions for Iggy Pop (The Idiot – #10/hear the alternate versions on Iggy Pop – Rare Trax); The Cure ​(Pornography – #8; the entire album reworked in 2025 by Leæther Strip); David J (Cleopatra stalwart whose Bauhaus days are scattered throughout the list) and Christian Death… seriously, only one album (Only Theater of Pain) in the entire Top 200?  We’d have added a whole bunch more.

Cleopatra Records Announces All-Star DEAD BOYS Album, Feat. Rock Legends & Groundbreaking Collaboration

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 26, 2024
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Cleopatra Records is thrilled to announce an extraordinary new project celebrating the legacy of the Dead Boys with an all-star lineup and a groundbreaking approach to their unmistakable sound. 

The original Dead Boys cut just two albums throughout their short, fiery lifetime, the aptly titled Young, Loud and Snotty and the equally uncompromising We Have Come For Your Children.  Now founding guitarist Cheetah Chrome leads an all-star line up of past friends and fans into their third – still untitled, but you can expect something no less provocative than its predecessors.

Set for release in 2025, this startling new album features Cheetah on guitar and vocals, Clem Burke (Blondie) on drums, and Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) on bass, along with guest performances from James Williamson (The Stooges) and Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks).

In addition, the production features never-before-heard demos and early recordings taken from producer Kirk Yano’s pioneering 8-track studio in Cleveland. 

The Dead Boys were one of the first bands to record there, in 1977-78, and select tracks on the new album seamlessly blend Stiv’s distinctive voice with new elements, creating a sonic experience that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Cheetah Chrome’s vocals are artfully “dusted” with Stiv’s iconic presence, ensuring the new material retains the raw, visceral energy that defined the Dead Boys’ sound.

This innovative approach celebrates the band’s history while boldly reimagining their future. The album follows recent Dead Boys releases featuring collaborations with The 69 Eyes and Cherie Currie (The Runaways), further cementing the band’s relevance across generations.

What’s Next for the Dead Boys: New Music, Tours, and a Search for a Vocalist

Fans can expect new tour dates and music videos in Spring 2025 as the band prepares to return to the stage. To enhance their electrifying live performances, the Dead Boys are actively seeking a professional vocalist to join them for future shows. This is a rare chance for a dynamic and talented singer to contribute to the next chapter of punk rock history.

Stay tuned for additional announcements as the Dead Boys continue to honor their punk rock roots while embracing bold, innovative directions.