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Renowned siren, Sarah Jezebel Deva has recently inked a deal with French label Listenable Records. After spending 14 years in Cradle Of Filth as a backing singer, she also spent 6 years in Therion and Mortiis. Sarah has sung on over 35 albums with bands including The Kovenant, The Gathering, Mystic Circle, Trigger The Bloodshed and many others. In 2005, joined forces with Chris Rehn and created Angtoria and received an amazing response in Europe.

Although under her solo name, Sarah Jezebel Deva is a full-fledged touring band and a tight one at that. Her follow up to last year’s A Sign Of Sublime, titled The Corruption Of Mercy, will be released in late June on Listenable Records.

Sarah comments:

“We are extremely proud and excited to announce that we have signed a 3 album deal with the mighty Listenable Records. We have slowly been writing the new album The Corruption Of Mercy over the last 12 months, in between shows and other musical priorities at Escape Route Studio’s in Essex, England. A majority of the album was written by myself and Dan Abela but further down the line, we enlisted the help of Pzy Clone from The Kovenant for his amazing orchestrations and programming. Pzy Clone truly was the icing on the cake for this album. In our eyes, this album should have been the first cd released under the SJD name and we feel its totally on par with Angtoria’s God Has A Plan For Us All. The release date will be June 20th and it couldn’t come sooner for us! “

LINE UP :
Dan Abela – Guitars,
Jamie Abela – Drums,
Jonny Gray – Guitars,
Ablaz – Bass,
Sarah Jezebel Deva – Vocals

More info and new album songs will be posted shortly on SJD’s Official Site.

So I sent these questions forever ago, and honestly I forgot I did. But they came back, answered and ready for the world, and I’m happy to post them for you all to read. This is my interview with Sarah Jezebel Deva, enjoy; and look for it to also be in the second print issue of Funeral Rain Zine.

Can you update us on what is going on these days?

There’s loads of things going on these days… What would you like to know? Price of petrol keeps going up ;)

How would you describe the sound of the new album?

Emmm… Mixed. Its for open minded people. if you are solely into one kind of styled music, then its not for you. Some is metal, some has a BM edge, some is more rock, some is like a movie score and there is a piano song. So its very varied.

How would you describe the lyrical content of the new music?

Well its not a concept album but of course every song has a concept. I do not sing about mincing vampires and the slitting of wrists while bumming on a grave stone, I like to sing about real things like mental illness, sex, hate, disappointment, betrayal, life!

Do you have any plans to do a tour for the new album?

Well we just did our first ever tour in the UK with label mates The Dead Lay Waiting and LOVED it. We have 2 more UK shows with them and then head out to Europe with them for a 3-4 week tour. Can not wait because although The Dead Lay Waiting are totally different in music style, they are so tight, so professional and so energetic. We all gel so well.

You have worked with plenty of bands over the years, which ones did you enjoy the most and what are some of the albums that you have worked on that you are the most satisfied with and do you have plans in the future to work with any other projects?

Every band has its pro and con, its good memories and its shit ones and to tell you the shit memories just wouldn’t be good. My proudest albums are of course my band Angtoria “God Has A Plan For Us All”, COF “Midian” and “Vempire”, Mortiis “The Star Gate”. The Kovenant “Nexus Polaris” and Therion “Vovin”. I am active with The Kovenant again, we just played Inferno festival in Oslo, Norway. We headlined our day and it was amazing. We played the entire Nexus Polaris album from start to finish and we hadn’t all played together as that line up for 13 years. We are all older, maturer and it was just an great experience.

The new album came out on Candlelight Records, how would you describe the support that the label has given you so far?

Well right now, I cant really comment because its only the beginning. I have know Paula for many years and she has been my main contact so far, other than that, I can not comment yet but I am very happy and proud to be on such a well respected label! :)

What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

This album was a “finding my feet” album… there are ways I worked on this album, that I will never work on an album again. Like recording in four countries didn’t help. Recording with a stranger over the internet didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. The next album, I will work closer to home and not take so many chances. Not saying stick to what is safe, I mean stick to real friends, people who have passion for music and not money. I did plan on A Sign Of Sublime being no fixed style, totally intentional but the next album I want to be more extreme for sure.

How have fans reacted so far to the new album?

Well I can not really comment on the USA/Canada right now, I know a lot of people bought the import and I am so so grateful that they did that as I know it wasn’t cheap. My side of the world, I think its doing ok but you cant expect to sell if your not doing shows and we have only just started, so next year, I hope more and more people will have the album and the shows get bigger and better. So all I can say is, people have been very supportive.

What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?

There is just too many to mention. Nothing influences the music for me because then I would be copying wouldn’t I. But bands that I adore are anything from Dead Can Dance to Emperor. Faith No More to Mysticum. My Dying Bride to Moonsorrow. Type O to Gun’s N Roses. As for lyrics, whats going on around me influences my writing. I find it hard to write when I know nothing about a subject, I cant just make things up to fill a song out.

What are some of your interests outside of music?

Right now, the only thing that exists outside of music is my wedding next year. When I am not touring and paying my lovely bills, its wedding, wedding, wedding draining the very life from me ha ha… I have even fallen behind on music. I am so behind, I think the last album I bought was the new Immortal, I don’t even remember the last time I went out to see a film. I am so not grim huh! As you get older, life takes its firm grip and you find yourself having less and less time. When I can think, I am very much into animal rights. I am TRYING to get 10,000 names for an Anti Fur petition in the UK to take to my local MP.

Any final words or thoughts?

Yeah…… We really wanna come to the USA….. We so want to tour. Its been a few years since myself and Gian Pyrez were there, so guys, hate us or love us, give us a chance and check us out! Thank you :)

Sarah Jezebel Deva on MySpace.

Genre: Gothic Metal, Pop, Rock, Symphonic Metal
Label: Candlelight Records

Oh Sarah. You look angrier in your promo pictures for this album, but you’re still just as gorgeous sounding as the Angtoria album, and your work with Cradle of Filth. I’m so glad I got to hear this.
Those that don’t know Sarah Jezebel Deva, she’s been the female vocals on all the CoF albums, and has had a successful album with her band Angtoria. And now she’s going (mostly) solo, with friends playing the music but it’s all her pretty much. And man does it show her voice’s range. She goes from sounding like Siouxie Sioux to… well, Sarah Jezebel Deva.
And the album itself is not really a genre specific album, hopping around a little with more rock-influenced songs, and epic sounding stuff too, with some poppy elements, and a cover of Meredith Brook’s “Bitch”, which I really like. I’m definitely a fan. My favorite songs are “The Devil’s Opera”, “Your Wonderful Chair”, and “Bitch”.
I agree with Chase on this album, the songs definitely do stick with you after you’ve listened to them. Very catchy, very good.
8.5 out of 10.

Sarah Jezebel Deva on MySpace.

Genre: Gothic, Blackened, Deathcore
Label: Rising Records

…wait, wasn’t Angtoria Sarah’s “solo” project? Oh well. I really shouldn’t complain.

Apparently not being content with her slew of back up/assisting credits, Sarah Jezebel Deva springs forth from the shadows and hammers us with an onslaught of powerful, but catchy yet, haunting sonnets in, A Sign Of Sublime.

It’s quite a cocktail that makes up this potent intoxicant: the enchantress’s platinum pipes, a deathcore drummer (Max Blunos, ex-Trigger The Bloodshed), a godly, death metal bassist (Dave Pybus of Massacre), a gothic doomster on the board (Martin Powell, ex-My Dying Bride) and an inventive guitarist (Ken Newman). I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sloshed already!

I’m not really sure what people are going to be expecting when they check this album out. But I can tell you this: I wasn’t expecting what I heard at all. Which wasn’t a bad thing at all. I was expecting some gothicly infused, blackened rock ‘n’ metal… you know, what we heard on God has A Plan For Us All. This time however, we get this oddly awesome mixture of ‘core drumming, 80’s rock and pop melodies (Your Wonderful Chair), progressive tones in both the bass and guitar that sometimes dips into blackened territory (They Called Her Lady Tyranny). And, of course, the classically trained voice of Mistress Deva.

My one complaint? The very last track is a cover of Meredith Brooks’s Bitch… it’s a decent cover, I am just so fucking tired of that song! Although… imagining Sarah as a “goddess on her knees” was all too enticing… I MEAN! Umm… yeah. I didn’t dig it.

Overall: An great album from a powder keg of brilliant musicians! Sarah’s voice is amazing as usual and the songs stick with you long after you’re finished listening.

9/10

Sarah Jezebel Deva On MySpace