Theatre of Ice - The Utah Years 1985-1988

The Utah Years 1985-1988

With Mouse Blood selling in record numbers and receiving such high critical acclaim the Demented Mind Mill convinced Brent and John Johnson to record one more album. The label had recently released a number of highly unsuccessful albums and was in need of money badly. Dale Garrard, who had spent time as a guitarist in both Chrome and P.O.A. joined the band as lead guitarist, and Theatre of Ice was once again "creating monsters". The brothers Johnson actually first meet Garrard in a Provo, Utah cemetery at almost precisely the stroke of midnight. The Johnsons were there to take some flash photos for their new album, what Mr. Garrard was doing there isn't known. But the idea of running into a guitarist of his caliber in a cemetery at midnight was seen as a sign of "interesting" things to come.

The band immediately began work on their fifth album The Resurrection, the title referring to the band rising once again from the dead. With Dale Garrard, John and Brent Johnson all playing guitar as well as other instruments the album took on a very dark, heavy, near metal sound; this was not seen initially as a positive direction for the band by their label who wanted them to stick closer to the sound of their previous two albums, which had become the biggest commercial successes the Demented Mind Mill had. The label soon changed their mind when promotional versions of Gone With The Worms, and Tomorrow Never Comes, the first two songs released for the new album, received very favorable responses from radio stations across Europe.

The Resurrection was the first album the band did not attempt to record entirely at some remote haunted” location. No haunted houses, and with the exception of 2 songs, no cemeteries. It is not completely known chronologically which songs were recorded first – so it is not known whether the events that occurred when recording She Sleeps and Holy Holy Cry led to the decision to end the “haunted location recording sessions” or not. What is well documented is that the band chose a small unused and seldom cared for cemetery to record these two previously mentioned dark and moody pieces. During the play-back of Holy Holy Cry it is reported by all who were present that something could be heard rapidly moving through the grass, weeds, and bushes toward the grave where the band had set up to record. The sound was almost like that of galloping beast, it is said. Suddenly an invisible force burst out of the darkness and fell upon all who were there – and then left just as suddenly. It is widely held that this event led to John Johnson leaving the band upon completion of the album.

Recording completed just before Christmas 1985 and the album was set to be released in early 1986. Despite their commitment to never play live again, at the conclusion of the recording process the band played an impromptu concert in the isolated mountain town of Payson, Arizona. Live versions of the previously released Funeral Games and the newly penned Santa Claws (written 30 minutes before they took the stage) were included on The Resurrection in an attempt to end the rumors that the band had indeed committed suicide 6 months earlier in the "Mouse Blood Fire", a rumor that had continued to grow despite the announced release of a newly recorded album.

The Resurrection proved, however, to be the death knell for the Demented Mind Mill. Although another critical success for the band it sold very poorly; it is debatable whether its poor sales led to the closing of the Demented Mind Mill or whether the impending bankruptcy of the Demented Mind Mill led to the albums poor sales. To this date it is unknown how many actual copies were pressed or sold, the album is almost impossible to find and rarely comes up for sale on any of the internet auction sites.

Orphanage Records, an American label with a solid reputation in the Gothic Rock and Death rock music scenes, offered to re-release The Resurrection; but were unable to obtain any of the masters, except for the two live recordings, from the Demented Mind Mill. So Orphanage Records asked the band to re-record seven of the songs from the album, one from The Haunting, two from Beyond the Graves of Passion, nine new originals, and reuse the two live recordings. These 17 "new" songs were released in 1986 as Love... Is Like Dying. Even though John Johnson is credited as playing on the album, it is a known fact that he had previously left the group and only appears on the two live recordings.

Love... Is Like Dying was an immediate success for both the band and for their new label. With Songs as diverse as Dreams of Fire and In The Attic, the album greatly increased their fan base and for the first time put them on the radar of college radio stations across the country. This opened the door for the band to tour parts of the country it had never played live to, it was just up to their label to assure them that "nothing bad would happen" if they were to go on an extended tour.

During the fall of 1986 the band committed to its only extended tour of the United States. To accommodate the tour three new members were added to the band; Jay Planty on guitar, Ted Preiss on bass, and Jason Cobb on drums. For the most part the tour was uneventful, playing mostly as a supporting act, the group performed before crowds that were largely unfamiliar with their history. On New Year's Eve, 1986, the tour concluded in Fallon, Nevada, the birthplace of the band, with a performance in what had long been alleged to be a haunted slaughterhouse. A large concrete edifice, the abandoned slaughterhouse had been the site of many strange sightings and the subject of local ghost stories for over 20 years. More of a video shoot and recording session than an actual concert, it was made open to the public and several hundred of the locals braved the spirits and the cold to attend the show. With their now stripped down, punkier sound, the band tore through several versions of In the Attic, Miron, Gone With the Worms, A Cool Dark Place to Die, Red Asphalt and Within the Ruins of a Mind. The concert was intended to conclude at the stroke of midnight, ushering in the New Year. But sometime slightly after 11:00pm a bizarre event occurred; all the power suddenly turned off and the slaughterhouse was thrown into total blackness. A few seconds later an unearthly moan howled forth from every speaker and amplifier. An other worldly wail that lasted nearly 30 seconds. Stunned and terrified, the majority of the crowd hastily dispersed and the concert came to a screeching halt. To this date it is still a matter of speculation as to whether this was an actual supernatural occurrence or was staged by the band in an attempt to add to their mystique and legend. What is known is that Jay Planty, Ted Preiss, and Jason Cobb left the band after the event. Planty and Preiss would return several years later, but this was the last time the band recorded at any alleged haunted sites or cemeteries. Three of the Songs from the session were chosen to be released as the band's first seven inch EP, In the Attic. Along with the title track the record included Gone with the Worms and Within the Ruins of a Mind. The record was a howling success and was the first in what would be a long string of seven inch EPs the band would release.

Immediately after returning from Nevada the band began work on their next album, The Dead. The first album to be recorded entirely in a studio, all of the tracks were written and recorded by Brent Johnson and Dale Garrard. The album departed greatly from all of their previous efforts and included several mainstream sounding rock songs with slick production values. The departure was so great that Orphanage Records decided not to release it under the band's name, choosing instead to release it under the name Oblivion Now. It was only through a miscommunication with the printers and pressing plant that the wrong cover and labels were printed and The Dead became the band's seventh album. A tremendous failure with fans and non-fans alike, the album was literally pulled from the shelves and scrapped.

To erase the failure of The Dead the decision was made to record a live album. Three new members were again added to the band; Craig Moore on guitar, George Carlston on bass, and Richard Hillquist on drums. Live… Beyond the Graves of Utah was recorded during the summer of 1988. “Summertime in small-town Utah. Beautiful tree lined streets, families picnicking in the park, children laughing and playing. A scene straight out of Leave it to Beaver. But something was about to descend upon happy valley. During the summer of 1988 Theatre of Ice toured Utah playing anywhere they could – V.F.W. halls, jr. high auditoriums, movie theaters, skating rinks, hamburger joints, even an abandoned grocery store. The crowds varied in size and enthusiasm, but one thing was certain, they’d never forget what they saw and heard. It’s been said by many before; Theatre of Ice was a lousy band live. So why a live CD? Perhaps their detractors expected them to try and reproduce their dark, gloomy syntho-beats live. But that’s not what a Theatre of Ice show was about. Instead they packed away their patented electronic experimentation, cranked up the guitars and stepped into high gear. Vocals shouted rather than sung, guitars thrashed and drums beaten rather than played. It was always more about the experience than the music. Songs about killing girlfriends, suicidal maniacs, and child molesters were undoubtedly not the normal family home evening fare in small-town Utah. But for one evening during the summer of 1988 it was. You can make your own decision as to whether Theatre of Ice was a lousy band live or not. Just ask yourself one question – would you like to have been one of the unsuspecting present when Theatre of Ice took the stage?”

During the tour, the newly penned song, “Kill Your Girlfriend,” quickly became the climax of each performance. So it was no surprise that Orphanage Records decided to release a live version of the song as the title track of the band's next 7 inch ep. Easily the crudest and sloppiest recording the band had yet to release, it rapidly became the groups largest selling record. Punk rock periodicals like Flipside (fanzine) and Maximum Rock N' Roll, which had previously dismissed the band as arty and pretentious, wrote rave reviews of the record. "Demented, sick, deranged, perverted, degrading -- In other words, pure enjoyment. This is brilliant raunchy rock and roll, obviously the product of disturbed minds. Parental guidance suggested." With the band now at the zenith of its popularity, the decision was made to relocate to Phoenix, Arizona; the home of Orphanage Records.