BEAUTY AND LIFESTYLE PROFILE

With Cadaveria (singer of CADAVERIA)

Italian singer Cadaveria is one of the female pioneers in the extreme metal scene and who paved the way for future female musicians. It all started when she joined the pagan black metal band Opera IX in the very early nineties. But after the release of the first demo, followed by an EP and three studio albums, many gigs and tours and having established her name in the extreme metal scene, in 2001 Cadaveria choose to move on as a solo artist with her own band CADAVERIA. Since then she released five albums, a split album, many videos and did tons of gigs and tours by herself and Cadaveria can still be seen as one of the leading ladies in the extreme metal scene. CADAVERIA is her channel to express her inner feelings, fears and life experiences, she has a deep interest in horror, the occult and the super natural, her biggest idol is Morticia Addams of The Addams Family and when she is not with the band, Cadaveria works as a video maker. Cadaveria has a remarkable appearance and personality and therefor HeadBangers LifeStyle wants to know more about the beauty, fashion and lifestyle behaviour of Mrs. Cadaveria.

(Photo by Christian Melfa)

FASHION
Do you consider yourself a fashion and/or make-up junkie?
,,Absolutely not! I just like to feel good with myself in every occasion and this means I always use (or abuse) make-up when I’m on stage and I carefully choose the outfit for the shows. But I’m quite easy dressed when I’m at home and I have no problem to go to the post office to ship the band merchandise in a tracksuit and without make-up. Of course I have my basic rules: 1: I can’t avoid to use a moisturizing lotion (or Moroccan Argan oil, sometimes) after every shower. 2: A make-up is not complete without a touch of mascara. 3: I always wear first choice lingerie, even when I’m alone at home.’’

Do you follow trends in fashion and make-up in general or in specific scenes, or not at all?
,,I do not follow any trend. I like to use my own imagination to create my outfits and I always wear what I really like and not what fashion trends command. Sometimes I search for some inspiration on the web, other times I create pieces with my hands and finally I often mix different styles following my own taste. The same goes for the make-up: I’ve always adopted a pale and cadaveric make-up with smoky eyes, in line with my artistic name, and I will never change it, even if make-up trends would impose a bronze skin or an orange eye shadow. I had green hair locks when I was a teen and I coloured the last 20 centimetres of my hair red over fifteen years ago, when nobody knew what a shatush was. I have also had complete red hair over 20 years ago, but then I started with complete black hair and I never changed it. Sometimes I use blue-black hair colour and during the last months black-red hair colour, just to give my hair some glares. But I don’t want to discolour and recolor too much because it is an aggressive process for the hair. My natural hair colour is actually brown and I’m used to colour my hair myself. I just go to the hairstylist every 3 or 4 months to cut my hair a little bit. Hairdressers cannot count on me to gain their salary! In general I hate to be addicted to something. I prefer to launch trends instead of following them and I like to stay out of the masses.’’

Is a good appearance important to you?
,,Yes, it is, but my idea of a good appearance doesn’t necessary matches with expensive dresses, branded clothes and elaborated make-up.’’

What do we mainly find in your wardrobe? Anything in particular you have an `addiction’ for?
,,There is one constant in my wardrobe: the colour black and you can find almost everything in it: miniskirts, gowns, jeans, leggings, vinyl cat suits, t-shirts, sweaters, latex bodies, blouses, corsets, hats, tons of belts, shoes and boots. Everything is black except for 2 pairs of blue jeans, one white Motörhead t-shirt and one red Satyricon t-shirt. Really, my wardrobe is very well equipped only the problem is that I always wear the same things, following the `logic’ of `last in, first out’. I’m not addicted to anything in particular, but sometimes I think I’m a bit `serial’. For instance if I enter a shop and I find a pair of jeans that suits me perfectly, well I buy two. It happened recently in NYC: there were two button down shirts (black of course) waiting for me, they were very similar to each other and I could not decide which one to buy. Damned me: I bought both.’’

What do you like to express with your clothing? Do you have favourite brands and where do you find/buy your clothing mostly?
,,My clothing reflects my personality, that is a mix of simplicity and excessive attention to details. This means that even when I adopt a casual look there is always a touch of extravagance and elegance. I hate to be bored and I hate boring outfits. I can buy everywhere, I mean in every kind of shop and atelier, street stand and online. I like to change brands and often I don’t care about brands at all, but most of my lingerie is by Victoria’s Secret.’’

(Photo by Antonio Mantovan)

MAKE-UP
What make-up style do people recognize you for, both private and as an artist?
,,Well, the name Cadaveria speaks by itself. Can you imagine a suntanned gothic/black metal lady of shadows? Mismatched! The main inspiration came to me in the early nineties by Morticia Addams and this is more or less what I looked like during these twenty-five years of music career. There have been some variations on the theme: a touch of red or grey or white for the eye shadow (always mixed with black, of course), a white or green or purple lipstick instead of the usual black/red. Sometimes on stage my make-up is more heavy and black metal oriented, sometimes less marked. It depends on my feelings and mental disposition of the moment, but basically Cadaveria is always Cadaveria. In my private life things don’t change too much, except for the fact I rarely use the lipstick. My every day make-up is lighter but the products I use are almost the same as on stage, so you can’t expect great differences in terms of colours.’’

Which make-up, beauty products do you mainly use in daily life and what products do you use on stage, photo-shoots and videos? Do you have favourite brands?
,,Daily I use some basics, like Lait démaquillant Ultra Fondant of Sephora with macadamia oil and Clarifying Lotion #2 of Clinique and of course the anti-wrinkle cream is a must (but I like to change its brand every three-four months, to try new textures). In my daily life I use Liquid Foundation of BioNike (the lighter nuance and you find it in a pharmacy store), since I have a sensitive skin. On stage I mix it with White Foundation of Stargazer, which I buy online from London. I always use ivory face powder for a matte result, but I never use blush. Black eye shadow and black mascara all the way, and the brand doesn’t matter. To be honest, I have a rock ’n’ roll spirit and probably I cannot be exactly a good reference for beauty products. Just to let you understand: it was 2011 and I had just finished painting a wall of my living room with a black water colour when I had to go to do the photo shoot for the album `Horror Metal’. Well, the black colour on my fingers and on my cheeks is the same water tempera colour I used for the wall! It worked so good that I used it for the video ,,Flowers In Fire’’ too, as well as during live shows. Then I finished the can, so now when I perform ,,Flowers In Fire’’ live I use a body painting water colour. I always do my make-up myself. There have been just two circumstances where I asked someone else’s help: the photo and video shoots for the album `In Your Blood’, ,,The Dream’’ video (red thorns on my face and neck) and the shoot for the ,,Death Vision’’ video (skull make-up). This last one was particularly long to realize and I remember we took more time for the make-up than for the shootings.’’



Has your make-up behaviour changed over the years?
,,I don’t think so, except for the fact that when I was very young I used black eye pencil, or eyeliner or kajal pencils, while now I’m using powder eye shadows and I learnt how important it is to use good brushes to stretch and soften the colours.’’

What are your best make-up tips?
,,Don’t use wall tempera colours on your face! Ah, ah… Well, seriously speaking, I think a good make-up starts with a proper skin hydration and a good foundation. And to me lots of loose powder is 100% necessary to matte the skin and let the make-up stay on all night long. But sometimes we play in very underground venues where it is hot like hell and there is no loose powder or fixative product that can help you. Sweat wins and your make-up drips. But this is heavy metal, indeed.’’

How do you deal with a bad hair day?
,,Fortunately I never had any problem with my hairs. Mother nature was very magnanimous to me at this point. I have been colouring my hair every 30 days for over 20 years now and my hair is still healthy and shiny, although it is very thin. I really don’t do anything special to preserve my hair, except to use a conditioner and I avoid a hairdryer whenever I can, mostly in middle and hot seasons. Fortunately my hair is very straight and smooth, so I don’t need any hair-tools.’’

Which Disney character do you compare yourself to the most and why?
,,None of them. We could say Cruella de Vil, but I love dogs so much, so this is not the case. As I mentioned earlier, the closest character to me is Morticia Addams. I’m in love with this character since I was a little girl. I have always been a fan of the sixties series, the one with Carolyn Jones as Morticia, because I was attracted by the fact the whole family is strange, ironic and somehow connected with cemeteries, occultism and supernatural.’’


(Photo by Lele Photography)

CADAVERIA
Who or what inspires you as an artist?
,,Basically my life, in the largest acceptation of this term: My own experiences, people I met, books I read, my dreams, my nightmares, my fears, my emotions. I founded the band to create a virtual space where I could freely express myself with no boundaries and this is basically what we continue doing.’’

What do you like about being a singer in an unconventional extreme horror metal band and how did you end up in the metal scene in the first place?
,,To me music is something necessary. I don’t play music because it is cool to be in a metal band. Music is therapeutic and gives me the opportunity to overtake my boundaries. I started in the early nineties by chance, spending some nights in a cellar trying to put together some lyrics and notes. I didn’t take it seriously in the very beginning, it was just a funny hobby but then I joined the pagan black metal band Opera IX. We released a demo tape in 1992 and I started getting consents, also because I was one of the very few women in the scene at that time and I was able to sing in powerful growling. Day by day music became more and more important in my life and now I can say it changed my life.’’

Who is Cadaveria on stage? And how would you describe your stage performance?
,,Cadaveria on stage is… herself without any tricks. Our music is passion, obscurity, sincerity and vibration. I don’t like to describe myself but people say I’m very theatrical, inspiring, powerful and true. This means a lot to me, to be respected and appreciated for what I do, for my voice and not for my looks.’’

What is your band CADAVERIA all about?
,,CADAVERIA the band is the union of people who love extreme music, inspired by darkness. Our music is gloomy and sinister and could be the perfect soundtrack for a horror movie. This is what I always thought and I’m very happy this became a reality in some way. Recently an Italian director has asked if he could use some of our songs for the soundtrack of a new web format based on death, called `Prepararsi alla Morte’. The first episode was released via YouTube on January 13.” (Check Facebook here).

What can you tell us about your latest release EP `Mondoscuro’? And why not releasing a full-length album?
,,`Mondoscuro’ is a cooperation with the Italian thrash metal legends Necrodeath. My band CADAVERIA shares two members with them. The idea of this project was disturbing our minds since a long time and finally 2016 was the right moment for both the bands to make it really happen. Our last two albums `Horror Metal’ and `Silence’ were released among 2012 and 2014 and in the same period we re-released our debut album `The Shadows’ Madame’ and released a double DVD entitled `Karma’. We never stopped working, we had toured a lot during these last four years and, while we felt not ready to approach to a new full length, we found the right inspiration to give life to this diabolical pact with Necrodeath. The EP contains six tracks: two brand new and co-written songs, two covers (one of The Beatles –,,Helter Skelter’’- and one of Type O Negative –,,Christian Woman’’) and two unusual `exchange of roles’, where CADAVERIA reinterpret a classic by Necrodeath (,,Mater Tenebrarum’’) and Necrodeath perform CADAVERIA hit ,,Spell’’. It came out in September 2016 on CD and a vinyl edition is on the way.’’

What keeps the motor of Cadaveria running, even in bad times?
,,Bad times can be the motor of Cadaveria more than good times. I think every end can be a new beginning and I always try to convert energies (good and bad ones) into something productive. Life is too short. Let’s try to make a difference and leave a mark.’’



LIFESTYLE
What do you do when you are not working with the band?
,,I have a job as a video maker, so I shoot and edit videos of many genres, from music videos to wedding videos. If I have the time and the money I like to travel, discovering places where I’ve never been before. I like to stay at home too and take care of my house. I recently adopted a four year old dog with behavioural problems, due to his previous owners, and I’m trying to educate him.’’

Where does your interest in horror and super natural come from?
,,My disposition to horror stuff is natural. Some people like pink colour, funny movies, bows and sweet candies. I like the colour black, horror movies, chains and chilli pepper. The same is for the supernatural, I guess. I’m a sensitive person. I discovered the Penny Dreadful series just two weeks ago and I can’t stop watching it. This is exactly the kind of stuff, topic and atmosphere that I can feel as mine. I’m an Italian and heavy metal version of the Vanessa Ives character.’’

In what way do you contribute to a healthier and cleaner planet and society?
,,I accurately separate the various types of waste, I hate squandering and I recycle as much as I can. I close the water cock when I brush my teeth, I preserve electricity by turning off useless lights and I adopted an eco-heating system by using pellet. I became a vegetarian one year ago and I’m going vegan now.’’

How do you like to spend your free time and how does your perfect day off looks like?
,,I like to sleep and to walk in nature. It is very rare that I have a complete day off because working with videos and music at home I’m often tempted to start the computer and to start working. But my perfect day off could start with a late wake up, a shower, a healthy breakfast, a walk, one hour of dog cares, watch a good movie or read a book, two hours at the gym, take a shower, organic food cooked by me with a glass of good red wine. A day without a mobile phone, computer and social networks, a day completely dedicated to myself.’’


(Photo by The Horns Photography)

What is your advise as an experienced artist to youngsters who want to become an artist/musician?
,,First of all ask yourself if you are really doing something unique and new and if you are able to do it great. There are already enough penniless artists in the world and maybe you can make a difference in some other ways. If you really feel this is your path, then go on, go straight, work hard and be aware your life is going to be difficult.’’

What is your life motto?
,,Memento Audere Semper; be yourself and never give up.’’
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Follow CADAVERIA the band on Facebook and visit the Website.
Follow Cadaveria herself on Facebook.