Spellbinding Horror Concept Album Released October 7th On KOCH RECORDS

Halloween has become known as a time of year for ghosts, goblins, tricks, treats, and a time to be wary of things that go bump in the night. The tone for the holiday season is primarily marked by horror film marathons featuring the likes of Psycho, Friday the 13th, and Halloween. Now, a terrifying musical experience is creeping its way into the mythos of All Hallows Eve…

On October 7th, KOCH Records will unleash upon the world a soundtrack for the Halloween season, by an ensemble known as VAN HELSING’S CURSE. The debut album, Oculus Infernum, stitches together chilling classical passages (by way of an 18-piece orchestra), a prophetic choir, and menacing rock music in a    veritable Frankenstein’s monster of musical styles. The metaphoric ‘skin’ for the album is a complete tale of terror revolving around the cyclical struggle between the forces of good & evil. Specifically, a dark, amorphous entity    descends upon the earth and embarks on an unhindered killing spree. An orphaned boy seeks to end this ‘reign of terror’ and confides in a direct descendant of vampire hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (from Bram Stoker's    Dracula novel) in order to dispatch the entity.

As enhancement to the sinister nature of the story, VAN HELSING’S CURSE employs a plethora of heart-pounding and clever reworking of such memorable classic pieces as Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” (made famous by The Exorcist film), Grieg’s “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”, “Dies Irae”, Jerry Goldsmith’s “Ave Satani” (from The Omen films), Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” (from Carmina Burana), Mussorgsky’s“Night On Bald Mountain”, Chopin’s perennial “Funeral March”, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite”, and Holst’s “Mars, The Bringer Of War”. Oculus Infernum reaches its    ominous climax with a vibrant yet spine-chilling cover version of Black Sabbath’s classic “Black Sabbath”.

VAN HELSING’S CURSE is the brainchild of none other than Dee Snider, best known as the lead vocalist of Twisted Sister. A lifelong fan of horror, Snider first made a foray into the genre with the successful cult film StrangeLand    and its accompanying soundtrack. In 2000, Dee entrenched himself further in the world of horror by narrating a documentary/retrospect home video regarding the making of the movie Halloween. He also serves as narrator of the Oculus Infernum story.

Terrifying and tantalizing, intimidating and inspiring, foreboding and fun, VAN HELSING’S CURSE is as much an atmospheric work as it is a modern tale of horror. Oculus Infernum provides one more reason to fear the dark this Halloween.