Melissa VanFleet

Melissa Ann VanFleet (born February 8, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[1] Her debut project Ode To The Dark was recorded with the team behind Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil's 2016 album Delirium and released to underground critical acclaim on October 13, 2018.[2][3] She has garnered attention among the heavy metal music community for her piano cover version of American heavy metal band W.A.S.P.'s song "Sleeping (In The Fire)" on YouTube and acoustic 2015 LP Metal Lullabies.[4] She has toured internationally and appeared on the Full Metal Cruise II presented by Wacken.[5]

Melissa VanFleet
Melissa VanFleet performing at the Trocadero Theatre in September 2014
Background information
Birth nameMelissa Ann VanFleet
Born (1986-02-08) February 8, 1986
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • pianist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2012–present
Associated acts
Websitemelissavanfleet.com

Early life

Melissa VanFleet was born February 8, 1986 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She sang her first solo when she was in third grade and completed her first studio recording at the age of 12. As a child, she wrote poetry and lyrics as a form of therapy to help deal with complications of having a parent with a chronic illness.[6] VanFleet is a self-taught vocalist and pianist.[7] She is also a trained dancer in all styles.[8] She has said that being a ballerina instilled in her an appreciation for classical music and cites Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake as a major influence.[9]

Career

VanFleet recorded a piano cover version of American heavy metal band W.A.S.P.'s ballad "Sleeping (In The Fire)" in 2012. She originally recorded the cover as a birthday present for her dad and then posted the video on YouTube.[6] VanFleet has received acclaim from present and past members of W.A.S.P., including co-founder and original guitarist Randy Piper and present lead guitarist Doug Blair.[10]

In 2013 and 2014, VanFleet performed at various venues including Musikfest in her hometown of Bethlehem, House of Vans in Brooklyn, New York, Webster Hall, The Cutting Room and had several long-term residencies at Hard Rock Cafe Philadelphia.[11] She began working with booking and management company Noisegate Productions, based in Germany. She debuted as the vocalist of dark alternative duo COPPÉLIA at the Trocadero Theatre in September 2014.[11]

In April 2015, VanFleet went on tour in Spain.[8][12] She also performed on the Full Metal Cruise II, presented by German music promoter Wacken, alongside Blaze Bayley, DORO, HammerFall, Axxis and more.[13] Her acoustic LP Metal Lullabies was released on August 19, 2015.[1][14] She performed at Musikfest in August 2015 to promote the album release and was named #1 of "7 Stellar Acts at Martin Guitar Lyrikplatz."[15]

In 2016, VanFleet revealed to Ultimate Guitar that she was collaborating on a project with Scott Rockenfield of Queensrÿche and Nick Douglas of DORO.[16][17]

In February 2017, VanFleet recorded at BRX Studio in Milan, Italy with the team behind Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil's 2016 album Delirium – producer/bassist Marco Coti Zelati with engineers Marco Barusso, Dario Valentini and Marco D'Agostino – and her debut single "Raven," featuring Doug Blair of W.A.S.P. on lead guitar, was released on October 13, 2017.[2][18] A visual teaser trailer was published to YouTube on October 6, 2017 to promote the single.[9][19] VanFleet recorded a live piano version of "Raven" as part of an exclusive for Rock Rebel Magazine in March 2018.[20]

In February 2018, VanFleet revealed plans of a forthcoming EP during an interview on the Emptyspiral podcast.[21] On October 6, 2018, three promotional visual teaser trailers were published to YouTube and VanFleet released the project Ode To The Dark to underground critical acclaim on October 13, 2018.[22]

In May 2019, VanFleet was featured as a guest vocalist on a song titled "Nemesis" by Italian symphonic death metal band Genus Ordinis Dei.[23] The single was released via Eclipse Records on May 24, 2019 and the music video debuted on May 28, 2019.[24]

In July 2019, VanFleet accompanied Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil on piano during an intimate acoustic segment of the band's two sold out shows at the Gramercy Theatre in New York.[25][26] When asked about VanFleet's involvement during an interview with hardDrive Radio, Scabbia said, "It all started because Marco, our bass player, produced her record and that's when we met her in Milano. When we thought about a piano version of the songs and an acoustic part of the 119 Shows in New York, we immediately thought about her. We asked her and she was super excited because she has been a Lacuna Coil fan and we had a great time. We rehearsed for the first time the same day as the first show but everything went amazing."[27]

Artistry

VanFleet's sound has been described as atmospheric alternative metal with orchestral and gothic elements.[20] She has said that she naturally gravitates toward dark themes and topics when writing songs.[6] She suffers from anxiety and magical thinking obsessive-compulsive disorder and uses her mental health as inspiration for her lyrics.[28] VanFleet's emotionally intense vocal delivery has been compared to the likes of Adele, Alanis Morissette and Amy Lee of Evanescence.[7][15]

Discography

Extended plays
  • Ode To The Dark (2018)

Singles
  • "Raven" (2017)

Acoustic albums
  • Metal Lullabies (2015)

References
  1. "Melissa VanFleet nos presenta en Madrid: Metal Lullabies". lacajadmusica.org. April 16, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  2. "Lacuna Coil Bassist Marco Coti-Zelati Produces Melissa VanFleet Debut Single". bassplayer.com. October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  3. "31 Best Albums of 2018". immusicmag.com. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  4. "Sleeping (In The Fire) – Melissa VanFleet (W.A.S.P. cover)". youtube.com. July 27, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  5. "Wacken Full Metal Cruise II: Beyond The Black und Melissa VanFleet auf der Full Metal Cruise II mit an bord". full-metal-cruise.com. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  6. "Interview: Melissa VanFleet (EUA)". elegiaecanto.com. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  7. "Alt-Metal Singer-Songwriter Melissa VanFleet: I tend to write about topics that scare me". guitargirlmag.com. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  8. "esRadio: Melissa VanFleet, la voz de Philadelphia". libertaddigital.com. April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  9. Blue, Jeannie (February 21, 2018). "INTERVIEW – MELISSA VANFLEET". crypticrock.com. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  10. Piper, Randy (July 26, 2013). "AMAZING rendition of W.A.S.P. – 'Sleeping In The Fire'". Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  11. "M PIRE Magazine – May 2015 Issue". m-piremagazine.com. May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  12. "esMADRIDmagazine Abril 2015". esmadrid.com. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  13. "Wacken Full Metal Cruise II: Day 1". full-metal-cruise.com. April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  14. "El talento de Melissa VanFleet brilla en España". myipop.net. April 12, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  15. Gorrie, Nick (August 5, 2015). "7 Stellar Acts at Martin Guitar Lyrikplatz". musikfest.org. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  16. Beckner, Justin (May 26, 2016). "Meet Melissa VanFleet Who Progressed From Making Metal Covers on YouTube to Working With Big Names". ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  17. Virmakari, Tarja (June 5, 2016). "Melissa VanFleet's Forthcoming Single "Ode To The Dark" To Feature Douglas Blair (W.A.S.P), Scott Rockenfield (QUEENSRŸCHE) And Nick Douglas (DORO)". metalshockfinland.com. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  18. "LACUNA COIL - New Album Hits No. 1 on American iTunes Metal Charts". bravewords.com. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  19. "Melissa VanFleet - Ode To The Dark Part I: RAVEN (Trailer)". youtube.com. October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  20. "Melissa VanFleet – la cantautrice americana. Lavorare con Marco Coti-Zelati è stata un'esperienza piacevole e ho imparato molto". rockrebelmagazine.com. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  21. "Emptyspiral Podcast / Episode 131 / Delirium". emptyspiral.net. February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  22. "Melissa VanFleet - Ode To The Dark (Official Trailers) [Director's Cut]". youtube.com. October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  23. Cassatella, Giuseppe (May 28, 2019). "Genus Ordinis Dei, Melissa VanFleet guest vocalist nel nuovo singolo 'Nemesis'". metalhammer.it. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  24. "Genus Ordinis Dei - Nemesis (feat. Melissa VanFleet)". youtube.com. May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  25. "LACUNA COIL'S 'THE 119 SHOW' LANDS IN NYC". nextmosh.com. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  26. "Manhattan Beat". theaquarian.com. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  27. "Lacuna Coil - On The 119 Shows and Upcoming Tour". youtube.com. July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  28. "Metal Maven Podcast: The Power of Storytelling with Melissa VanFleet". rebeccabrayman.com. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
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