Voltaire's music has strong roots and connections to European
folk as well as other influences such as the
goth scene. His music has also been linked to
cabaret, with
Lexicon Magazine using the term "goth cabaret", possibly referring to
dark cabaret, a term often used to describe some bands Voltaire cites as his influences. Voltaire has also been linked to the
steampunk scene with Victorian-era horror related subjects, and some of his visual and music styling, and in recent years he has become a favorite at major steampunk conventions such as the
Steampunk World's Fair.
New wave has also been used to describe Voltaire's music by some reviewers. Voltaire describes his own music as "Music for a parallel universe where electricity was never invented and Morrissey is the queen of England". He says that bands and artists who influenced his music are
Rasputina,
Morrissey,
Tom Waits,
Cab Calloway and
Danny Elfman. The first band that Voltaire played in (during junior high school) was called "First Degree". At this age, he was a fan of
Duran Duran, but then began listening to gothic music, most notably bands such as
Bauhaus and
The Cure. It was not until later that he began participating in the goth scene; it did not at first occur to him that there was a goth scene at all. As an avid fan of
Star Trek, Aurelio Voltaire frequently attends science fiction conventions, and released a four track
EP called
Banned on Vulcan. It was a set of comedy recordings poking fun at characters from the show. Voltaire performed a musical special for Artix Entertainment in their MMO game
AdventureQuest Worlds, altering some of his songs in
To the Bottom of the Sea to suit their standards. Over 32,000 players attended. It was released at 8:00 pm on Friday the Thirteenth of March 2009. On September 2, 2011, Voltaire released his eighth studio album:
Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children. Participating musicians include
Rasputina frontwoman
Melora Creager on cellos,
Brian Viglione on drums, former
Bauhaus bassist
David J on bass and
Franz Nicolay on accordion. On September 2, 2012, Voltaire released his ninth studio album,
BiTrektual. It contains songs parodying
Star Trek,
Star Wars and
Doctor Who, and featured guest appearances by
Jason C. Miller,
Tim Russ,
Garrett Wang and
Robert Picardo. In 2014, his tenth album,
Raised by Bats, was released. Contrasting with the dark cabaret instrumentation of most of his album,
Raised by Bats is more
death rock—and
gothic rock-inflected, and it counted with guest appearances by
Ray Toro of
My Chemical Romance,
Craig Adams of
The Mission,
Julia Marcell and much more. 2022's
The Black Labyrinth marked yet another musical departure, veering into a more
David Bowie-inspired direction. It not only served as a tribute to the late singer, but also acted as a spiritual sequel to
Labyrinth, with a plotline spread throughout its twenty songs. Many musicians who had worked with Bowie throughout his various eras also worked on the album.
Band members Although often credited and pictured as a soloist, but does not feature on his live album,
Live!. The current lineup is: • Vocals/Guitar: Aurelio Voltaire • Violin: Hannah Thiem • Violin: Maxim Moston • Violin: Ben Lively • Cello: Melora Creager • Drums: Brian Viglione • Bass: David J • Horns: The Red Hook Ramblers • Accordion: Franz Nicolay • Banjo: Smith Curry • Tuba: Joe Tuba ==Television==