The Fateful

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The Fateful are a glam metal band with a heavy death rock influence popular in the Gothic subculture. Holding themselves as role models for their primarily female teen and young adult fans, the members encourage activism and tolerance.

The three members are:

Antera-Na - vocals and bass

Ella Melville - electric harp and theremin

Nch Tan - percussion and theremin

Performance:

Early Years:

Antera-Na and Tan were regulars at a café where Melville worked. The three got along well and sometimes went out together, to movies and concerts. At one such outing, Melville countered a derogatory remark by Tan about her tentacles by telling him that she could out-play him on the harp any day, since his claws would just snip the strings. Tan suggested they play against each other on the theremin, an instrument he was familiar with and that Melville would be well adapted to. The resulting jam--which Antera-Na joined in, surprising herself with her aural synthesizer's abilities--was the beginning of the band.

Failure:

After a moderately successful few years playing local clubs, The Fateful were offered a one-album deal by a recording company willing to take a risk on such an experimental group. Unfortunately the first, self-titled album, The Fateful, was received poorly and the band faded from the public eye. Part of the original disinterest and later cult interest in this album was the yet-unfamiliar use of a Giln's (Antera-Na's) aural synthesizer in place of a traditional vocalist. The range of sound achievable did not balance the lack of a recognizable voice for many. Over the following years, the album worked its way into the club scene. The renewal of interest in the band gave the members reason to return to touring, nearly a decade after their first release.

Rise to Popularity:

Having built a following during their tour, The Fateful released their second album, Fateful Stare, which was calculatedly lighter in tone. In the years between albums, popular interest had shifted and grown enough to not only accept their work, but embrace it. Teens and young adults were the leaders in cementing The Fateful's fame, being unfamiliar with the disaster of their first release and more open to new styles.

Modern Fame:

With a strong and faithful audience, the band continued touring and producing albums and singles. Only two years after Fateful Stare, Cataclysmic was released, a far cry from the gap between their first and second albums. Dealing with darker issues and a heavier sound, the album highlighted their public stance on tolerance. With it, The Fateful began supporting information campaigns and acting as spokesmen for various activist groups.

With their new release, Insignificance Lost, The Fateful are settling into place as a mature, popular band that want to do more with their fame than earn money.

Discography:

Activism Against Xenophobia

Strong believers in tolerance, The Fateful strive to be role models for "the children of the System, who must live and learn together." This is no hypocrisy, as two of the members, Melville and Tan, are descendants of those involved in the Colcus-Tchg hostilities. Their friendship, even beyond their working relationship, is a triumph over generations-strong prejudice.

As mentioned before, Antera-Na's style of vocals nearly sank the band's first album. In a society where natural vocalization is preferred--or, in its place, signs--the Giln and their aural synthesisers are a harsh interruption. Antera-Na overcame this chauvinism by showcasing the device's wide array of abilities. Mimicking, 'singing' in chords, 'singing' one's own back-up, and even the relatively simple imitation of the wah-wah were at Antera-Na's command.