Music World > Heavy Metal > St. Louis Metal Band Torchlight Parade Brings Fun to Funeral Themes

St. Louis Metal Band Torchlight Parade Brings Fun to Funeral Themes

by Patria

When Matt Engel was in third grade, he had three dreams for the future.

“I wanted to be a stuntman, a mortician, or a rock star,” he said.

Unlike most people, Matt has achieved two of these childhood goals.

Every Thursday, Matt, his brother Doug, his teenage nephew, and a friend gather at a castle in Lemay. The castle has turrets, a gate, and monster statues in every corner. There, they play music inspired by monsters and death.

This group is Torchlight Parade, a metal band from St. Louis. The band is known for its dark, horror-themed music. Matt and Doug Engel started Torchlight Parade in 2017. They are well-suited to write songs about death and horror because Doug drives a hearse and Matt is an embalmer.

Matt chose the band’s name after reading a phrase in mortuary school.
“I read that a torchlight parade is a funeral procession at night,” he said. “The name caught my attention and stuck with me.”

The band has had a busy year. In April, they signed a deal with Pavement Entertainment, a record label. Then, last Halloween, they released their third album, Children of the Night. The album pays tribute to classic monster and horror movies. Songs like “Haddonfield’s Revenge,” “Howl’n Wolf,” and “Frankenstein of Death” are inspired by Michael Myers, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein.

Their music is meant to be fun and lighthearted. It reflects their day jobs but also helps them escape from the sadness those jobs sometimes bring.

“You have to disconnect from that and leave it behind,” Matt said.

While Matt was still in school, he often came back to St. Louis to watch Doug and his other bands perform. Eventually, the two brothers formed Torchlight Parade together.

“At first, nothing much was happening,” Doug said. “But as life got busier, the band was always on our minds.”

By 2017, the band began playing gigs opening for well-known metal groups like Stryper and Quiet Riot.

“When you are on stage and look at your brother, you think, ‘We’re really doing this,’” Doug said. “We’re not just playing at a bar where people happen to be.”

Torchlight Parade remains a family project. Doug’s 16-year-old son, Sam Engel, plays bass, and their friend Gavin Martin plays drums. They joined in 2023. Both also play in another cover band called Aragon.

Playing in Torchlight Parade lets them create and perform their own music.

“You get to play your own songs,” Martin said. “That’s something to be proud of.”

Sam said he felt proud after arranging the music for “Morticians Never Cry,” a song on Children of the Night. This experience helped him learn how to write heavy metal, which is different from the grunge music he plays with Aragon.

“When the drums come in, you realize what heavy metal really is,” Sam said. “It’s not heavy metal without drums.”

The band also features keyboardist and vocalist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis. Over his long career, he has performed with Guns N’ Roses, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, and Carole King.

Doug said Andreadis was drawn to Torchlight Parade because of the band’s style, theatrical shows, and their connection to the funeral home business.

When performing, the band wears gothic costumes. They are joined on stage by characters like Frankenstein and Michael Myers. The stage includes props such as coffins and a large LED screen.

Although the band embraces this theatrical style, they want the music to be meaningful beyond the show. Their second album, Never Laugh when a Hearse Rolls By, is a concept album about a funeral. It includes the ballad “She’s Gone.” Doug once heard from a listener who was moved to tears by the song after losing his wife.

“That meant a lot to me,” Doug said.

The band’s latest album also addresses the reality of death. One song, “I’m Not Dead Yet,” is about blues guitarist and friend Walter Trout, who nearly died from liver failure.

“I imagined him struggling on his deathbed,” Matt said. “Hearing the story from him, with tears in his eyes, made a strong impression on me.”

Because of their professions, the Engel brothers see death in a unique way. While many fear death, they do not.

“For most people, death is something to run from,” Matt said. “For us, it’s something we face head-on.”

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