Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 were an American goth rock band formed in New Jersey around 1984, operating in the New York/New Jersey underground at a time when the term “goth” was still being defined. The name came from Ray Bradbury’s famous novel, and their sound pulled together elements of The Doors, the Stranglers and Bauhaus, with dark guitar work, prominent keyboards, bass-driven rhythms and Athan Maroulis’ theatrical vocals. They developed a small but dedicated following around the Northeastern U.S. and played regularly in clubs around New York and New Jersey. The group’s principal line-up featured vocalist Athan Maroulis, guitarist Shelly Stewart, bassist Pete Lisa, keyboardist and percussionist Nick Ferro, and drummer Ed Enzyme. 

Athan Maroulis was only nineteen when he joined Fahrenheit 451. Born in Brooklyn in 1964, he quickly became the focal point of the group, with a vocal style drawing on Peter Murphy and Jim Morrison. Fahrenheit 451 played a string of New York-area venues including CBGB, The Dive, The World, The Dirt Club, the Lismar Lounge and the Loop Lounge. They also shared bills with groups such as Of A Mesh and The Brain Eaters, while larger support slots included shows with Gene Loves Jezebel, Specimen and the Ramones. The Ramones appearance became particularly memorable for the wrong reasons, as some members of the audience responded to the goth set by throwing beer cans at the stage.

 
Their only release during the original run was the 'House Of Morals' EP, issued on vinyl in 1986. The four-track record contained “House of Morals,” “Strangers on a Train,” “Cathedral in Ice” and “Passions,” with the songs combining angular art-rock guitar, funky bass, Stranglers-style keyboards and percussion with a distinctly gothic atmosphere. The band had also recorded further material under the title 'A Fire in the Garden', but those recordings remained unreleased for years. 

Fahrenheit 451 split in 1987 after roughly three years. The members subsequently scattered into different projects. Ed Enzyme went on to play with U.S. Chaos and later the Undead, Pete Lisa became associated with Cycle Sluts From Hell, and Shelly Stewart joined Lucifer Scale. Maroulis moved to Philadelphia and became the vocalist of Executive Slacks, remaining there from 1987 until 1991. He subsequently worked with Tubalcain before becoming closely associated with the industrial/darkwave group Spahn Ranch. 

Maroulis’ later career took him considerably further from the narrow confines of early goth. He became involved with industrial, darkwave and alternative projects, while also exploring jazz and traditional pop through Blue Dahlia. He later fronted NØIR, and his career has included work with Black Tape for a Blue Girl as well as numerous recording, production and reissue projects. His connection with Fahrenheit 451 remained part of his musical history, and he has continued to revisit the group’s material. 

There was a brief Fahrenheit 451 revival in 1996, when Maroulis and Stewart returned to the studio and recorded versions of Bauhaus’ “The Three Shadows” and The Mission’s “Wasteland”. These recordings eventually appeared alongside the earlier material on Cleopatra’s 'The Gothic Years & After', issued in 2000. The compilation brought together much of the group’s 1984–87 material, the 1996 recordings and additional tracks, finally making a substantial portion of Fahrenheit 451’s catalogue available on CD.

The original 'House Of Morals' recordings have also continued to circulate through later reissues. A 30th Anniversary Edition appeared in 2016, remastering the four original EP tracks and adding the group’s 1985 recording of “Strangers on a Train”. The release also preserves some of the atmosphere surrounding the band’s early days, when Fahrenheit 451 were rehearsing in a meat locker and moving through the small but active New York/New Jersey dark-music circuit.