Tag: occult

  • Witchers Creed – Awakened from the Tomb

    Witchers Creed – Awakened from the Tomb

    Why yes, it’s another “occult stoner/doom” band with Witch in its name – and this one even includes Creed in its moniker! But hey, if you can get past the band name, let’s just say they can take you higher. ? The song “Witchers Creed” kicks off the album. “Black Sabbath” this is not, but…

  • Witchsorrow – Hexenhammer

    Witchsorrow – Hexenhammer

    Out of all the doom bands with “Witch” in their name, Witchsorrow is right up there with Witch Mountain in my books. Album number four from this U.K. power trio sees them continuing in the classic doom vein, with enough references to demons and devils to keep their “Occult Doom Club” membership active. And yet,…

  • High Priestess – self-titled

    High Priestess – self-titled

    Although there are some outstanding female-fronted doom outfits that don’t dabble in witchcraft and wizardry (Witch Mountain and Windhand being two excellent examples), most of the ones that do aren’t taking things any further than what Jex Thoth and Blood Ceremony were playing 10 years ago. But once in a while, a band such as…

  • Electric Wizard – Wizard Bloody Wizard

    Electric Wizard – Wizard Bloody Wizard

    Much like Lee Dorrian rallying against occult doom while simultaneously profiting from it with Rise Above Records, something about the pre-release press for this new Electric Wizard record has rubbed me the wrong way. It seems Jus Oborn has also jumped on the “modern metal is lame” bandwagon, hailing the new album as a “return…

  • Demon Eye – Prophecies and Lies

    Demon Eye – Prophecies and Lies

    Now, some of these occult doom rock bands that have come around lately ain’t no count, but Demon Eye… Demon Eye is pretty decent. I was a fan of their last album, Tempora Infernalia, which made its way onto my larger Top 25 list a couple years back, so a new record from this North…

  • The Second Coming of Heavy, Chapter III (BoneHawk/Kingnomad split)

    The Second Coming of Heavy, Chapter III (BoneHawk/Kingnomad split)

    In some ways, Ripple Music is sorta like a modern-day MeteorCity—a great little label bringing underground heavy music to the masses. Ripple also has its own series of split albums; of which this is the third installment. I haven’t heard of either of these bands, so I’m not expecting Lowrider/Nebula here, but if Ripple’s logo…

  • The Dark Side of the Big Easy – interview with Sean Yseult

    The Dark Side of the Big Easy – interview with Sean Yseult

    The Scott Edwards Gallery presents Sean Yseult – Soirée D’Evolution: Tableaux Vivants et Nature Morte April 16 to June 14 Let’s play a little game. I’ll describe a city and you tell me where it is. This city has secret societies, a penchant for debauchery and a general love for the the dark and occult. If you…

  • Season of the Witch: How The Occult Saved Rock and Roll by Peter Bebergal

    Season of the Witch: How The Occult Saved Rock and Roll by Peter Bebergal

    Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll is epic in every sense of the word. Author Peter Bebergal sees the influence of the occult in rock music from The Beatles to Black Sabbath and beyond. From Elvis to Led Zeppelin, he explains how the occult has not only provided fuel for rock music, but is an integral…

  • Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Most Wicked Man in the World

    Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Most Wicked Man in the World

    Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Most Wicked Man in the World Written by Gary Lachman Published by Tarcher/Penguin There can be few music fans that aren’t aware of the name Aleister Crowley. From The Beatles through to Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, Crowley (AKA The Beast 666) enjoys a bountiful afterlife. Much has been written about…

  • “Happy Valentine’s Day–I think we should see other psych bands!”

    Suffice to say, the dudes in Quest For Fire must have a wicked sense of humour. I mean, who breaks up the day after Valentine’s Day? Well, these Toronto heavy-psych stalwarts, apparently.