A Sweeping Curve of Sound

[This is a rough-draft excerpt from my forthcoming book concerning the history of modern Pagan and occult music. All work is copyright 2007 - 2008 Jason Pitzl-Waters, and is posted under a Creative Commons License.]

“In the beginning we were berated for being gothic two years too late, today we are applauded for being at the vanguard of World Music. Whoever you believe we have always endeavoured to remain true to our convictions, in the belief that our music would eventually find its audience on its own merits and not by way of slavishly pandering to the whims of an industry that continually lacks imagination and is subservient to formula and greed.” - Brendan Perry, Marrakesh, 1996

Perhaps one of the most important bands to discuss within this context is the band Dead Can Dance. The band, formed in 1981 by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, would evolve from a solidly goth/darkwave beginning to incorporate world music, ancient musics from the medieval and Renaissance periods, and stunning vocal work from both members. During their existence the band has influenced several bands, spawned tribute records, and has become a touchstone for music lovers from a variety of scenes, backgrounds, and faiths. While neither member has expressed any allegiance to modern Paganism (Lisa Gerrard from most accounts follows a sort of mystical Christianity, and Brendan Perry has never clearly stated a preference though he seems quite sympathetic to indigenous religion and classical philosophy), the band has been widely adopted as a “pagan band” and several bands influenced by DCD are forthright in their sympathies for pre/post-Christian religion.

This adoption as a “Pagan band” isn’t too hard to imagine. Several songs in the bands history invoke ancient paganism (”Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)”, “Summoning of the Muse”, “Song of the Sibyl”), the band has incorporated lyrics and themes from indigenous religions, and Lisa Gerrard’s unique form of singing (a type of language-less glossolalia) invites an emotional interpretation by the listener. This connection has grown only stronger as Pagan bands who cite DCD as an influence have emerged over the past fifteen years. These openly Pagan bands, along with a host of artists directly influenced by Dead Can Dance, formed a sort of spiritual music within the goth/darkwave subculture (which would in turn spill into the modern Pagan subculture).

“When someone says there is soul in the work, it means that through the music they have allowed themselves to unlock doors within their own unconscious, that through their confidence they have allowed themselves to surrender, so that they can look inside.” - Lisa Gerrard, Inside the Music

Most of the bands influenced by DCD would incorporate strong female vocals (who often incorporated elements of Gerrard’s unique singing style), world music or folk elements, and electronic or guitar-based effects to provide a modern edge to the music. Creating a sort of template (with different bands placing different emphasis’s on the core elements) for bands wishing to join into this new stylistic thread (which some people call “ethno-gothic”) within a nebulously larger “dark” subculture. Dead Can Dance and the bands that would emerge in their wake would garners an audience much wider than its humble goth roots. Fans could be found in world music circles, New Age enclaves, the chill-out rooms of dance clubs blasting electronic music, and in Hollywood where Gerrard’s siren-like singing has become a popular addition to blockbuster films.

There are several openly Pagan and occult-oriented bands who have been influenced by Dead Can Dance and adhere to the ethno-gothic formula, in fact so many have appeared since the 1990s that some have (wrongfully) assumed that most Pagan music is automatically “goth” (and vice-versa). This misapprehension evolved partially from the fact that many younger Pagans, Witches, and occultists preferred the more youth-oriented environments associated with these bands. In fact a sort of “dark” Pagan underground has sprung up in the wider modern Paganism community that rejects what they see as an increasingly shallow and one-sided religious culture that often doesn’t acknowledge the more unpleasant aspects of nature or the world around them.