A Sweeping Curve of Sound

Play Louder reviews a recent concert by veteran Pagan goth-rockers Inkubus Sukkubus, and asks some essential questions.

Inkubus Sukkubus

“Finding them to be an unlikely but consistent pop-goth songwriting machine and completely and utterly stuck in a time warp of their own invention, I found there to be something incredibly endearing about Inkubus Sukkubus. How many songs can you write about Pan, the injustices of the Catholic church, and seasonal pagan festivals? Well, the answer, fortunately, is sh**loads…”

Despite being stuck in an “endearing time warp”, the band manages to win over the reviewer, not to mention their legions of loyal fans.

“…one can’t help but feel a tremendous attachment to them, and respect for them. They’re the rebellious aunt and uncle I never had. They’ve invented their own reality, and reached a modest number of people in a lot of places in a way that no other band could. From the big beardy old men to the leather-clad, off-the-rails cyber goth girls (both equally intimidating), there’s nobody not willing to raise their devil horns in salute and chant ‘Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna…’ till they’re hoarse.”

If that rousing endorsement has peaked your interest, you can download a variety of Inkubus Sukkubus songs at their SoundClick page. Maybe you too can be won over by the world’s most famous Pagan band.

Heathen Harvest’s new issue features an interview with darkwave band Hexperos, a band featured several times on my A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast.

“The world of dreams and the world of women. Each song of ‘The garden of the Hesperides’ is sung by one of these nymphs (who are inspiring muses for me) and the album talks about various women. For example the song entitled ‘Artemisia’ is dedicated to Artemisia Gentileschi, a great and mysterious female painter, who lived in the ‘600 and whose style belongs to Caravaggio school. ‘Nana’ is a song from the ‘Siete canciones populares Españolas’ by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, it is a sad ‘cante jondo’, a lullaby. Each song represents a different aspect of the feminine world, so it is for ‘Ave Maria’ by the baroque composer Giulio Caccini, for ‘The Magnificence of the Night’ whose lyric is an extract from the novel ‘Woman in love’ by D. H. Lawrence, for Hesperos. “

For my own review of Hexperos’ new album “The Garden of the Hesperides”, click here.