Magick And Musick, The influence of Ritual Magick in Popular Music Options

You've probably all cringed at the sight of some fundamentalist preacher or politician ranting (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blablabla.gif) about hidden satanic messages in albums by Judas Priest or Led Zeppelin (IMG:style_emoticons/default/diablo.gif) . No doubt cursing them for ruining perfectly good needles as they divine subliminal commands from the dark lord hidden in a cloud of distorted backwards speech. Despite the tedious accusations of those with far too much time on their hands, there has been a long occult connection with rock music stretching back to Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads. During the hey-day of classic rock both Mick Jagger and Jimmy Page were involved with some of Kenneth Anger's explicitly esoteric (oxymoron noted) film projects. Page also was a huge Crowley buff and purchased the house in which he attempted the Abramelin working. This trend has persisted into the present. Progressive metal super-group Tool have noted numerous occult influences on their website including Crowley, Kenneth Grant, and Austin Osman Spare. Likewise, their music is often littered with arcane references to alchemy, Enochiana, or some other such study. But the influence of magick exists in lesser known music like Gong, The Incredible String Band, and minimalist composer John Zorn. I'm personally fascinated by the unique ways each incorporate magick into their songs, be it the spacy-psychedelia of Gong, the folky nature-invocations of the String Band, or Zorn's Qabalistic compositions. I'd love to discuss these or any other music with some occult influence. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wandwizard.gif)

It does seem that Metal is the musical genre which has been most influenced by the occult - was the phrase Heavy Metal not also coined by William Burroughs to describe the sound of Hawkwind?

IMO, Punk is another genre connected with magick. I mean wasn't it originally a kind of situationist movement?

I also can't help but see a connection between early 20th century art movements like Cubism and Surreallism with William Burroughs and the cut-up process & early psychedelic bands Gong, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Amon Duul, Tangerine Dream, Can, Faust, etc. To me at least, all where interested in altering perspective by creating an experience which re-assembled the fragments of reality(like a collage) in a new way to try and make people aware of control, to wake people up form the hypnosis induced by language.

Many punks who formed bands at the end of the seventies where heavily into psychedlia, kraut rock, etc. but were also influenced by the more direct, everyman, rootsy qualities of reggae. Where psychedelia was concerned with freeing the mind(and hopefully everything else will naturally follow), reggae music was filled with much more immediacy and was more concerned about direct action. As a result, I see punk as being the synthesis of freethhinking and experimentation, with the real desire for action and the will to manifest change. Crowley described magick as "Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will" so I therefore think that to study and get involved in any of these or similair artistic movements is invaluable for anyone interested in practical magick or self-aktualization.

If we could file musical genres into the Tree of Life (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hmm.gif) I think psychedelia could be Da'ath? and reggae is Tiphareth, punk rock is Yesod, and metal is Malkuth- just my own silly speculation, anyone is welcome to make there own. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)


As for ritual magick, a Sunn O))) gig would provide great conditions for an evocation (IMG:style_emoticons/default/evil2.gif) . check them out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtnG6EHh1N4

This post has been edited by wolf man: Apr 3 2007, 08:47 AM

It does seem that Metal is the musical genre which has been most influenced by the occult - was the phrase Heavy Metal not also coined by William Burroughs to describe the sound of Hawkwind?

IMO, Punk is another genre connected with magick. I mean wasn't it originally a kind of situationist movement?

I also can't help but see a connection between early 20th century art movements like Cubism and Surreallism with William Burroughs and the cut-up process & early psychedelic bands Gong, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Amon Duul, Tangerine Dream, Can, Faust, etc. To me at least, all where interested in altering perspective by creating an experience which re-assembled the fragments of reality(like a collage) in a new way to try and make people aware of control, to wake people up form the hypnosis induced by language.

Many punks who formed bands at the end of the seventies where heavily into psychedlia, kraut rock, etc. but were also influenced by the more direct, everyman, rootsy qualities of reggae. Where psychedelia was concerned with freeing the mind(and hopefully everything else will naturally follow), reggae music was filled with much more immediacy and was more concerned about direct action. As a result, I see punk as being the synthesis of freethhinking and experimentation, with the real desire for action and the will to manifest change. Crowley described magick as "Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will" so I therefore think that to study and get involved in any of these or similair artistic movements is invaluable for anyone interested in practical magick or self-aktualization.

If we could file musical genres into the Tree of Life (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hmm.gif) I think psychedelia could be Da'ath? and reggae is Tiphareth, punk rock is Yesod, and metal is Malkuth- just my own silly speculation, anyone is welcome to make there own. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
As for ritual magick, a Sunn O))) gig would provide great conditions for an evocation (IMG:style_emoticons/default/evil2.gif) . check them out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtnG6EHh1N4

I think that the work of Genesis P-Orridge would be a good example of someone who's work would fit into those categories, with Throbbing Gristle leaning more towards a Burroughsian cut-up punk approach and Psychic T.V. being more psychedelic and oriented towards perceptual reorganization. I like the associating Psychedelic rock with Daath, but have a little more trobule with the other categorizations. My perssonal schema would put metal and punk at Geburah and Reggae at Malkuth, but to each their own.

P.S. Fucking aye kraut rock. Do you also listen to Guru-Guru, Acid Mothers Temple, and/or Brainticket? My good friend introduced me to all that wonderful Deutches Musicke.