Ritual Productions expands its roster with the signing of Drug Cult, a four-piece occultist doom collective whose debut self-titled rite beckons to see light of day.
Formed at the edge of Mt. Jerusalem in the hills of Mullumbimby, Australia, Drug Cult is the alchemic workings of guitarist Vin Steele (ex. Wolfmother, Megaritual, Sun Of Man), vocalist Aasha Tozer, drummer Dale Walker (Megaritual, Sun Of Man) and bassist Maggie Schreiber.
The catalyst of the cult is the bands history of art, punk rock, hardcore, doom, psych and metal influences which instinctively fused together; forming a channel of cohesive vibration. Their elemental craft has been brewing since April 2015 when the four close friends gathered on a Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse for a “Megaritual” ceremony, shaping the vision of a heavy celestial voyage through atmospheric sound connection.
Drug Cult reveals: The void opened, energies entwined and the transcendental experience set a tone for our future four piece. With the mission set to find the next ritual site we ventured together in search of visceral elevation. Surrounded by nature and crushing amplification we awakened the serpent.
The result is a 9-track vortex of majestic heaviness laced with an evocative psychedelic haze, whereby classic melodies meld with fuzz-drenched riffs cultivating an enticing potion of technicolour wickedness. Although a grooving heavyweight tone drives throughout the rite, a darkened presence is forever evident, hexing you into Drug Cult’s realm.
Check out the first dose of Drug Cult’s craft, with the three-minute song ‘Mind Crypt’. A distinctly alluring track, with dense tones of doom providing a mesmeric undercurrent to spellbinding echoes that hypnotise throughout. Jack Bailey directed the accompanying video (www.jackbailey.com.au), commenting “I have always felt an uncommon affinity with places dark, ancient and unbroken. I find solace in empty landscapes, void of human interference… the company of the wild is far more affable than that of modern man.” Bailey’s ethos perfectly parallels the vast elemental darkness that encapsulates Drug Cult’s sound with the visuals for ‘Mind Crypt’ presenting nature in its most raw, rugged and foreboding form.
The band’s first offering was recorded live at Rocking Horse Studios, Byron Bay during December 2016, with George Carpenter at the recording and production helm and mastered by Brian Lucey of Magic Garden Mastering.
The S/T rite, with the Ritual Productions imprint, is set to be released Spring 2018. Stay alert for updates on the stirrings of the cult.
