While I generally keep my music podcast A Darker Shade of Pagan from getting entangled in the daily workings of The Wild Hunt, every once in awhile I like to alert my readership of some great Pagan and Pagan-friendly music that I come across. Since I just posted my ADSOP top ten of 2011 show, I thought I would share what I thought were some of the best albums that speak to the Pagan soul from the past year. Consider it a gift-giving guide to the Pagan in your life looking for something different in the way of “Pagan music”.

ADSOP’s Top Ten Albums of 2011:

10. Metal Mother - “Bonfire Diaries” [Purchase]

A project of Bay Area singer-songwriter Tara Tati, Metal Mother is a winsome mix of ethereal textures and tribal art-pop that do a great showcasing Tati’s expressive vocal style. Tati, a “student of many esoteric traditions,” sings about connection with the earth, politics, relationships, and freedom in way that evokes that California spiritual ethos she has emerged from. Check out the (somewhat NSFW) video for her song “Shake” (which she also directed) to get a feel for the sound, aesthetic, and vision of this intriguing new artist.

09. The Moon and The Nightspirit - “Mohalepte” [Purchase]

At this point in their career Hungarian Pagan folk band The Moon and The Nightspirit have reached a point of maturity and confidence in their output that almost guarantees a solid album of new songs on every new album. They make their unique mixture of ethnic folk and neoclassical darkwave sound almost effortless. The vocals of Agnes are as strong as ever, and I’ve even come to appreciate the metal-growl accents of her partner Mihaly. One of the very best explicitly Pagan bands operating today.Check out this live video of them playing at Germany’s Wave Gotik Treffen to get a taste of what you’re missing if you haven’t already jumped on this bandwagon.

08. Arborea - “Red Planet” [Purchase]

For those who are looking for a fantastic hybrid of archaic British folk styles, American twists on the form, both old and new, and ghostly atmosphere, you simply can’t go wrong with Arborea. Their latest album, “Red Planet,” is their most developed, and I hate to use this term, but, mature-sounding release yet. Shanti Curran’s vocals are like taking a walk in a fog-laden forest, and the duo’s interpretation of songs like “Black is the Colour” or Tim Buckley’s “Phantasmagoria in Two” are remade into narcotic anthems, psychedelic folk that is more natural entheogen than artificial lysergic acid diethylamide. This is music to watch trees grow to, though they can be short and sweet, like on the single “Careless Love.”

07. Seventh Harmonic - “Garden of Dilmun” [Purchase]

Do you like Dead Can Dance? Do you like thematic explorations of “the muses, the wheel of the year, and the seasons of the heart”? Then you’ll love Seventh Harmonic’s new album “Garden of Dilmun.” After nearly a decade away, composer Caroline Jago’s band returns with an immensely strong album that features a new lead vocalist in soprano Ann-Mari Thim of Arcana, and weaves in and out of tribal, martial, and ethereal styles creating a dynamic and engaging trip through the Pagan ritual year. This is ritual music of a different and unique sort.

06. Faun - “Eden” [Purchase]

German Pagan folk act Faun’s new full-length “Eden,” is the follow-up to 2009’s “Buch der Balladen.” Unlike that album of largely sedate, well, ballads, “Eden” follows more in the footsteps of 2007’s “Totem” or 2005’s “Renaissance,” the album that helped introduce them to the United States. For those of us in the states who were lucky enough to catch them live at Faerieworlds, you’ll find much of the energy and charm in this new work that won over so many new fans. “Eden” features a guest performances from the Mediaeval Baebes, and they honor their recent experiences with the Faerieworlds crew by including contributions from storyteller Mark Lewis and illustrator Brian Froud. This album feels like something of a capstone on their previous accomplishments, and I look forward to what shape the band will take on their next album.

05. Julianna Barwick - “The Magic Place” [Purchase]

Julianna Barwick is a celestial choir of one, the “indie rock Enya,” as some would put it. The layers and loops of her voice creating a feeling of otherworldliness, of sacred song, while never specifically tying herself to any one interpretation of what context that transcendent  experience should happen in (according to Barwick, the “magic place” the title refers to is “a tree on our farm” ). This could be called New Age music if that genre had retained some bite, some hint of darkness in its heavenly synth washes and choirs of ascended masters. The site Tiny Mix Tapes calls Barwick’s style of music “holy ambient,” and that seems to get to the heart of this captivating sound. Truly singular.

04. Bjork - “Biophilia” [Purchase]

I have no idea what I could possibly say about Bjork that hasn’t been said already. Her identity as an artist, as an innovator, as an activist, has long since been secured. So let me just say that “Biophilia” is a truly ambitious work that stretches the idea of the “album” in new directions, and to new heights. But leaving aside the interactive applications and the ornate choral concerts, the music itself finds Bjork exploring the natural world and the mysteries and wonder of our universe. This is Bjork gone cosmic, an observer to the very birth of existence itself. I have no idea where she could go from here, but I’m sure she’s already working on it, and that it’ll be brilliant.

03. The Machine in The Garden - “Before and After the Storm” [Purchase]

American Darkwave duo The Machine in the Garden, while not a Pagan band, use myth and mysticism as a lyrical anchor throughout their new album “Before and After the Storm,” their first in six years. According to singer Summer Bowman she “looked to mythology and mysticism when I was writing the lyrics for these songs. I wanted to think about other cultures and their origin stories as a mirror of returning to many of our musical roots with this work.” Songs like: “Cimmerian,” “In the Vanir,” or “Power and Prophesy” drip with allusions to an ancient folkloric past while marrying them to their dark modern sound. A truly excellent release, buy an immensely talented band.

02. Atrium Animae – “Dies Irae” [Purchase]

The Italian band Atrium Animae was formed in 2007, their name is “considered as a symbolic representation of the passage from physical world toward an immaterial world.” The heavenly soprano of Alessia Cicala, a member of the band Chirleison, partnered with the compositions of Massimiliano Picconi, together create music on their debut “Dies Irae” that is stately in its atmosphere, a sacred enveloping that is almost funerial in outlook. Or as the band’s promotional material puts it: “A symbolic voyage in a silent wasteland made of treachery, defeat and spiritual hunger. A world where the locked embrace of loss and despair are represented through a reinterpretation of passages taken from religious and pagan texts.” Sublime, and an excellent addition to the genre of neoclassical darkwave.

01. Soriah with Ashkelon Sain – “Eztica” [Purchase]

Soriah with Ashkelon Sain, a duo whose album “Atlan” made my A Darker Shade of Pagan top-ten for 2009, returns in 2011 with “Eztica.” Described as “a neo-tribal, mystically ethereal, paranormally enrapturing musical experience” this mix of throat singing (what Soriah calls “an offering to nature in her own tongue”), atmospherics, and ritual, is truly captivating. While something of a companion to “Atlan,”  I think “Eztica” is the stronger album, one that sees more complex arrangements, and a sound that can be driving as well as atmospheric. This is a shamanistic ritual art experience, one that documents Soriah’s explorations into his own ethnicity and heritage, amplified by the amazing soundscapes of former Trance to the Sun guitarist Ashkelon Sain. This is the kind of musical spiritual journey that most others simply aspire to.

You can download my latest podcast, featuring songs from all these albums, here. I hope you’ll explore these releases, and perhaps find some new music to love. As always, apologies to all the other artists who released great albums this year, I only have room for ten.

While I generally keep my music podcast A Darker Shade of Pagan from getting entangled in the daily workings of The Wild Hunt, every once in awhile I like to alert my readership of some great Pagan and Pagan-friendly music that I come across. Since I just posted my ADSOP top ten of 2010 show, I thought I would share what I thought were some of the best albums that speak to the Pagan soul from the past year. Consider it a gift-giving guide to the Pagan in your life dissatisfied by what usually passes for “Pagan music”.

ADSOP’s Top Ten Albums of 2010

10. Various Artists – “We Are All One in the Sun: Tribute to Robbie Basho” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

A tribute to the seminal composer and guitarist Robbie Basho, this collection gathers several modern-day psych-folk (and folk-folk) luminaries to interpret his work, including Arborea, Fern Knight, and Meg Baird. While none of the artists may approach Basho’s mastery of the guitar, they do succeed in channeling his expansive and esoteric spirit. Highlights include Arborea’s haunting cover of “Blue Crystal Fire”, Fern Knight’s rendition of “Song For the Queen”, and Helena Espvall’s take on “Travessa Do Cabral”. A worthy collection that serves as a nice introduction to Basho’s work and the contributing artists.

09. Woodland - “Seasons In Elfland: Shadows” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

An American contemporary of such Europeans artists as Faun (who contributed to this album) and Omnia, Woodland seems to have reached a new level of maturity and consistency with this latest release. While their debut release, “Twilight”, never really resonated with me, “Shadows” proved that I had missed something the first time around. Both childlike and dark, the band takes a trip though the Unseelie and its darker mysteries, buoyed by the almost-whispered secret-spilling vocals of Kelly Miller-Lopez. A well known commodity within the Faerie subculture, Woodland is a band ready to break out to a larger audience.

08. Dyonisis – “Intoxicated” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

This ethereal-rock band returns after three years with the surprisingly strong “Intoxicated”. Weaving layered, almost choral, vocals, and tackling subjects that are both mythic and personal, Dyonisis manages to breath new life into the genre. The pinnacle of the album may be the 7-plus minute long “Eve’s Song”, a roaring epic defense of the first woman who “wants to know things”. A statement of reclaiming power, choice, and sexuality from a patriarchal world. Other stand-outs include “We Are”, “Arachne’s Song”, and “Lunatic”. Truly a band that deserves more exposure outside the goth/darkwave underground.

07. Noblesse Oblige – “Malady” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

How can you not enjoy an occult concept album that takes it cues from Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Anger, and Christina “Goblin Market” Rossetti? Using tarot, ghost stories, and Vodou as signposts along the way, Noblesse Oblige mixes world music, folk, and electronics to create a sinfully appealing sound. Something of a left-field release for the usually EBM/Industrial-heavy Metropolis Records, “Malady” is fascinating album that rewards serious listening, but works just as well as backdrop to whatever decadence you have planned. Check out their video for “The Great Electrifier” for a taste of the sound and aesthetic.

06. Sharron Kraus – “The Woody Nightshade” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

Sharrond Kraus’ grabbed the top spot in 2008 with her masterful album “The Fox’s Wedding”, and returns in 2010 with “The Woody Nightshade”, an album that is just as intimate and personal but almost stripped of the mythic overtones of her previous work. Not to say it isn’t there at all, as songs like “Evergreen Sisters” and “The Woody Nightshade” prove, but this seems like an album born of love’s endings, a theme that repeats throughout. The sound is almost stripped bare, emphasizing sounds of fingers on guitar-strings and a lone lamenting voice. This is a record that wants to convey the singer sitting in the room with you, playing her heart out.

05. Íon – “Immaculada” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

A album for mystics that mixes the sounds of Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, “Immaculada” soars between folk and haunting darkwave soundscapes with ease. Masterminded by Duncan Patterson (Anathema, Antimatter), and featuring an array of heavenly guest vocals, it truly encapsulates a spiritual journey. Starting with an (immaculate?) conception, traveling through love and loss, and ending with a “Return to Spirit”. This is an album that grows more complex and enriching as you listen to it. Romance, loss, religion, spirituality, it’s all there, wrapped into this package.

04. Brendan Perry – “Ark” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

We’ve waited over a decade, but we finally have a new Brendan Perry solo album, and I’m pleased to say it’s as strong and captivating as anything he’s ever done. Half of the hugely influential Dead Can Dance, Perry has been the quieter member of late, with former partner Lisa Gerrard releasing several soundtracks and solo albums in the past ten years. On “Ark”, Perry makes up for lost time, temporarily casting aside his preferred folk instrumentation to work with electronic backings, hearkening at times back to Dead Can Dance’s very early goth-inflected work. But this is no nostalgia trip, “Ark” is very current, dealing with war, the Middle East, and the environment, while also touching on personal themes. With so many following in his footsteps, it’s good to have the originator back amongst us once more.

03. Rajna – “Offering” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

For those of you who like Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard’s solo work, but miss the dynamic energy and interplay of Dead Can Dance, Rajna may be the closest you’ll ever get to a sonic reunion. Inspired by the band, this French duo have released what I consider their strongest album yet. “Offering” has a strong focus on the Mediterranean and is, in the words of the band, “an experience in time, back to hidden and forgotten worlds of the Antique, like a pathway to Eleusis and its sacred temples and mysteries.” I must have listened to the album at least a hundred times since receiving it and I still find myself surprised and drawn in by some sound or nuance I missed before. Essential for any DCD fan.

02. Fern Knight – “Castings” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

I’ve been a fan of Fern Knight for years, so I was truly excited to hear that there was a new album on the way, and that the album was going to be a concept record focusing on the tarot. Traveling from “Zero to Infinity”, the band’s pleasing mixture of psych-folk and progressive-rock sounds are a perfect vehicle for the “well-worn archetypes” they encounter on their sonic journey. Fern Knight shows how to take elements and themes that could drag down a lesser band into pretentiousness and instead provide us something enthralling. One of the best albums to explore the occult made in recent memory. Check out their video for “The Poisoner” for a taste.

01. Pandemonaeon – “Dangerous Beauty” [Purchase: CD, MP3]

If one band that operated within a modern Pagan context stood out among all the others this year, it would have to be Pandemonaeon. There is a tendency within our communities to judge our bands and artists lightly, graded on a curve created from our desire for music and art created “for us”. Thankfully there is no need to do that here, not only is “Dangerous Beauty” a great “Pagan” album, it’s a great album period. A powerful melding of metal, folk, goth, and Pagan-fueled chant Pandemonaeon successfully raise the bar for “Pagan music” with a collection of songs that truly rock, truly move you. There were many talented Pagan artists who released albums this year, but only Pandemonaeon managed to stretch the boundaries and create something lasting. Please read my interview with Sharon Knight of Pandemonaeon for more insight into “Dangerous Beauty” and this band.

You can download my latest podcast, featuring songs from all these albums, here. I hope you’ll explore these releases, and perhaps find some new music to love. As always, apologies to all the other artists who released great albums this year, I only have room for ten.

As long-time readers of The Wild Hunt know, I’m a lover of music. In years past I’ve been a radio DJ, a club DJ, a concert promoter, and music columnist. I keep my hand in by hosting a weekly streaming radio show and podcast called A Darker Shade of Pagan. For years I’ve been focused on discovering great new music that appeals to my personal Pagan sensibility, but I’ve noticed that this task is becoming more difficult. While there is more great Pagan and Pagan-friendly music than ever before, the venues in which we can discover this music, or to simply keep track of the artists we like, have shrunk.

This trend started in 2008 when the Pagan-friendly music services Woven Wheat Whispers and Dancing Ferret/Noir Records both closed down. Suddenly, a key importer of great European music, and a clearinghouse for esoteric and “wyrd” folk were gone. Then in June of this year long-running Pagan music distributor Serpentine Music announced it was shutting down its service, citing a changing music industry and a lack of fiscal incentive to stay open. Finally, in July of this year I reported that three music news services, all of which covered Pagan and Pagan-friendly music, Gothtronic, Judas Kiss, and Heathen Harvest,  were closing down. Suddenly, it seemed like Pagan music coverage was going to be severely restricted, or limited to print magazines like Witches & Pagans, which while certainly worthy, they could hardly be expected to be a major resource in this ever-changing and expanding environment. Not without sacrificing coverage elsewhere. So several music lovers in our community put our heads together and I’m happy to announce the launch of “The Movement of Sound”.

A joint venture of the Pagan Newswire Collective and the Pagan Portal at Patheos.com, The Movement of Sound is music news from a Pagan perspective. What do we mean by that? It means coverage, reviews, and interviews of musicians, bands, and events that appeal to the creativity and sensibilities of the interlocking Pagan communities. We’ll cover explicitly Pagan artists, but will also acknowledge the many projects and bands who don’t consider themselves Pagan, but draw a significant Pagan audience. It will be information-focused with updates of tour information, new, and upcoming releases. In addition we’ll highlight playlists from Pagan radio shows and podcasts to see what’s on their radar, and keep you up-to-date with one handy resource.

The Movement of Sound will be participatory with the music scenes we cover. Key labels, distributors, and musicians will be offered posting access so they can directly update their fans, and we encourage other Pagan or music resource sites to embed our feed (with attribution) to keep their audiences informed. As you can see by heading to paganmusic.info we already have updates on several new releases, and have a write-up of StrowlerFest by musician and participant Sharon Knight.

“StrowlerFest was similar to a few of our convention-style Clan gatherings out here in California – namely the Pagan themed PantheaCon and sci-fi themed BayCon, except that StrowlerFest featured music as the prominent element. Care was taken to choose a good venue for experiencing a musical concert, and an excellent sound system and skilled technicians were in place to give participants the best experience of the featured music. As a Pagan musician, this was a welcome turn of priorities for me. Whereas PantheaCon gives us the opportunity to come together and explore our spiritual identity, StrowlerCon gives us a way to build our culture. This has been something I have been ready for for some time.”

We are still building our (hopefully) large team of contributors and editors, so if you have a passion for Pagan music, no matter what the genre or style, drop me a line. This also goes for Pagan musicians and label-runners, we need your news! I’m hoping this will not only turn into a good resource, but will also act as a promotional hub for music that appeals to our diverse and interlocking communities. As we grow, and as Pagan musicians start to organize bigger and bigger events, the need for a site that keeps people informed is more important than ever. So join us at paganmusic.info, or become a fan at Facebook.

While there are an increasingly large number of Pagan artists and musicians performing and releasing albums today, works that are consistently excellent and engaging, that transcend the preconceived notions of what “Pagan music” is, are still frustratingly rare. When I was just beginning the journey towards what would become A Darker Shade of Pagan, one of the few bands that really stood out for me were Pandemonaeon. They had just released their debut self-titled album in 2001, and I remember being thrilled at the sound of songs like “Black Snake”, which merged a post-Dead Can Dance aesthetic with a slinky goth-rock atmosphere. Better still, at least from my perspective at the time, they were openly Pagan. As to why that particularly thrilled me, you’ll have to remember that there wasn’t a whole lot of sonic diversity in the music marketed to Pagans back then. Folk (and filk) singing Pagan troubadours and trobairitz still dominated the scene, with only an occasional Inkubus Sukkubus to liven things up.

Shortly after their promising debut, Pandemonaeon seemed to disappear. There was a live album in 2003, but after that the band went into a long hibernation, with lead singer Sharon Knight going on to release a second solo album, and collaborate with T. Thorn Coyle on two well-received albums of Pagan chants. In the interim, the music industry, and the boundaries of what is “Pagan” music have changed, sometimes radically. In this climate, Pandemonaeon finally returns this month with their second album “Dangerous Beauty”, sporting a more assured, powerful, and at times metal-tinged sound. It marks not so much a come-back for the band as it does a whole new beginning. Not only is “Dangerous Beauty” a great “Pagan” album, it’s a great album period. I was lucky enough to recently interview Sharon Knight about Pandemonaeon, their new album, being a Pagan musician, and making it as a musician in today’s world.

Winter & Sharon of Pandemonaeon

You were working as a musician, and had released a solo album, “Incantation”, before the first Pandemonaeon album came out in 2001. Up to that point your sound was more rooted in Celtic Folk, what made you decide to explore the somewhat darker sonic territory of this project?

Incantation came about as a direct expression of my introduction to Paganism, and I was very interested in exploring my Celtic roots at that time. By the time Winter and I recorded the first Pandemonaeon album I had been captivated by belly dance and was listening to a lot of Middle Eastern music. We also had fallen in love with Dead Can Dance’s music and found ourselves musing on how powerful it would be to mix that type of dark ethereal sound with hard rock. The Underworld has always been a rich source of inspiration for us, so it was inevitable that our music would find a darker expression.

Could you quickly explain the name? Why “Pan” “Demon” “Aeon”? Also, how did the members for the band come together? Was it an organic process, or was there a certain drive to form a band?

Pandemonaeon is a term coined by Chaos magician Peter Carroll. He describes the Pandemonaeon as a new aeon of magickal thinking, and Chaos magic itself offers up the idea that it isn’t our beliefs that are true, but the act of believing that makes magic work. Although I don’t see this as the whole picture, this was a powerful idea to us at the time of choosing a band name. We were happy to lend our art to a vision of a world wherein magick users devote their practices to consciously shaping their lives rather than falling into dogmatic habits. 10 years later this still rings true enough that the name feels honest.

There was definitely a drive to form a band, and it hasn’t been a particularly organic process. We’ve gone through a lot of band members looking for the right people! I am extremely happy with our current lineup, however.

It’s been no big secret that you’re a Pagan, and you’ve produced ritual chants and songs with T. Thorn Coyle, a good friend of yours. Do you feel like most of your fans are Pagans? How do you feel about the Pagan label when it comes to the music you make and the albums you release?

It does seem that most, if not all, of our fans are Pagans. That is certainly the community in which we are best known. As far as the Pagan label, I have mixed feelings about it. I am all for writing some music that is specifically Pagan, such as the chant CDs with Thorn. I am very proud to be contributing to the building of our Pagan culture via music. It is a movement that I believe in as being quite relevant to the times we are living in. However, since Paganism is known as a religious movement, I sometimes feel concerned that the Pagan label will alienate some listeners who might enjoy the music for what it is but who don’t identify as Pagan themselves. I feel that music transcends religion, and it would be a shame for our music to get pigeon holed as “religious music”. It is music written by Pagans, but it is for anyone who has ever been moved by dark myth and legend.

Let’s talk a bit about Pandemonaeon’s sound. What were the big influences? You cite Dead Can Dance and a “Loreena McKennitt in the underworld” aesthetic, but there’s also obvious hard rock and metal influences in the work. How would you describe it?

As far as influences, definitely Dead Can Dance, since Pandemonaeon arose from imagining how DCD’s music would sound infused with hard rock. I don’t know that I’d say Loreena McKennitt was an influence so much as we recognized her as a kindred spirit when we heard her. Her melodic sense and song structure is familiar, something I imagine comes with the discipline of studying traditional Celtic music. And her tendency to mix other world music influences and rock throughout her songs is a theme that resonates with us as well. We’ve been influenced by Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, and Celtic folk music as well as classic and modern rock and more recently, folk metal and some of the more beautiful epic metal such as Nightwish.

It’s a bit of a cliché, but we are one of those bands who have a hard time describing our music within recognizable genres. You described our sound quite well the other day when you referred to it as “Dark tribal fusion with powerful vocals and metal accents”.

We’ve been describing our music as “Gothic Tribal Folk Metal” or just “Folk Metal”. We don’t sound like any other folk metal band I have heard, but since we combine folk music themes with hard rock/metal guitar and “beauty and the beast” vocals we may be able to get away with it. We use the word Gothic due to the similarities with Dead Can Dance, who were embraced by the Goth community, and also the dark ethereal spirituality of the music invokes what I think of as a Goth aesthetic. I think of myself as a Goth in the dark spiritual sense but not in the 80’s synth-pop sense. So am I a true Goth? I’m sure there’d be those who say no. But, as a band you are expected to describe your music somehow so for now our genre is Gothic Tribal Folk Metal.

The other half of Pandemonaeon would be your partner Winter. How did the two of you meet and come to collaborate?

We met at Harbin Hot Springs at the Ancient Ways Festival, and immediately knew we had a destiny together. That sounds cliché too I suppose, but it’s true. Still feels true almost 20 years later.

It’s been nearly a decade between albums. How did your newly released follow-up “Dangerous Beauty” come about? Also, perhaps you could comment on how you perceive the changes in the music industry between the two releases. Is putting out “Dangerous Beauty” a very difference experience for you than releasing the debut?

We got burned out on Pandemonaeon for a while and felt the need to put some distance between us and some disappointments associated with the project. It’s interesting you mention the changes in the music industry between Dangerous Beauty and our debut, as the radical changes in the music industry are a big part of why we put things on hold. Within a year of forming the band we were offered a recording contract with Warner Brothers, at the time the Holy Grail for any musician. It fizzled out to nothing as the music industry became unstable, and with all the fear about pirating, etc. we just weren’t sure what our next steps should be. There wasn’t yet the infrastructure for releasing indie music online as there is now with Bandcamp, Nimbit, indie access to iTunes, etc.

But now this infrastructure does exist, and indies are doing rather well without record labels, which is very exciting for us. Also the Gothic Tribal Fusion belly dance movement, the Folk Metal movement, and the Pagan movement all made it seem like the climate may be right for Pandemonaeon. Ultimately though, Dangerous Beauty came about because this music is such a core part of our souls that turning it off left us feeling depressed and shut down much of the time. The sonic landscapes we traverse as part of this project give us a sense of destiny, and I think anytime the feeling of destiny presents itself to you, it is worth following. As the saying goes, “If you wonder what you can do to change the world, do what makes you feel alive, for what the world needs most are people who are alive”. Pandemonaeon makes us feel alive.

How would you contrast your sound on your debut with “Dangerous Beauty”? How do you feel Pandemonaeon as an entity has grown or changed?

We are definitely much more influenced by metal now! And I think our sense of identity is stronger. One would hope so after 10 years!

Are you planning to tour with the new album? What’s it like playing live with a band as opposed to a solo artist?

I would love to tour with this project. Unfortunately, to realize this vision requires 7 people, and taking 7 people on the road can be difficult. Still, we plan to play live as far and wide as circumstances will allow. I love solo gigs for their intimacy, but I love playing with a full band for the sheer epicness of sound you can get, for the camaraderie of working with a group to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Finally, what are your plans for the future? Will there be more Pandemonaeon in years to come? What about in your solo career?

There will definitely be more Pandemonaeon. It’s too much a part of who we are. We have a music video in the planning stage; also finding our way onto some tours with the funding to bring the whole band along is a high priority for us. I’ll keep putting out solo albums as well, as I enjoy both, and my solo project is easy and cost effective to tour with.

–

You can purchase a physical copy of “Dangerous Beauty” via the band’s web site. You can also download it, along with the rest of their catalog, from their Bandcamp.com site. For the latest Pandemonaeon news, check out their Facebook page.

As you may know, in addition to this blog, I also maintain a weekly ongoing streaming radio show and podcast dedicated to darker streams of Pagan music. So in that spirit, I have a few music-related news items to share with you today.

New Album From Omnia: Gothtronic alerts us that European Pagan folk act Omnia have scheduled a new album release, entitled “Wolf Love”, for September.

“Dutch pagan folk band Omnia will release their new album ”Wolf Love” at 10.09 through Screaming Banshee records. 2011 will bring the band to many German festival stages. With this event the conquering of the German medieval music market has started. First the band Omnia can be seen at the biggest fantasy festival of Holland, Castlefest, and at a theater tour through The Netherlands.”

For those lucky enough to go to this year’s Castlefest, you’ll be spoiled by performances from Pagan acts like Omnia, Faun, and The Moon & The Nightspirit. You’ll also be able to buy an advance copy of “Wolf Love”. Makes you want to see Holland, doesn’t it?

Speaking of Pagan Music Performances: Holland too expensive? How about Eugene, Oregon? Faerieworlds 2010 is coming up, July 30th – August 1st, and will feature Pagan and Pagan-friendly acts like Faun, Stellamara, Australia’s Wendy Rule, and Tricky Pixie among others.

“Faerieworlds is famous for introducing international acclaimed bands to the West Coast festival scene. This year we are taking out all the stops: we are featuring seven new bands who will perform on the Faerieworlds stage in Eugene for the first time. This is the most amazing main stage line-up we have ever presented: check it out!”

It’s a fun time, and hopefully it won’t be in record-breaking heat again this year. Probably the biggest Pagan-friendly music event this year, though October’s Pagan Music That Doesn’t Suck festival may rival it.

Mysticism and Music: Lashtal passes the word that Weiser has just released the John Zorn-edited “Arcana V: Music, Magic and Mysticism”, featuring contributions from Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Meredith Monk, Larkin Grimm, and several other luminaries who walk that liminal space between music and magic.

“Mysticism, magic and alchemy all come into play in the creative process. For centuries musicians have tapped into things spiritual, embracing ritual, spell, incantation and prayer deeply into their life and work. Although the connection of music to mysticism has been consistent, well documented and productive, it is still shrouded in mystery and largely misunderstood. For this special edition, Arcana focuses on the nexus of mysticism and spirituality in the magical act of making music. Far from an historical overview or cold musicologist’s study, these essays illuminate a fascinating and elusive subject via the eloquent voices of today’s most distinguished modern practitioners and greatest occult thinkers, providing insights into the esoteric traditions and mysteries involved in the composition and performance of the most mystical of all arts.”

Sounds like a must own for anyone who is interested in explorations of how the performance, creation, and experience of music is one of the greatest mystical and magical practices.

The Apocalypse According to David Tibet: In a final quick note, for fans of David Tibet’s magick-making gnostic music project Current 93, The Quietus has a review of their latest offering “Baalstorm, Sing Omega”.

“Current 93′s progression from their post-industrial loops roots, through occultscapes with a heavy Crowley lean and pastoral pentagram/pentecostal folk, has seen them recently arrive at hyper-visual prog-folk-rock preaching. Surprisingly sharp on the heels of last year’s Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain and as the final piece of a trilogy, Baalstorm Sing Omega sees the band withdrawing from their recent heavier rock-rooted sound. Where the first two-thirds of the trilogy went for the horizon blotting sounds of a bigger, more typical rock aesthetic, the band here are a far gentler collective. Melancholia lies heavy in their hands.”

For those intrigued by this review, but overwhelmed by Current 93′s impressive breadth of output, here’s a quick guide to what the album’s sound like.

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

“In the presence of a moment divine, As the shadows gather at the shrine, We retreat and advance, In the spell of the dance, Familiars all, Tonight” - “Sovereign” by Faith and the Muse

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of attending a concert featuring Faith and the Muse, a seminal darkwave band who’ve long enjoyed an ardent Pagan following for their songs that explore mythology, nature, and the sacred experience. I wasn’t planning on doing a formal write-up of the show, but what I experienced was so liminal, so ritualistic, and in the sense that I understand it, “pagan”, that I felt I would be remiss in not sharing my impressions so that others might not miss the opportunity to experience it for themselves as the tour stretches across America.

Let me begin by saying that I came in expecting a great show. I’ve heard some amazing things about Faith and the Muse live, and the pre-show DJing by Chicago/German promoter Scary Lady Sarah (who’s touring with the band), as well as the short set by recently formed opening local band Splendor and the Resistance, who show a lot of potential, had made me optimistic about the main event. But what I ended up experiencing wasn’t so much a great “rock show”, but a 3-hour musical ritual that invoked the powers of nature. This became clear as the second opening act, Soriah, who’s opening for all of Faith and the Muse’s Pacific Northwest dates, came onto the stage.

It wasn’t so much a concert set, but a full-blown shamanistic ritual art experience. Melding Tuvan throat-singing, smoke, incense, incantations, and ornate costume with guitar/keyboard soundscapes crafted by Trance to the Sun veteran Ashkelon Sain. It not only affirmed that I made the right decision in making Soriah and Sain’s album “Atlan” one of my top picks for 2009, but also put the audience on notice that this was now a holy venture, and that we were standing on holy ground.

That theme, the ritual if you will, was carried to the next stage by a short butoh performance introduction by the fusion bellydance duet of Serpentine, who describe themselves as “temple dancers of the serpent mythos”, and who are an integrated part of Faith and the Muse’s live experience for their “Ankoku Butoh” tour. Then the band came on stage and converted all doubters and hangers-on to the unique power of William Faith and Monica Richard’s musical and artistic vision.

In addition to Serpentine, who performed alongside, and in once instance, walked the perimeters of the venue with smoking cauldrons of incense, the band featured a taiko drummer, a string section, and two guitar players. Effortlessly moving between old and new songs, between Eastern and Western conceptions of the sacred, of songs that sang of ruin and hopeful rebirth, of solidarity and being true to who you are. By the end of the show, the entire crowd, whether they had come to see Faith and the Muse or not, were pounding their feet clamoring for an encore. It was an event, that like any true otherworld experience, no Youtube video or photo can properly capture.

From time to time there is talk as to what a modern “Pagan music” would sound like, and we are often ready to throw laurels at the feet of any singer-songwriter or band willing to cater to our tastes and attend our festivals. However, I have long felt that the vibrant sacred music of today, the creative force that speaks to the Pagan soul, isn’t necessarily seeking our attention, or longing to  attend our conventions. They are instead sending their message, and sharing their sacred works, with those who go to the trouble of seeking them out. They are in the underground, playing at clubs, rented halls, or even massive multi-band European festivals, but ignored by most critics and media outlets. They are singing and performing for those willing to step outside of the boundaries and labels so craved by those hoping to capitalize on a “scene” or “subculture”.

The modern Pagan music, the music of sacred nature, old gods, myth, reverence, and rebirth is out there, and some of us lucky searchers have found it. Though the artists I describe would most likely never label it “Pagan” for our easy consumption, nor fit into our own narrow ideas of what form the sacred musics should take, they are indeed speaking to us if we will listen. I hope you will listen too.

For more of my own explorations of underground music that speaks to the Pagan soul, please check out my radio show/podcast A Darker Shade of Pagan. You may also want to check out my top 10 albums for 2009.

Top Story: Hey, it happens to the best of us sometimes. Apparently around 300 Pagan revelers showed up to Stonehenge for the Winter Solstice a day early, under the mistaken assumption that the date is fixed on the calendar.

“A crowd of around 300 people, wearing traditional costume, met at the mystical stone circle on Monday morning to mark the rising of the sun on the shortest day of the year. But unfortunately their calculations were slightly out meaning they had in fact arrived 24 hours prematurely … A spokesman for English Heritage said: ‘About 300 people turned up a day early on Monday morning. We took pity on them and opened the stone circle so they could celebrate anyway. They were a day early but no doubt had a wonderful time as well.’”

While this has inspired some snark, it also provides a helpful reminder that the solstices (and equinoxes) are moving targets, and that you should always check before inviting 300 of your closest friends to frolic at the stones.

In Other News: Mistakenly early-bird Pagans weren’t the only bit of Pagan-oriented solstice coverage going on, the South Yorkshire Star interviews 82-year-old Wiccan Elder Patricia Crowther (one of, if not the, last living High Priestesses initiated directly by Gerald Gardner) for the holiday and finds her remarkably well-preserved.

“Patricia’s appearance – a full head of thick curls, barely wrinkled skin, and a razor-sharp mind – belies her years. “On my natal chart the moon is in Gemini, which is the sign of youth and the young-at-heart, and I know that has something to do with it,” she says. Her home is filled with unusual ornaments, most of which represent figures from mythology or the Goddess herself. There are also dozens of pictures of Patricia as a glamorous young woman. One particularly striking image is that of Patricia sitting naked on a stool for her initiation. “That’s what you have to do when you’re initiated – you go as you were born into life,” she explains. “There’s nothing dirty about it.” As with any qualification, becoming a High Priestess takes time and training.”

Crowther has a new book, “Covensense”, that was released this year. According to one review it contains some “narrow convictions” that will please some BTWs, and frustrate some of the more eclectic Wiccans out there. Personally, I think it’s wonderful that she’s still writing books, no matter how opinionated they might be.

Turning from Solstice-related stories for a moment, I want to quickly highlight two interviews with Pagan-friendly band Faith and the Muse, who’s latest Shinto-inspired album, “Ankoku Butoh”, was a top pick in my year-end best-of list. First Liz Ohanesian of the LA Weekly chats with them about the new album, then gets them to pick their favorite supernatural J-Horror films.

“Japan has one of the oldest traditions of ghost tales, even as far back as 1776, scholar and artist Toriyama Sekien attempted to categorize them in his illustrated series of collections of ghosts and spirits. But their origins can be found even earlier, and coincide with oral tales of Nature spirits – these are actually classic Goddess tales, found not only in Japanese Shinto belief, but in Celtic, Nordic and even Native American mythology – all the same foundation of the consequences that await when one messes with Nature. J-Horror has its very own Nature Mother, with snow-white skin and unbelievably long black hair, the vengeful spirit of the Woman Wronged.”

It’s an interesting-sounding round-up of films, especially for those who thought J-Horror began and ended with “Ringu”. For more Faith & The Muse goodness, and to order a copy of “Ankoku Butoh”, check out their official web site.

The Philadelphia Daily News has a cautionary tale about getting into arguments over religion. It seems that after two men had an argument over whose tradition of Santeria was better, one decided to end the argument permanently with a sawed-off shotgun.

“Hernandez, of Camac Street, North Philadelphia, shot Luis Freire, 55, because they had argued over whose version of the Afro-Caribbean religion Santeria was better, according to the statement, which the prosecution presented as evidence. “Unfortunately, in this day and age, it’s a sad commentary that killings happen over disputes ranging from heated arguments about religion to minor disputes over someone looking at someone the wrong way,” said Assistant District Attorney Brian M. Zarallo.”

Needless to say, Christian Hernandez’s strain of Santeria, whatever it was, won’t be well-served by having a convicted murderer in its ranks. It certainly makes the Internet flame-wars and rampant snark within the Pagan community seem sedate by comparison.

In a final note, the Suwanee, Georgia, school board is wrestling with how to handle public invocations after two substitute teachers, both Wiccans, asked for fair and equal treatment. This led to rumors that invocations would be eliminated entirely, an aim that was denied by the couple.

“Locals John and Rene Checkett addressed board members Tuesday and noted it was in no way their “aim or goal to remove prayer from our school system.” A story in last Friday’s Democrat quoted Rene Checkett to that effect, after rumors to the contrary drew a standing-room only crowd to a scheduled Dec. 15 board meeting. That meeting was canceled due to lack of public notice. The issue, Rene Checkett explained, was fair treatment for those with minority religious views. The couple, both Wiccans, met with Supt. Jerry Scarborough and board chair Jerry Taylor behind closed doors Friday to make their case for fair and equal treatment, particularly in regard to district policies. Both Checketts are substitute teachers. Taylor addressed a full crowd at the 6 p.m. meeting and made clear the district’s intent to handle the matter. “As a school district we need to adopt a policy that deals with religious activities in our school system that adheres to the rights of everyone based on the law of the land, which protects everyone,” Taylor said.”

The school board is going to be unveiling a new policy on public invocations in January, and it should be interesting to see how they address the concerns of religious minorities without causing an uproar with the local Christians.

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!