There was a time when Devil music didn’t include shining heaps of excess, flaming pentagrams, or feral women in pleather bikinis. Before the 1980s, when the showy aspects of LaVeyan Satanism became mainstays of heavy metal, music about the Dark Lord was calm, almost plaintive. This was especially true in the United Kingdom where flutes and Hammond organs were as effective in hailing Satan as power chords and stage makeup. That time period is examined and hellishly curated in the Cherry Red collection The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974.
Most of the songs on The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974 bring to mind images of people wearing billowy linen shirts, doing a couple of blotter hits, and setting bales of hay alight beneath a full moon. Conjuring Satan doesn’t have that air of corporate rebellion, no middle finger in the faces of conservative parents while Congressional committees try to figure out how to save the children from the gathering dark forces.
Instead, The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974 includes songs like “Girl Child, I Am An Evil Witchman” by the In-Be-Tweens. That’s one of the greatest pick-up lines ever. “I’m just what you need/I’m an evil witchman, babe,” says the singer, and what human in their right mind could resist such a wacky approach?
That’s not to say all the tunes on are mini-skirt rave-ups. For example, take my favorite track of the compilation, “Come to the Sabbat” by Black Widow. Tribal drums, flute, chanting, and lyrics explaining why one should indeed come to the sabbat. Sure, there’s the quest for arcane knowledge and unholy power, but the biggest reason is, as the singer wildly screams, “Satan’s there!”
There are some bands on the compilation one may not expect. Jethro Tull’s song “Witch’s Promise” has all the flute and acoustic guitar one could ask for. Prog masters Van Der Graaf Generator tell the story of “The White Hammer.” You’ll also find an enchanting obscure B-side by Peter Gabriel-era Genesis called “One-Eyed Hound” that may become one of your spooky earworms.
Not all the songs fit the overall aesthetic. Fancy’s “Between the Devil and Me” sounds like a piece of moldering AM Gold, complete with hand claps and too many singers on the chorus. Its joviality stands out and breaks the mood like a clown at a funeral. The same can be said for “Erotica” by Man, which consists of a woman’s orgasmic moaning overlaid on an instrumental rock track. It’s fine by itself, but there’s nothing Satanic to it. Nonetheless, maybe don’t play “Erotica” full-tilt boogie at a work function.
Cherry Red goes all out for their box sets and The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974 is no exception. With a gorgeous booklet featuring hilariously cheeky liner notes by Martin “Cally” Callomon, this three-disc set is a must-have for anyone interested in a different kind of Devil music. It’s the anti-thesis of Motley Crue or whatever bands the PMRC decided were evil during the 1980s.
Chock-full of obscurities, The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974 never fails to fascinate. Even with a couple missteps, The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974 encompasses a long-overlooked subgenre of music that should be revisited, especially during the spooky season.
The Devil Rides In: Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 1966-1974 is available wherever music is sold including Amazon and Cherry Red.
