I love the name Drug Cult…What was the inspiration behind it?
Drug Cult: Humans have used drugs in ritualistic ceremony for centuries, the effects of substances like hallucinogens, wine, resins & incense bringing worshippers closer to mystical forces and spiritual experiences… Modern society considers “drugs” to be any substance – other than food and water – that when taken or absorbed into the body, alters its function, physically and psychologically… including pharmaceuticals, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, herbs and tinctures… cultish behaviour lies within us, whether realised or not.
Do THC or psychedelics play any part in your creative process?
Vin: It wouldn’t be what it is without it. Using sacred entheogens to open channels and receive from the void.
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‘Serpent Therapy’ summons you into Drug Cult’s realm of mystic prowess, channelling our deep connection between the spiritual and natural world. Serpentine energy is known for being the vessel to this self-analysis, focused on releasing fears and displacing evil. Directed by Nat Collins, hypnotic and bewitching imagery of the ceremonial relationship between spirit, self and nature transmutes into a psychedelic and transformative daze.
If you had to compare yourself to force of nature, what would it be and why?
Dale: Slow moving lava from a volcanic eruption, sludgy and primeval.
Your song structures are more unique than most Doom bands – can you describe your writing process?
Vin: It usually starts with the riff and then we all sink into a pulse and connect with minimal ingredients. For us it’s about what is in between the notes, feeling and bending time together.
What art movement has had the biggest impact on the way you see the universe and why?
Aasha: Conceptual, surrealist & abstract art, symbolism, Vedic art… reminds me anything is possible & to keep seeking the magik.
Vin: Nature, Krsna & Vedic art, symbolism & cinema inspires me to create and explore the unknown.
Maggie: Post minimalist art; questioning the hierarchy of materials and drawing attention to hidden beauty in simple things. Mirroring the fractal nature of the universe, as above so below.
Dale: Surrealism and visionary art, as it suggests that there is more to life than what we can perceive with our five senses.
What kind of music outside of Doom inspires you?
Drug Cult: Collectively we have a broad range of ears… Everything from vedic chanting to black metal.
Anything that hits you at the core and transports you to different realms or invokes emotion, we are into.
How did your relationship with Ritual Productions come about?
Maggie: Since the inception of Drug Cult, the four of us had been manifesting a label like Ritual Productions into our realm, and after recording the album we starting searching for the right home. Friends put us in touch with Cris at Ritual, we loved the vibes and intuitively knew we were in the right hands.
Talk to us about the art direction for your debut LP.
Aasha: Our cover art is a Psilocybe Cubensis (Magic Mushroom) – it’s a species of psychedelic mushroom here in Australia. Over the summer we handpicked around 40 of them and starting curating spore prints, and once the shrooms left their mark, we consumed them and waited for “the one” to speak to us.
What does Drug Cult want to say to the world?
Drug Cult: Avoid gurus… follow plants. (McKenna)
