Rock, Philosophy & Occultism (English Version Review)

Despite the theme being occasionally debated and remaining a taboo in rock, it is truly admirable the number of artists who draw on the archives and annals of the occult, the supernatural, and philosophy in their works. Here I want to emphasize proposals from groups that do not make music only for art or politics, but who in a certain way want to draw people’s attention to the spiritual and mystical facts of existence, which often go unnoticed by most human beings!

I will not dwell on the periods in which works of these genres abound (that is, in classical music of all eras), but only on rock. Starting with the philosophical aspect, we see Lennon and Harrison going in search of answers to their empty existences in India in the mid-1960s. I could not ignore these facts, since they led to the works of the Beatles and of the entire rock generation of the 1970s, eventually spilling into countless other contemporary bands up to recent times. The search for the supernatural and for what we are doing here on this small and isolated planet has produced wonders in art. We cite Woodstock and Flower Power, with the inclusion on rock stages of Ravi Shankar (sitar, India), giving a strong spiritual push to the event. Harrison’s idea?? Yes!! But in 1971 we have the Concert for Bangladesh, which resulted in a phenomenal album featuring Eric Clapton, again Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Harrison, Ringo Starr, Badfinger, Leon Russell, among other great musicians of the time. It was meant to draw attention at the same time to hunger and to Hindu spiritualism, which go hand in hand to this day. Led Zeppelin would come with the mysticism of the greatest magician of the 20th century, namely Aleister Crowley. The same applies to Black Sabbath. Surrealist, mystical, and anarchic lyrics, combined with visceral and deep music. Uriah Heep, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Van Der Graaf, King Crimson, and Yes would combine metaphysics, orientalism, and psychedelia all together, an ingredient that became the foundation of the progressive movement. In Europe, German Krautrock and electronic music began to ferment, led by the mystical Tangerine Dream, Can, Amon Düül, Grobschnitt, Guru Guru, Embryo, etc., who drew from the verses of William Blake, John Milton, and Dante Alighieri for their artistic conceptions. In France, England, and Italy, as well as in the Low Countries, a whole renaissance of rock was taking place, with bands delving deeply into Templar, medieval, folkloric, Arthurian, and mythical themes. Works appeared in great numbers, with groups even adopting the names of philosophers in their albums, such as Machiavelli, Novalis, etc. Works with Tibetan, Hindu, and shamanic influences abounded, inspired by texts such as those of Carlos Castaneda, the Tibetan and Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Rig Veda, the Zend Avesta, the Bible, Swedenborg, etc. And there were many of them; I believe most bands had at least one foot buried in occultism, without a shadow of a doubt.

Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane (Atomic Rooster) performed their macabre rituals in cemeteries. Who does not remember Alice Cooper and KISS bringing diabolical rock with fire blazing? All of this would later be reabsorbed by future Black Metal and by Heavy Metal itself in the 1980s, which would flourish with bands such as Iron Maiden, Triumph, King Diamond, Manowar, among others, who made heavy use of swords and archetypal symbols of Templars, dragons, and medieval crusades—on album covers, in concepts, and in lyrics. More recent bands such as Moonspell, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Tiamat, Therion, Samael, Nightwish, Epica, etc., continue to keep the fire of mystery alive in their works. I will cite here, to conclude and leave you a gap for reflection and research into the facts mentioned above, an album that greatly caught my attention due to the unusual research of its author in this area. This concerns Mr. King Diamond and his album *House of God* (2000), a beautiful and highly mystical work!

Here I summarize the story, a real one, which takes place at the chapel of Rennes-le-Château, in France, which was built by the Visigoths in the 6th century. This chapel is completely different from others. It contains right at the entrance, above the door, the figure of the demon Asmodeus and a phrase in Latin that says (Terribilis Est Locus Iste) – (“This place is terrible”). As in the Louvre, which also has the figure of the demon Pazuzu at the entrance, said to be a being that moves with the wind!!! Why? Well, the answer is up to each researcher, because I already have mine!

Note that all the roofs and upper terraces of cathedrals have demons and gargoyles in their sculpted decorations! Diamond does not specify the location for caution, but his music, in track 12 of the aforementioned CD, is called “This Place is Terrible!!!” His priest, Saunière, discovered mysterious manuscripts during the renovation of the chapel, inside the columns, perhaps the Templar Grail, which transformed him from a poor man into one of the richest and most powerful men of his time (19th century). In this chapel there are still inverted crosses, figures of Mary Magdalene (in unconventional positions for saints) to whom it is dedicated, Gothic gardens and towers, and a highly sinister atmosphere. Diamond truly researched and crafted the theme, and I encourage all those interested in occultism and the supernatural to study both this work and those of other musicians. In this way, they may better absorb what the composer intended to convey with his music, as is the case with librettos in operas! The objective of this book is to demonstrate the brain, intellect, philosophy, and metaphysics behind the greatest global phenomenon in the history of music, called rock. It is undeniable that especially from 1966 onward, starting practically with the Beatles, Hindu Eastern philosophy began to be inserted in large doses into the music of the quartet, and later influenced all psychedelia. The albums *Revolver* and *Rubber Soul* are already permeated with sitars and tablas through the hands of Harrison, with the support of Lennon, when they spent time in India. But the one who became deeply involved with Hindu music, culture, and philosophy was George Harrison, who met Swami Prabhupada (Bhakti Yoga) and learned the sitar with Ravi Shankar, becoming a devoted follower of these two gurus. This deeply entered the Beatles’ music and sealed all of rock, and even avant-garde classical music from 1968 onward, such as the minimalism of Philip Glass. From then on, a large faction of musicians began to explore the East as inspiration, including the Mahavishnu Orchestra (with its excellent guitarist John McLaughlin), guitarist Carlos Santana (who became Devadip Carlos Santana and made his ode to Buddha on the album *Oneness*), and leaders of serial and minimalist classical music, who adopted Zen Buddhist positions in their performances, such as Philip Glass, John Cage, and Stockhausen!! Later, friendship developed between Lennon and McCartney and members of Pink Floyd, where during sessions provided for Floyd jams at Abbey Road, they mutually exchanged ideas and sounds, and also, certainly, musical inspirations that influenced one another. Regarding the music produced after this remarkable encounter, it is notable the transformation that occurs in the Beatles’ music from *Sgt. Pepper’s*. This would generate and influence the entire psychedelic movement that followed, eventually leading to Woodstock and German Krautrock.