Pagan rock

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Pagan Rock
Stylistic origins:	Rock and Roll, Gothic Rock, darkwave, post-punk, Medieval music, Folk Music, Neoclassical (Dark Wave)
Cultural origins:	1975 San Francisco Bay Area and London, 1989 United Kingdom
Typical instruments:	Vocals - Guitar - Bass - Drums - Synthesizers
Mainstream popularity:	popular mainly with Pagans in North America and Europe though there is significant crossover within the goth, neo-medieval, and neo-classical scenes
Other topics
Neopaganism - Paganism - Goth - Darkwave - Neofolk

Pagan rock is music created by (and in some cases for) adherents of one of the many Neopagan and occult traditions that emerged in the middle to late 20th century. In some cases this definition is stretched to include bands embraced by modern Pagans and occult practitioners (Faith and The Muse for example). Bands in this genre will often use pagan and occult imagery and deal with pagan themes.

1 Characteristics
2 History
3 Pagan rock radio programs
4 Magazines, Books, and Websites
5 Examples of Pagan Rock Bands
6 External links

[edit] Characteristics

The term "Pagan rock" is used here to differentiate it from New Age music, and the traditional folk music found at many Neopagan events and gatherings[1]. While many bands under this loose category do incorporate rock and roll styles, you can also find bands inspired by gothic rock, medieval music the darker elements of traditional, and folk music, Celtic music, neo-folk and neo-classical, darkwave, ethereal, ambient, industrial, and experimental music.

In many ways the label of "Pagan rock" carries with it the same complexities and problems as Christian Rock. Like contemporary Christian music, it is more an umbrella term than a cohesive musical genre. The Pagan rock label can include bands like Inkubus Sukkubus and The Moon and The Nightspirit who explicitly state their allegiance to Neopaganism, bands like Abney Park who have Neopagans in the band but don't label themselves as Pagan rock, and bands like Unto Ashes who sing songs involving occult and Neopagan themes but avoid publicly labeling their personal belief systems.

[edit] History

The current conceptions of a "Pagan rock" genre lay with two musical strands: first with the idea of a modern music created by and for Neopagans as typified by the artist Gwydion Pendderwen, and secondly with the occult themes[2] pursued by early Industrial music pioneers Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) and John Balance (Coil (band), Current 93). Unlike the previous dabbling with occult and romantic pre-Christian themes pursued by rock bands in the 1960s and early 1970s (as typified by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Donovan), these new artists were earnest subscribers to Neopagan religion (in the case of Pendderwen), and ritual magick (in the case of P-Orridge and Balance[3]). The mixture of openly Neopagan lyrics, occultism, and the counter-cultural impulses of the post-punk era would create fertile soil for the inspiration of several bands that would form from the late 1980s forward.

One of the first bands to be labeled as "Pagan rock" by the press[4] was the British gothic rock band Inkubus Sukkubus, founded in 1989 [5], since then the label has been applied to a variety of bands[6] [7] who have pagan members or who's songs use pagan imagery and pagan themes. Since the appearance of Inkubus Sukkubus, many gothic rock and darkwave bands have emerged with Neopagan members and lyrical themes[8]. This has lead some to think that Pagan rock is a subgenre of gothic rock [9].