Occult rock is very popular in our days. There are so many bands, newer and older, which flirt with the occult at the frame of their music. Take for example Ghost, who makes many references to horror and the occult in their art. Of course, occult rock didn’t start six or seven years ago, but its origins take us back to the late sixties, when Coven released their debut album, “Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls”, in 1969. So, now that Coven visits our country for some live shows, it is a great chance to examine the story of Coven!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Coven wrote the prologue of the occult rock genre. They were formed in Chicago by Jinx Dawson and Oz Osborne, who previously played together in the group Him, Her and Them. In 1967 and 1968 they toured, playing concerts with artists including Jimmy Page’s Yardbirds, the Alice Cooper band and Vanilla Fudge. They signed with Mercury Records, which released their debut. They had a top 40 hit in 1971 with the song “One Tin Soldier”, the theme song of the movie “Billy Jack”.
Their music was plain rock and they never managed to make big success. Yet they invented a genre! They were the pioneers of occult rock, having lyrics and aesthetics that deal in themes of Satanism and witchcraft. Additionally, they were one of the first artists/bands that used the “Devil Horns sign”, introducing it to the rock, metal and pop culture. We know that the first musician, who made the sign, was John Lennon, and later Gene Simmons and Ronnie James Dio made it famous.
Coven’s debut consisted of songs with a diabolical subject matter, for example “The White Witch of Rose Hall” (based on the story of Annie Palmer), “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”, “Pact with Lucifer” and “Dignitaries of Hell”. The album concluded with a 13-minute track of chanting and Satanic prayers called “Satanic Mass” (written by their producer, Bill Traut, of Dunwich Productions).
The album’s occult and satanic character prompted removal from the market soon after its release. That summer coincided with public hysteria surrounding the Manson family and rampant media speculation about occult influences on the era’s counterculture.
However, the real protagonist of Coven was their front woman, Jinx Dawson, who had a really magnetic presence. With her looks, her gothic wardrobe and ritualistic stage presence, she set a template that would influence generations of performers—from the occult aesthetics of Mercyful Fate and Ghost, to the witchy vibes embraced by modern acts like Chelsea Wolfe.
Let’s see some info that is very interesting about Coven and their cult debut
- Apart from Dawson, Coven included bassist Greg “Oz” Osborne, guitarist Chris Neilsen, keyboardist Rick Durrett and drummer Steve Ross.
- The album features the song “Black Sabbath”.
- The promotional poster for Black Sabbath’s debut album is virtually identical to the previous promotional poster for Coven’s debut album.
- One of the songwriters of the album, James Vincent, appears with the name “Jim Donlinger” on the album. He was not a member of the band, but was asked by Bill Traut, to write, arrange and co-produce the album together with Traut. Vincent describes the event in negative terms, as a “bizarre album project”.
- After multiple unlicensed CD releases of the “Witchcraft …” album over the years, it was officially released on the band’s own Nevoc label in 2007. The following year, Coven released “Metal Goth Queen: Out of the Vault 1976–2007” on Nevoc, an album composed of previously unreleased recordings. Jinx, an album of new recordings, was self-released on Nevoc in 2013.
- Jinx Dawson recruited a new line up of musicians in late 2016 – early 2017 in order to perform at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands on April 20, 2017. This was Coven’s first performance in Europe.
