Dan Brooklyn

“The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and willfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices.” These are the adjective words of none other than Aleister Crowley, the master of occult practices, the wickedest man in the world, the source of sex magick, but also a renowned painter, poet and ceremonial magician. A man who was ahead of his time – but seems to widely be swept under the heavy rug of modern zeitgeist, despite his undeniably remarkable influence on it.

Now, Aleister Crowley’s biography and practices are about to get embarked once more in the most honorable way possible: Netherlands-based artist Dan Brooklyn has been in touch with the other side ever since his early childhood. The result of a lifelong bond with all things spiritual, occult and mythical has cemented in The Great Beast – a concept album about the life and practices of Aleister Crowley, released digitally on December 1st, the 75th anniversary of Crowley’s death. No other than Athanasia’s Caleb Bingham (former Five Finger Death Punch) went shoulder to shoulder with Brooklyn to carefully weave the bizarre, yet intriguing story that The Great Beast set out to tell. 

Today marks the re-release of what Dan Brooklyn calls “the sexiest song on the record”: The title track The Great Beast, drawing recognizable musical inspiration of shock rocking acts such as Alice Cooper or Rammstein, describes the sex magick, which to this day might be what makes Aleister Crowley most (in)famous. The track itself inevitably touches on the most extreme ceremonies of Crowley, while never taking away from its main quality: being a wicked good Industrial Metal song. The magick drone and underlying sexiness of Bingham’s guitar play, and its intertwining with Brooklyns mesmerizing voice make the experience all the more electrifying.