Cultic Interview

 

CULTIC INTERVIEW 

W/ Brian Magar & Andrew Harris

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of LORE?

Brian: Since the release we’ve been playing shows, writing new material and ideating new concepts. This train keeps a rollin all night long.  

Andrew: Riffs and shows baby. 

2.In October you released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Brian: We’re growing. LORE is really just a deeper pool of what we’ve done in the past. I think the writing is tighter and more focused in both the intros and the songs. But our overall vision never waivers. 

3.You refer to your music as being 'dark dungeon metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

Brian: It’s a bite from Mortiis’s “Dark Dungeon Music”. We started calling ourselves “Dark Dungeon Metal” after we added the Dungeon Synth elements to our music.

Andrew: It is the sound of you rotting in a dungeon. It is what you hear when any hope of freedom you have as you rot in your cell finally fades away. 

4.A lot of your lyrics cover dark fantasy themes, which aspect of this topic do you cover with your songwriting?

Brian: All of our lyrics explore dark fantasy themes. CULTIC is a conceptual band. Each of our albums follows a specific theme, and each song tells an individual story within that theme. All of our full-length albums connect to one another, forming one continuous overarching narrative. The same is true of our album artwork. If you place all of our LP covers side by side in order, they create a single continuous image. Our next full-length album will reveal even more of that scene.

The Cliff’s Notes version of the CULTIC universe goes like this:

Our first album, HIGH COMMAND, centers on a great war fought between two powers, with each song exploring different aspects of that conflict. Our second album, OF FIRE AND SORCERY, visually depicts a warlock receiving an enchantment from a dragon statue; the album itself focuses on the sorcery used to summon the great dragon featured on HIGH COMMAND. Our most recent album, LORE, revolves around various characters who inhabit this world, while also explaining how the Warlock gained the knowledge needed to summon the dragon.

I’m essentially writing this story in reverse order.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

Brian: The LORE album art features the NOMAD. A lone warrior and pariah who carries hidden knowledge of sorcery. He serves as the connection between LORE and OF FIRE AND SORCERY, as he’s the one who supplied the WARLOCK with the spell used to summon the great dragon.

My wife Rebecca, who is also our drummer, creates all of our cover art. She absolutely nailed this one. It’s my favorite album cover by far. I’d describe it as BOLT THROWER meets BLIND GUARDIAN.

6.Out of all the shows and tours the band has been so far, which one stands out the most?

Brian: We’re not a touring band, so I can’t really speak to that. As far as memorable shows go, there’s always something, but two come to mind. We recently opened for CONAN, which was hands down the largest show we’ve ever played and a real milestone for the band. We also played a SOUL GRINDER Records show at the Alternative Gallery in Allentown, PA earlier this year. It was a cool venue with great hospitality. I’ve been playing in bands on and off since I was a young teenager, and I’d never played a show where the band was assigned a road crew until that night.

Andrew: Conan show was cool. Really dug playing with Spiter and Total Maniac. Anytime we play with Grozov is also a good time. 

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2025?

Brian: The only thing we have lined up for 2026 so far is Ann Everton’s memorial show at the OTTOBAR in Baltimore. It’s a two day event Feb 30 & March 1. I’m not sure on the hard and fast details yet.

Andrew: We would love to do some festivals. 

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme metal?

Brian: We’ve done more with this band in nine years, than I ever imagined possible. 

Andrew: Absolute rabid devotion. Some real freaks out there. 

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Brian: My solo project, LAYR has been sitting on a full length DUNGEON SYNTH album for 5 years. If any Dungeon Synth labels are reading this, hit me up. I know Andrew has some stuff going on with his solo project, GRIM DISCIPLINE. He just came out with an EP called PENNSYLVANIAN THIRST. 

Andrew: yeah, I just released my first EP and will continue to write and record my solo stuff under that moniker. Check it out. 

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Brian: Straight to the top of madness mountain. We’ll keep getting heavier and weirder. I did an interview last year where I said I was going to incorporate HARSH DUNGEON NOISE into LORE. But I didn’t do it. Maybe we’ll go in that direction in the future? Maybe more atmospheric or theatrical passages within our songs? One thing I will say is that we will not stray from DARK DUNGEON METAL!!!!

Andrew: Who knows? The riffs come down to us so I cannot predict what the gods will deliver. It is simply my duty to pass on the message. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Brian: I always have a bunch of old stuff in rotation. Maiden, Priest, early Scorpions, Motorhead and so on. The real stuff.  

I’ve been slowly acquiring more BLIZARO albums this year. Big fan of that Italian horror sound. 

As far as really underground stuff goes. BALL always finds a way into my late night antics. If you have an itch for some super sleazy, drugged out, Satanic, porno loving rock and roll. Check out BALL. Fuckin Love that band. 

I’m always going to name drop the NECRO INVEST record label anytime I get the chance. If I had to guess, I think every band on the label is the same  person or group of people. Kinda has a GRIME STONE RECORDS vibe but different. It’s fun, reckless, lo-fi, unhinged, metal punk music for nuclear wasteoids. RAT OF SODOM, CREMAZIONE and SPHYNX’s rule. 

My favorite album of 2025 is PAGAN ALTAR’s “NEVER QUITE DEAD”. Really solid metal album front to back. I think it’s the only metal album that literally choked me up the first time I listened to it. This album should have received A LOT more attention than it did. 

Andrew: Old shit. 70s era Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest. Random black metal at times. Antonin Dvorak. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Brian: Always humbled. Thank you for the opportunity. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s important. 

To anyone out there looking to check us out. We have a website ( https://culticband.com  ), Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/culticband ), Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/culticband/ ), Youtube ( https://www.youtube.com/@CulticBand ) and Bandcamp ( https://cultic.bandcamp.com/ ).

Metal Rules!