Doomed Confessionary: Brian, Rebecca & Andrew (Cultic)
Cultic is a dark dungeon metal band from York, Pennsylvania. Their music takes influence from early death doom, first-wave black metal, and punk rock and combines it with dungeon synth interludes, martial industrial elements, and dark fantasy themes.
The band formed in 2016 by husband and wife – Brian Magar (guitar/vocals) and Rebecca Magar (drums), whose initial creative vision was to expand on the sounds and aesthetics of Winter, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost. After the departure of original bassist Reese Harlacker in 2022, current bassist Andrew Harris (Alms, ex-Warhawk, ex-Witch Hazel) joined the band.
For their latest release, limited & expanded edition of »Seducer« EP (February 2024), Cultic teamed up with Crucial Blast. New full-length album should be ready for release in late 2025.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Brian: We are Cultic and we play Dark Dungeon Metal!
Rebecca: We’re Cultic. If you like your metal served with a side of ancient ruins and medieval mayhem, we’re your band. DIY warriors to the core. Think of us as the soundtrack to a blacksmith hammering out a battle axe.
Andrew: Cultic is the sound of the barbarians’ hammer meeting your skull. The sound of the warlock’s curse animating your rotted corpse into his service. The sound of you realizing your soul belongs to the Seducer. The sound of your cell door slamming shut and the Warden throwing away the key. What you hear when you realize your forces are being overwhelmed and no help is arriving.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Brian: We only have fifty-two weekends in a year.
Rebecca: Getting enough time to create and not turning into complete hermits. When you’re juggling survival and trying to summon ancient spirits through riffs… well, it’s a lot.
Andrew: Too many good riffs. The immortal march of time.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Brian: I’m proud of all our accomplishments. But if I had to pick one thing, it’s probably getting picked up on Crucial Blast. That’s a label I’ve been in tune with since its inception. It’s humbling to be part of their roster.
Rebecca: Staying true to our vision. We’ve had moments where people didn’t “get it,” but honestly, we’re not here to hold hands. We’re here to make dungeon metal weird, heavy, and exactly how we want it.
Andrew: I am proud that I was deemed worthy enough to enter into the service of Cultic. I am proud of our new batch of songs. They fucking rip.
What was your biggest regret?
Brian: No regrets here.
Rebecca: Not investing in a bigger gong, for real. You can never underestimate the power of big gong vibes.
Andrew: I regret not giving my life to Dungeon Metal sooner. It is a grave mistake that I will spend eternity trying to rectify.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Brian: Our last four or five shows were some of my favorites. Earlier this year we opened for VORLUST in Washington DC. That was a good one.
Rebecca: Honestly, anytime we’ve played a show, and we could feel the energy like static in the air, that’s a win for me.
Andrew: Seeing Hallas a couple years back was wild. As far as Cultic shows, the best will be the next one.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Brian: It’s surprising to me how many bands are bank rolled by rich parents and trust funds.
Rebecca: I used to worry that social media and streaming would snuff out the underground music scene. I wasn’t sure if the next generation would step up. But seeing new blood pick up the torch and keep the fires burning is a surprise that warms my heart. Keep the flame alive!
Andrew: That nu-metal is popular again. That people keep adding breakdowns to things. That there are people being content with being social media musicians.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Brian: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Scorpions, Thin Lizzy. I listen to a lot of classic rock and metal. As far as newly discovered stuff goes… HEXENBRETT, BALL, SPHYNXS and RAT OF SODOM have been in heavy rotation. Check them out! Go straight to HELL!
Rebecca: Lately, I’ve been really into Cough, Marthe, and Graves At Sea – I’ve had them on constant repeat. Goatlord, Persekutor, Monolord, 1782, and Saturnalia Temple are always in the mix.
Brian: Rebecca just reminded me to double back on Marthe’s »Further In Evil«. Great album.
Andrew: Much like Brian, the classic stuff. Been spinning Lamp Of Mumuur and Mortuary Drape. ManOwaR obviously. Some Johnny Paycheck. Vaughn Williams Symphony No. 6 in E minor. Sketches of Spain.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Brian: “If you want to dance, you have to pay the piper.”
Rebecca: “If you’re not pissing someone off, you’re doing it wrong.” It’s pretty much gospel at this point.
Andrew: Regular practice is cool, good and proper.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Brian: I’m fascinated by YouTube famous rappers. It’s a culture I don’t really understand. So, I’m drawn to it by morbid curiosity. Especially if it’s propelled by art or a high set of aesthetics. I also like really dumb “reality-based” television.
Rebecca: I’m a sucker for goofy socks, and I’ve got an unhealthy obsession with Fastnachts. I’ll wait all year just to grab a bag.
Andrew: Doing nothing is a guilty pleasure of mine.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in York / Pennsylvania?
Brian: The three of us live outside of York, Pennsylvania. It’s a relatively small city located close to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC. We have a handful of venues that cater to underground music. So we get a lot of touring bands rolling through and we have a lot of locals as support. It’s a thriving scene in the grand scheme of things.
Rebecca: What Brian said. It’s all about keeping the underground strong and supporting each other. York may be small, but we’ve got a scene that punches way above its weight.
Andrew: It is a good mix of people who have been around for ever and some young blood coming up. A lot of good musicians here get trapped in staying in the area and not trying to venture out more.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Brian: Our next show is December 21 at Skid Row Garage in York, Pennsylvania.
Rebecca: What he said.
Andrew: Our focus this year is the next album so just this one show at Skid Row in December.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Brian: We’re currently working on a new full-length. No projected date on that. My guess would be late 2025. I’d also like to start playing gigs a little further away from Pennsylvania in 2025. Bands… Hit us up!
Rebecca: Finishing up this full-length album we’ve been brewing. I’m super stoked for this one-it’s going to be killer. Hopefully taking our riffs far beyond Pennsylvania next year. It’s time for dungeon metal to conquer new realms.
Andrew: Dungeon Metal Supremacy.
How can people best support your band?
Brian: Sing our praises!!!! Hahah… Come see us live. Buy our stuff through Crucial Blast, Eleventh Key, Culticband.com and Bandcamp. Follow us on social media. Go to our website and sign up for our mailing list! The mailing list is important!
Rebecca: Show up to the gigs, grab some merch, and maybe share our music with that one friend who likes it loud and raw. Every bit helps keep the fire burning.
Andrew: Pay our bills. Spread the Gospel. Get into and win internet arguments about how our band is better than others.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Brian: Thank you! You rule.
Rebecca: To everyone who’s been with us, you’re the fuel that keeps this beast alive. Whether you’ve been there since the start or you just found us, you’re part of the Cultic horde now. Keep embracing the heavy, the strange, and the brutal. We’re all in this together.
Andrew: OUGH!!!
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well