Church of the Cosmic Skull

Church of the Cosmic Skull are a British rock band from Nottingham.[2][3]

Church of the Cosmic Skull
Church of the Cosmic Skull live in London, 2020
Church of the Cosmic Skull live in London, 2020
Background information
Genres
Years active2016-present
LabelsKozmik-Artifactz
Members
  • Bill Fisher
  • Joanne Joyce
  • Caroline Cawley
  • Michael Wetherburn
  • Joe Stone
  • Sam Lloyd
  • Laurence Stone
Past membersAmy Nicholson
Websitewww.cosmicskull.org

Career

The group was formed by guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Fisher in 2016.[4][5] The group members had previously played in various bands in and around Nottingham, and a number of early songs had been written years before while in other bands.[4][6] Fisher was interested in progressive pop as much as progressive rock, and wanted the band to be primarily about good songwriting rather than technical expertise. His influences include Queen, The Beatles, Thin Lizzy, Kate Bush, David Bowie and Peter Gabriel.[4] The instrumentation makes prominent use of the Hammond organ, piano and strings, and multiple vocal harmonies.[7]

The band released "Evil in your Eye" from their first album Is Satan Real? on 21 August 2017 to celebrate the solar eclipse on the same day, celebrating the "hallucinatory nature of reality".[8] They have also covered Pink Floyd's "The Trial" on Magnetic Eye Records' tribute album The Wall Redux.[9]

The band released their first album with Bilocation Records,[4] the second with Kozmik Artifactz,[10] and the third on their own label, Septaphonic Records. While major record labels have shown interest, the band prefers to release material and promote themselves independently.[11] They are known for their white on-stage attire and their rainbow-themed album artwork.[12] Fisher has described the group as a "twofold entity: a new religious movement ... and a 7-piece supergroup" and believes that music can make people appreciate each other and avoid political propaganda.[4]

Their 2019 album Everybody's Going To Die covered themes such as the cult of personality, wanting fame, echo chambers on social media, and death.[13] It received positive reviews, with Mojo saying "Fans of Queen and Queens of the Stone Age will nod sagely", and Jonathan Ross adding that he was "Enjoying this new band’s take on prog".[14]

In 2022, the band announced that they would be playing in a Nottingham music festival, Beat The Streets.[15]

Personnel
  • Bill Fisher - guitar, vocals
  • Joanne Joyce - vocals
  • Caroline Cawley - vocals
  • Michael Wetherburn - keyboards, vocals
  • Martyn Fisher - guitar
  • Sam Lloyd - bass
  • Laurence Stone - drums[4]

Former members:

  • Amy Nicholson - cello, vocals[4]
  • Joe Stone - electric viola

Discography
  • Is Satan Real? (2016)[4]
  • Science Fiction (2018)[16][17]
  • Everybody's Going To Die (2019)[18][19]
  • There Is No Time (2022)[1]

References
  1. Sleazegrinder (13 May 2022). "Church Of The Cosmic Skull: your new favourite classic rock hippie sex cult". Classic Rock. Retrieved 20 February 2023. British faux-gospel prog rockers Church [...] carry all the trappings of an early-70s hippie sex cult, but their sound is rooted firmly in crunching classic-era arena rock.
  2. "CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL - 'Everybody's Going To Die'". Rock Zone. 13 December 2019.
  3. Glass, Polly; Lewry, Fraser. "20 great bands to shake up the 2020s". Classic Rock Magazine.
  4. Lay, Sarah (13 September 2016). "Interview: Church of the Cosmic Skull". Louder Than War.
  5. "ALBUM REVIEW: Church of the Cosmic Skull, Science Fiction". The Obelisk. 25 May 2018.
  6. "ARTIST OF THE MONTH: CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL – Interview – Nusic.org.uk".
  7. "Church Of the Cosmic Skull – Cold Sweat". Classic Rock Magazine. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  8. "Church of the Cosmic Skull celebrate eclipse with Evil In Your Eye video". Louder. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  9. "Hear Melvins Out-Strange Pink Floyd With Sludgy "In the Flesh?" Cover". Revolver. 1 November 2018.
  10. "Science Fiction - Church of the Cosmic Skull | User Reviews". AllMusic.
  11. "Church Of The Cosmic Skull - Everybody's Going To Die Album Review/Stream [2019]". METALHEAD WORLD. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  12. "Review: Church of the Cosmic Skull - Science Fiction | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com.
  13. "Interview: Church of the Cosmic Skull". Narc Magazine. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. "An Evening With: Church of the Cosmic Skull". Head First Bristol. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  15. "Music festival set to return to Nottingham in 2022". Nottingham Post. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  16. "Church of the Cosmic Skull". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  17. "The best albums and tracks of 2018: how our writers voted". The Guardian. 21 December 2018.
  18. "Le nouvel album de Church of the Cosmic Skull en écoute intégrale". www.hornsup.fr.
  19. "Everybody's Going to Die". Sputnik Music. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
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