Dan Brooklyn Releases Debut Album 'The Great Beast' Dedicated to Aleister Crowley

December 1st, 2022 – This day is more than just the beginning of the end of an eventful year, it is also the anniversary of the death of the wickedest man in the world.

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Dec 01, 22' 14:52PM UTC

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'Liber XLIV' Music Video opening scene

Dan Brooklyn Releases Debut Album 'The Great Beast' Dedicated to Aleister Crowley

Content:

Intro;
Chamber of Nightmares;
The Midnight Flower Unfurled;
The Midnight Flower Unfurled Lyrics;
The Great Beast Album Tracklist;
Follow Dan Brooklyn;

While occult master Aleister Crowley has been the subject of countless songs, artworks and background stories of some of the most influential metal and rock releases of all time, Dutch Industrial metal artist Dan Brooklyn remains the one who truly rolls out the red (or rather black) carpet for Crowley.

With fresh Gothic and Nu-Metal influences, ranging from scene giants such as Alice Cooper or Rob Zombie up towards Rammstein, Dan Brooklyn entwines the bloodcurdling musical saga surrounding one of the most notorious and infamous men to have ever walked the earth. Naturally, Dan Brooklyn himself does not shy away from breaking boundaries and has found his niche as one of Europe's most hopeful names in Shock Rock. Explicit images, disturbing lyrics, partly taken out of Crowley's own writings, and haunting instrumentals all build up to the epos that is his very first album, The Great Beast.

With the help of Athanasia's Caleb Bingham (Ex-Five Finger Death Punch) as a producer and fellow musician on the record, Brooklyn has managed to create his very own signature sound that has heads turning immediately.

On the full-length album, the versatile musician, who studied at the prominent Metal Factory in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and has already toured many European stages as drummer for Athanasia, takes you (the listener) on a journey into Crowley's life and work, Not to celebrate his practices and philosophies, but to raise awareness of them. Regarding Mr. Crowley himself and the history of the album, Dan Brooklyn said:

“Crowley was feared by his god-fearing contemporaries; celebrated as a pioneer and free thinker by the counterculture generation of the 60s and 70s. But which of the many faces is Crowley’s true face? Was he the misunderstood, libertine pioneer that paved the way for the Age of Aquarius? Or was he the selfish, sex- and drug-addicted narcissist that his critics claim him to be? Listen to The Great Beast and find out for yourself!”

On his recent video single Chamber of Nightmares, Dan Brooklyn proves his ability as a promising song writer, combining his style-defining mix of industrial metal, goth and shock rock with a huge portion of catchiness – making the track a true highlight of The Great Beast.

Click here to listen to the 'Chamber of Nightmares' on YouTube.

Brooklyn says the following about his underlying inspiration:

“'In 1920, Crowley founded the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalu, Sicily. A temple, spiritual center and anti-monastery, that he wanted to transform into a global center of magical devotion. Aleister covered its walls in surrealistic murals; massive, colorful images of cyclopes, goblins and other creatures. He referred to his bedroom as the ‘Chambre des Cauchemars’ – the 'Chamber of Nightmares' – and sometimes locked his devotees in his bedroom for hours on end after giving them hallucinogens. The psychedelics probably caused the murals to come to life, and Crowley did this in order for his devotees to ‘overcome their fears’. The song is about the events described above, and probably the most radio-friendly track on the record. It features samples of Crowley saying ‘Courage!’ and ‘Or as flowers in their beauty, for the chamber of righteousness’.”