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Subverting religion. Donning ghostly face paint and all-black attire. Shredding. Certain theatrical elements will forever remain metal as hell — and have captivated generations of fans and catapulted artists from Alice Cooper to King Diamond to Ghost to worldwide success.
The cryptic new four-piece band Dogma checks all these boxes. But this group — which performs in low-cut nuns’ habits and bills itself as “a cult, a sect, a secret society” — has done something no other band in their tradition dared: They wrote a song about using a corncob as a gateway to sexual liberation.
The tune in question, “My First Peak,” sounds a little like a glam-metal Lady Gaga fronting Ozzy’s No More Tears-era band, which means it’s powerful. Lyrics about raw corn as a pleasure-giver are, well, raw — but they speak to the larger message behind Dogma’s entire operation.
“We stand against the repression of self, including sexuality,” the group’s statement of purpose reads. “If you want something, go for it.”
Not surprisingly, their seductive, catchy mix of NWOBHM-influenced occult rock is grabbing people’s attention, including MNRK Heavy (home of High on Fire, the Callous Daoboys and others), who are releasing their self-titled full-length debut.
Throughout the new record, Dogma — who are identified only by their pseudonyms: Lilith (vocals), Lamia (guitars), Nixe (bass) and Abrahel (drums) — lay out their potent anti-repression “gospel.” “
Forbidden Zone” catalogs horny visions of Saint Michael slaying Satan. The video for “Carnal Liberation,” which cannily plays around with a church organ, reaches its climax with a full-on orgy soundtracked by a histrionic guitar solo and pounding drums.
Dogma, as a project, are upfront about their aims, which are built around 13 motivational principles (beginning with “be a person of integrity”) that push a strong individualist, anti-religious platform. The players themselves are far more guarded about their own biographical details.
“We try to avoid everything that is related to a country or a physical place or our identities,” Lilith tells Revolver. “Because we don’t want to focus on that. We want to spread our message.”
The band’s chosen vessels for said message are profane nuns making heavy music that feels beamed directly from 1985: fist-pumping riffs, big choruses and a playful touch of melodrama (behold the Eurovision-ready synth in “Forbidden Zone”).
As Lilith explains, the decade represents their shared musical heritage: “We all have different backgrounds. We can range from Miles Davis to King Diamond to Aretha Franklin to Iron Maiden. If we put together what we all have in common, musically speaking, we all have a deep reverence for the music of the Eighties.”
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