Cinematic is an over-used adjective when it comes to describing music that is more concerned with creating an atmosphere than with straight song structures.
It is nevertheless an apt word for the enigmatic and unashamedly psychedelic experience of Magdalena Solis. Theirs is a soundtrack to a movie that that has not been made yet, but I’ll be first in line when it is.
The name is taken from that of a prostitute and serial killer who was also known as the High Priestess of Blood through her involvement in a blood drinking sex cult in Monterey, Mexico in 1963.
They released an EP early in 2010 called Lady of the Wild Things on Reverb Worship which you can download for free at Bandcamp. This might have been their one and only record if the independent label Dying For Bad Music had not stepped in to save the day.
This week sees the release of their second album Hesperia with a striking cover image of a woman who could either be in a state of sexual ecstasy or a victim of the Mexican blood cult (perhaps even both!).
It is beautiful in a strange other-worldly way and titles like ‘Crown Your Whores And Burn Your Kings’ and ‘Cities Crumbling Planets Growing’ prepare the listener for a full-on feed your head experience.
I was curious to find out more about the 21st century cult of Magdalena Solis and ‘Drikka’ kindly agreed to answer some questions via e-mail.
I presume (perhaps wrongly) that you are not serial killers or involved in ritualistic sex, so what is it about the real life Magdalena Solis that attracts you?
Serial killers no, ritualistic sex yes ha-ha. The story of the real Magdalena Solis attracted us because it had similarities with a screenplay I was writing at the time. The cocktail of Aztec gods, marijuana, group sex and rituals in the original story were very exciting and inspiring. In general we like the idea of a small group of people abandoning society and creating a universe of their own, freeing themselves from all codes and rules. It’s the perfect revolution and to me the only kind of revolution that can seriously change the course of mankind. So I guess that’s why we were so attracted to it and decided to use it as band name. We also simply liked the name cos ‘Solis’ has the root ‘sol’ (sun) in it. Continue reading
