Dust Prophet Summon Stark Memories of Jonestown in New Music Video
Revolutionary. That's what the people of Jonestown, a makeshift communal colony transplanted from a church in San Francisco deep into the steamy jungles of Guyana, thought of their way of life -- and especially of their highly esteemed leader, The Reverend Jim Jones. The proper name for this 918-person strong camp was The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project and it obtained international notoriety before many of us were ever born to witness its terrible demise on November 18th, 1978.
The cult of Jim Jones began and ended in spectacular fashion, first with the revolutionary notion of reforming a culture rife with racism, inequality, and injustice, only to join the disillusionment of its leader to separate from that world entirely and form the ideal Kingdom of God upon earth. Many have attempted it throughout the centuries, few have had the fortitude to withstand the predatory prophets that tend to go power mad with the thought of controlling the lives of willing subjects. As you might know, especially if you've watched the moving 2006 documentary Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple or seen the Ti West's convincing found footage horror film based upon its more sensational elements, Jonestown ended with the largest slaying of American men, women, and children before 9-11.
The mass suicide, predicated on the unyielding faith of Jim Jones' followers, has naturally invited curiosity from musicians -- most recognizably by Church of Misery in their album, 'Greetings from Jonestown' (2009). When I found out a newly formed New Hampshire band called DUST PROPHET was readying to release a song and music video based upon the events of Jonestown, I was quite curious and ultimately invited them to this site to premiere it.
Dust Prophet is the collective of singer Heather Lynn, bassist Sarah Wappler, guitarist Otto Kinzel, and drummer Marc Brennan. As they gear up for a 2019 record, they're teasing out their vision -- first with "The Big Lie" single and now with "Revolutionary Suicide." Striking a notably darker tone than their predecessors, Dust Prophet's composition begins with stern bass tones, met with acid-spiked psychedelic twang and a soft blend of voices, before picking up a more strident tone with railing Sabbathian guitars and singing that recalls Sabbath Assembly and hints at Blood Ceremony. "Your so close to heaven" are the words that conclude the song, implying that perhaps we've been hearing the inner voices of the unfortunate souls who were assured that drinking the poisoned Kool-Aid would be a most revolutionary act.
You'll soon find the single here for download and should definitely keep your finger on the pulse of this band moving forward. Doom is alive and well in 2019 and Dust Prophet is leading the charge.
The End Of All We Know Is Coming...
Heavy riffs, haunting vocals, fuzzy tones, weird sounds, monstrous beats...this is Dust Prophet. The fuzzed-out, doomed New Hampshire band's new music video reminds of us the surreal events of Jonestown, bearing words of caution about the seductive sway of charismatic mad men.
Drawing inspiration from humanity's fragile existence, as well as genre-defining bands like Black Sabbath, Kyuss, and Clutch, Dust Prophet is poised to take the stoner rock world by storm.
The Big Lie by Dust Prophet
Hailing from Manchester, New Hampshire, Dust Prophet came together in 2018 as the project of longtime friends and musical collaborators Sarah Wappler (bass) and Otto Kinzel (guitar). Soon joined by fellow scene veterans Heather Lynn (vocals) and Marc Brennan (drums), the band shifted into high gear writing music.
They released their apocalyptic debut single "The Big Lie" in October 2018, putting them on the map with critics and listeners in the underground music scene. Recorded by Kinzel at his home studio, with post-production done by Massachusetts studios Amps vs. Ohms and New Alliance East, the song was spotlighted on The Obelisk as well as podcasts across the country.
With their next single "Revolutionary Suicide" coming out in January 2019 & premiering on Doomed & Stoned, Dust Prophet is on the fast track to notoriety -- if the world doesn't end first.
