Led by the hard-hitting likes of Youth Code, 3TEETH and Boy Harsher, industrial music is experiencing a legit renaissance. Enter L.A. industrial-rock insurgents CONTRACULT Collective, comprised of members Svart (vocals, production), Culprit (guitar) and BX (synthesizer, backup vocals). The rising group announced their signing to rock and metal stronghold Roadrunner Records earlier this year and, thus far, have three abrasive singles to their name, a reinventive take on Hole’s 1993 alt-rock classic “Violet” and the two original cuts “Hogtied” and “WDYT.” The last of these arrived on April 24th with a frenetic DIY music video filmed by the band members themselves while in quarantine during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
For those intrigued by this harsh new voice in the world of industrial music comes the first installment of The Pit’s mini-documentary series The Heavy Among Us. Titled What Burns in the Soul: CONTRACULT Collective, the just-released short film gives viewers an inside look at the incendiary vision that drives the band’s core duo of Svart and Cultprit. In the doc, the two open up about the origins of the band, the link between industrial music and BDSM, and their resistance and opposition to many trends that have plagued the heavy-metal industry for years. In addition, the short offers up a behind-the-scenes peek at CONTRACULT’s first-ever live show, in Los Angeles at the Echo in February 2020.
What Burns in the Soul: CONTRACULT Collective was directed and produced by The Pit’s editorial director, Cat Jones. And features additional production by Drew Kaufman, who shot and edited the doc. Sound was recorded and mixed by Brett McCabe. Watch below.
