CVLT Nation is an international

online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to an online only magazine was the comput ...

established by Sean Reveron and Meghan MacRae in 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Founded primarily as an independent clothing brand inspired by

crust punk Crust punk (also known as stenchcore or simply crust) is a fusion genre of anarcho-punk and extreme metal that originated in the early to mid-1980s in England. Originally, the genre was primarily mid-tempo, making use of metal riffs in a stri ...

and

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

, its articles and music projects have gained considerable recognition. CVLT Nation is now based in Vancouver, Canada. The publication focuses on music, art and fashion, especially relating to underground musicians and visual artists of extreme metal, crust punk and

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

's heavier subgenres. It also features articles on real-life horror stories, such as

cults Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ha ...

and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

s. CVLT Nation's clothing art is either made by them or commissioned from metal and punk tattoo artists, musicians, and illustrators around the world, wherein

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

artists play a substantial part. According to Reveron, the company was intended to be international from the beginning, and most of its collaborators are from outside the United States.

History

CVLT Nation was founded in 2011 by Sean Reveron and his partner Meghan MacRae. Previously, both were part of the streetwear company RockersNYC from New York an
God's Prey
from Los Angeles. The couple decided to launch the company after attending an

Amebix Amebix were an English punk rock band from Tavistock, Devon. A pioneer of the crust punk genre, Amebix's merger of anarcho-punk and post-punk with elements of heavy metal music, heavy metal, particularly early extreme metal, inspired musicians ...

show in 2010 in Los Angeles, where they "felt at home" because their fashion and music tastes were based on metal and crust punk, as well as the community of these subcultures, said Reveron, which is at variance with the competitiveness of the fashion industry. Reveron stated that they were "trying to build a bridge between the music we love and the clothing we make". They started a blog as a complement for the clothing line, which soon became a proper web magazine; according to ''

Arkansas Times ''Arkansas Times'', a weekly alternative newspaper based in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, is a publication that has circulated more than 40 years, originally as a magazine. Founded as a small magazine on newsprint in 1977 by publisher A ...

'', CVLT Nation had become an "indispensable metal/punk/ hardcore online magazine" by 2012. In August 2015, CVLT Nation established the new marketplace site CVLT Nation Bizarre to sell their clothing alongside small-batch goods from other underground companies and record labels.

Music projects

Since its beginning, CVLT Nation has released series of free albums. The "Sonic Cathedrals" series are mixtapes curated by artists such as Nails,

Pallbearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...

and The Body, who choose songs from bands that influenced them. The "Doom Nation" series are

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

mixtapes. In January 2014, the publication began releasing the "CVLT Nation Sessions" series, which are cover compilation albums of classic recordings by underground artists. Albums covered include

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

's ''

Master of Reality ''Master of Reality'' is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in United Kingdom on 6 August 1971 by Vertigo Records. It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of doom metal, stoner rock, and slud ...

'',

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

' ''

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980, through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom, and I.R.S. Records in the United States. I ...

,''

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

's ''

Pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

,'' Black Flag's '' My War'' and

Sleep Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...

's '' Holy Mountain''. The CVLT Nation Sessions have been featured on Episode 67 of the metal and motorcycle podcast
Chop N' Roll
''.

Recognitions

In March 2015, ''

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

'' called CVLT Nation a "crucial resource for underground music". In March 2019,

Czech Radio Czech Radio (, ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating continuously since 1923. It is the oldest national radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second-oldest in Europe after the BBC. Czech Radio was esta ...

named it one of the four best independent punk websites, praising the quality of the underground artists featured despite the brand's substantial growth. Dave Cantrell of XRAY.FM credits the

darkwave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

articles of CVLT Nation for the foundation of his radio program ''Songs From Under the Floorboard'' and the Out From the Shadows

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

which started in 2018. CVLT Nation's album series have been praised by ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'', ''Metal Injection'' and ''

MetalSucks MetalSucks is an American heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock ...

''.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.cvltnation.com
CVLT Nation Bizarre
Internet properties established in 2011 Canadian music websites Fashion websites Clothing brands Heavy metal publications Punk zines