Gargoyle Sox and That Song

Posted in Music, Pop Culture Holy Grail |

As The Master Sleeps

With the advent of technology and the ability to record digital versions of taped music via the home computer, I recently had my chance to share this unknown song with the world of the Internet, in the hopes of finally finding out who sang it.

The tape was of such poor quality (being about twenty years old and a retaped cassette with no case at that) that I could barely make out any lyrics. I tried Googling the few snippets I could decipher, but no luck.

my final surrender
but I’d been in the old house many nights before
. . . dream with no sense of fear or thought of escape
but tonight was different
when I came to I found myself in some sort of lair . . . snake on a spire
. . .
and ever since it’s been a life in hell
and ever since it’s been a life in hell

Then I uploaded it to the Internet and shared the link with my Facebook pals. Suggestions ranged from Fields Of The Nephilim to “one of those random bands that no one cares about like The Marionettes or Play Dead.” Someone else suggested early Christian Death. I looked up songs on MySpace and YouTube as well as the discographies of all four bands and quickly realized they were not responsible for this song.

Then a kind soul (who asked to remain anonymous) emailed me and said he was certain that the song was by a short-lived mid-80s Goth band known as Gargoyle Sox. After a hearty laugh at the name of the band, I looked them up and sure enough, someone had uploaded their music to a blog, which I immediately downloaded (Shhh! Don’t tell!). The song was mislabeled as “Little Pink Playhouse” but further listening has revealed that it is actually called “Succubus” and appeared on their 1985 EP As The Master Sleeps.

Gargoyle Sox

Apparently Gargoyle Sox was the brainchild of John Koester and Matt DeWan, who also ran a label called Manster Records in Detroit. Manster Records is no longer with us, but from its corpse rose Manster Music, a label with a website devoted to all the artists, past and present, who appeared on Manster.

According to the Gargoyle Sox bio on the Manster Music page:

From the industrial wastelands of Detroit came GARGOYLE SOX. Their dark, brooding songs feature throbbing guitars and pounding bass lines driven by drum machine crashes and pre-programmed synthesizer madness. The legends tell of wretched souls who witnessed a GARGOYLE SOX concert and have never been the same.

Listening to the rest of the Gargoyle Sox catalog (which also includes a full-length called Headless Horseman) reveals that none of the band’s songs are quite as good as “Succubus,” which is itself somewhat corny, but does have great atmosphere and a cool story to tell. It’s fine by me, because it’s awesome to finally know who sings the song and to listen to a clear version of it (with no parts slowed down) after all these years.

In fact, “Succubus” is such a cool song, I think it deserves more attention. Perhaps a current band—such as the mighty Weep—could cover it and bring “Succubus” to a wider audience. I’m sure the old Goths in this world would be pleased.

Both As The Master Sleeps and Headless Horseman have been remastered and reissued on CD and are available via Manster Music.

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