The bassist and drummer started exploring music together in early 2018 after the drummer answered an ad for: Bass Player Looking Heavy Fuzz | Doom | Stoner | Psyche | Sludge.

Initial jams included enthusiastic but chaotic approaches to stunt guitar. After some months it was decided an actual guitarist was needed. After a few unsuccessful jams, the bassist met a guitarist he knew and asked him if he would be interested in seeing where it goes. After being given the wrong directions, the guitarist made it to the practice space.

Because early jams were essentially guitar-less, the music writing process ended up following a similar format: typically, ideas for basslines were brought in to work on with the drums, before being presented as longer ideas for the guitar. This approach freed the guitar up to explore sonic territory, and counterpoint, rather than leaning heavily into doubling and unison. The drums and bass lay that foundation for the guitar.

By mid 2019 Kult Ikon was playing shows. In late 2019 Sheet Metal Sessions were self-recorded in the practice space. The sessions are available on CD or as a download. Its release coincided with the plague.

The trio took a short break as the world went into lock down, but soon they were back in the practice space trying to process and exorcize. Things were slow-going, with pieces of music being discarded or completely reorganized after months of work.

As the world reset and restarted Kult Ikon were putting together the final pieces of music that would become their forthcoming, self-recorded album Black Iron Prison An early version of Lost Sea was released as a single and is part of the Weedian: Trip to North Carolina compilation.

Kult Ikon’s music is slow, heavy, and introspective. It occupies a space between post-metal and progressive doom with long mid-tempo pieces. The music ebbs and flows from prettiness to heaviness, draped across unexpected structures, creating compelling listening.