Satan's Pilgrims

Satan's Pilgrims drew their name from the 1960s B-movie Satan's Sadists. Portland, Oregon supplied the setting for a sound that fused retro-surf textures with vigorous garage rock, channeling the visceral force and instrumental command of the Ventures, the Sonics, the Wailers, and the Kingsmen while absorbing cues from horror films, Joe Meek productions, and the British Invasion. Shared labelmates the Fathoms and Space Cossacks traveled a parallel path when the early-1990s surf revival, ignited by Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and its spotlight on Dick Dale's "Misirlou," carried the group to modest mainstream traction through pivotal releases such as Around the World with Satan's Pilgrims in 1997 and the self-titled fifth album in 1999. After dissolving in 2000, the musicians reassembled for concerts beginning in 2005 and returned in 2017 with Siniestro, their first batch of original surf material in nearly ten years.

Dave on guitar and keyboards, Bobby on guitar, John on bass, Scott on guitar, and Ted on drums—all adopting the surname Pilgrim in Ramones fashion—launched the project in 1992 as a house-party act. By 1994 regional audiences responded to their high-energy performances and coordinated vampire capes, prompting Empty Records to issue the debut full-length At Home with Satan's Pilgrims in 1995. Soul Pilgrim appeared the same year, Around the World with Satan's Pilgrims followed in 1997 as the final Empty outing, Creature Feature surfaced in 1998 on Washington surf/garage imprint Estrus, and the self-titled Satan's Pilgrims arrived in 1999 via Los Angeles independent label Musick Recordings. Exhaustive touring at home and overseas continued until the members chose to disband in 2000.

Musick's 2004 compilation Plymouth Rock: The Best of Satan's Pilgrims rekindled attention and led to a 2005 reunion gig that expanded into further appearances in 2006. Full activity resumed by 2009 with the psych-rock instrumental collection Psychsploitation. Recorded inside an abandoned Masonic Lodge, 2017's Siniestro signaled a return to the reverb-soaked surf aesthetic of the band's earliest recordings.