“He was called ‘the Wickedest Man In The World’ by the press – how can you fail to be fascinated by such a character?”: The twisted life and decadent times of Aleister Crowley, metal’s favourite occultist

A portrait of occultist Aleister Crowley.

Few figures continue to cast such a huge shadow over the metal scene as Aleister Crowley, the famous – and infamous – 20th century occultist. In 2006, Crowley aficionados Dani Filth, Ville Valo and more looked at metal’s undying love affair with the man known as The Great Beast.