Musicians: Have you ever believed a certain progression of chords could open a portal to something evil?

[JGalt]

First of all, I will say that I'm not a believer in conspiracy theories, hoodoo/voodoo, or things I can't see, feel, or touch with my own hands.. But there was a time in my life after several decades of being a guitar player, I came to a point where I started feeling as if some of the progressions of chords and riffs I was repeatedly playing were becoming repetitive chants, incantations, and mantras that were opening a spiritual portal to something that I wasn't sure was benign.

The pagan "religion" will bear me out on this: Many ancient pagan "religions" (and even some modern New Age practices) use repeated phrases to summon deities, speak with the dead, or cast spells. Jesus warned in Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” This is not just about prayer etiquette. It’s also a warning against ritualistic chanting like the pagans did.

Since then, I have long since given up on playing music for more than several reasons. But I did have a startling experience on September 10, 2025, when Charlie Kirk was shot. Two weeks prior to that horrible event, I had been playing one single track of a CD I found. The song was titled "Shoot High Aim Low" by the band Yes, and was on their 1987 album Big Generator. For some reason, I had that song on an infinite repeat on my car stereo player, because I had become addicted to it.

Surely this is a coincidence, but I don't play that song much any more.

 

[Dante]

Alcoa Presents One Step Beyond - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hey you, don't watch that
Watch this!
This is the heavy heavy monster sound
The nuttiest sound around
So if you've come in off the street
And you're beginning to feel the heat
Well listen buster
You better start to move your feet
To the rockinest, rock-steady beat
Of madness
One step beyond!

One Step Beyond (1959)

One Step Beyond, also known as Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, was an anthology show created by Merwin Gerard that aired on ABC. It predated its better-known competitor The Twilight Zone (1959) by nine months (it premiered on January 20, 1959; …

tvtropes.org

"The amazing drama you’re about to see is a matter of human record. You may believe it, or not, but the real people who lived this story — they believe it. They know. They took that... one step beyond."
— John Newland's Opening Narration

 

[Dante]

One Step Beyond, also known as Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, was an anthology show created by Merwin Gerard that aired on ABC. It predated its better-known competitor The Twilight Zone (1959) by nine months (it premiered on January 20, 1959; Twilight Zone debuted in October). It was hosted by John Newland, who referred to himself on camera as "your guide to the supernatural" (he was also the series' director).

Like The Twilight Zone, the series presented stories that were supernatural and eerie in nature. Unlike The Twilight Zone, the show claimed to be a Docudrama; every spooky episode was (supposedly) inspired by true events and was presented as a reenactment. Topics included death premonitions, Astral Projection, ghosts, Psychic Powers, unexplained phenomena and strange coincidences.

Many soon-to-be famous actors guest starred on the show, including Warren Beatty, Charles Bronson, Kenneth Cope, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Lee, Jack Lord, Patrick Macnee, Yvette Mimieux, Elizabeth Montgomery, Edward Platt, Donald Pleasence, Pernell Roberts, William Shatner, David White, and Peter Wyngarde.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Now that you mention it, Steve Howe IS starting to look a lot like Rick Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show.