Hippie Death Cult at X-Ray Arcade

A stoner/doom metal band formed in 2017 by multi-instrumentalist Eddie Brnabic (Beggars Ball, ex-Blessid Electric, ex-Moto-Shiner, ex-Brothership Connection, and ex-Zappada) when he moved to Portland, Oregon, USA from Los Angeles. After trying a few different lineups with the new material he was working on, Brnabic recruited his girlfriend, Laura Phillips to play bass, ex- Nether Regions drummer Ryan Moore, and Ben Jackson (Sioux, ex-A((wake))) to handle keyboard/vocals. With this lineup, the band released their debut full-length 111 on Cursed Tongue Records in 2019. The album received positive reviews and lead to a deal with US/Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds, who would release the split with High Reeper Doom Sessions, Vol. 5 in 2021 and HDC's follow up album Circle of Days the same year. This would be their last release as a quartet as months after the album's release, Ben Jackson announced his departure from the band, leaving Phillips to take over on vocals. Despite some concern over the future of the group following Jackson's departure, a set at the Heavy Psych Sounds Festival in San Fransisco in 2022 proved to fans that they had nothing to worry about. That summer, the trio would embark on a tour of the U.S.A., featuring stops at Ripplefest in Austin, Texas and Psycho Las Vegas. The year would also see their first release as a trio with the single for Nice to Know You in July. Ryan Moore would also part ways with the band in November 2022, and the remaining (temporary) duo would announce his replacement Harry Silvers (Robots of the Ancient World) in early 2023. After adding Silvers to the lineup, the band would release singles for Arise and Better Days in July and August respectively before the release of their third full-length Helichrysum on Heavy Psych Sounds. In early 2024, the band posted a cover of the Nirvana song Aneurysm featuring guest backing vocals from Amanda Lance (Spirit Mother) for digital download on their Bandcamp page.