Acey Slade


What does a former member of the Murderdolls and Dope do when seated near Ian Astbury of the Cult? Go fanboy, of course. For singer and guitarist Acey Slade, the chance meeting was all the more special. Slade's new backing band, the Dark Party, have just released 'The Dark Party.' Included amongst the tracks is a cover of 'She Sells Sanctuary,' a song the Cult originally recorded back in 1985.

"I was actually at dinner not too long ago," Slade laughs as he begins to recount a favorite story. "I sit down and I'm introduced to the guy in front of me. He's introduced as 'Ian.' It takes me a second until I figure out exactly who it is, and then I'm totally fanboy. I'm like 'Oh my f---ing god!' I was looking on my phone -- I have the song on my phone -- and I was all set and was like 'Should I or shouldn't I?' He was in one of those moods where I could tell he didn't want to be Ian from the Cult, so I kind of kept my mouth shut."

Naturally, Slade's story doesn't end there. Anyone near Astbury would surely do what Slade did next: comment on seeing a recent show. When Astbury seemed surprised and asked if Slade 'knew his stuff,' he might have gotten a little more than he bargained for.

"I kinda slipped a little and was like 'Yeah, I've got everything from 'Death Cult' and your solo albums and the Holy Barbarian albums," Slade laughs. At that moment, Astbury "slid away."

While Slade didn't get to explain his cover of 'She Sells Sanctuary' in full detail, meeting the song's creator was clearly an honor. The late-'80s and early-'90s alternative sound with a European influence is what 'The Dark Party' is all about. Even though 'She Sells Sanctuary' is a complicated and iconic track to cover, Slade says the song expresses where he's going musically.

"I figure everything has a 20-year pendulum, and we're coming up on that. I wanted to do something kind of like 'The Crow' soundtrack, and 'She Sells Sanctuary' is just a f---ing awesome song and I was up to the challenge to sing it, fortunately. That was my main concern. I always loved playing that riff on guitar, and then when I sang it, I was like 'Hey, I f---ing nailed it, yeah!'"

'The Dark Party' is available now via Trashpit Records.

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