may be best known as a professional director and actor, but years prior to his career as a filmmaker, he was a skilled musician Daggers

got his start in 1995 as a solo keyboardist who wrote dark orchestral string arrangements. Just months after honing his talents,
Daggers wrote six tracks under the moniker,The Soundtrack Killers and opened one performance for the legendary “gothic” femme fatale;
Eva O, who is best known for her seminal work in Rozz Williams Christian Death and Shadow Project.
 

Around the same time that Daggers was establishing himself as a keyboardist, he formed and fronted the now defunct deathrock band, BlackMass 99. The band was heavily influenced by the sounds of early L.A. Punk, as well as the darkness of bands that formed out of the legendary Batcave scene. In 1997 the band was invited to perform in New York City’s Pyramid Club at the Curse Of The Hearse
festival which was formed by the late Paul Morden (Brickbats). Sadly, the band never made the trip. Internal troubles and a plague of revolving members not only prevented the band from playing the show, but also lead to the bands final demise in 1999.

 

In the year 2000, Daggers met Italian singer/composer, Miles Faber. Faber had just released her first album “New Songs For Marching Armies” on her independent label, Fulgur Music. Daggers was impressed by her sound,but thought that the chanteuse needed a stronger keyboard presence. The two talked in great detail and quickly decided to form a side project, Kamiyatherapy. Daggers composed all of the music, much of which had been used or written for The Soundtrack Killers, while Faber provided a haunting and almost operatic vocal meandering. With a collection of songs suitable for a full length release, Faber began to do a final mix of the tracks, all the while preparing a European tour. Upon hearing the final mix of the album, Daggers felt that his beautiful string arrangements had been muddled by excessive reverb and delay, to the point where he hardly recognized his own compositions. Disappointed by Fabers direction as a sound engineer, he decided to leave the band and cancel the tour. Taking all of his music with him. 

 

Frustrated by bands that either lacked the same drive and ambition or, musician who simply did not share the same vision, Daggers decided to take an undetermined hiatus from music. In 2005 Daggers found that his love for music was unfaltering. He decided that he would do a solo studio project that focused on his love for early Industrial music. In just one afternoon, Daggers wrote “Everything In you" and decided to release the song under the moniker of, Kult Ikon. Daggers later stated that the band name was inspired by his affinity and morbid curiosity for cults. And while Daggers admits that “Everything In You” is one of his favorite songs, he also declares that the song had been written before the structure of the project had been full developed. “Most people might not even pick up on the fact that my vocals on 'Everything In You’ were loosely inspired by Elvis Preseley.” While Daggers openly admits that his main passion is singing, and had done so in many of the bands that he had formed dating back to his early school days, he was looking to do something different. “I wanted to focus on music. And I wanted to incorporate a heavy use of samples, similar to the early Industrial bands that inspired me. Bands like Test Dept, Consolidated and early My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. Early KMFDM and Ministry.” Daggers would leisurely work on Kult Ikon songs over the next several years. Stockpiling a catalog songs until he had accumulated nearly 30 songs that he would narrow down for the first release. “I really enjoyed with what I was doing with Kult Ikon and I didn’t feel the need to rush it. Working on Kult Ikon was therapeutic and was something that I could do in the down time of my then burgeoning film career”. 

 

In 2009 Daggers decided to release the first Kult Ikon album entitled, “A Slight Case Of Over Embalming” A name play on the Sisters Of Mercy album, “
A Slight Case Of Overbombing
” He labeled the music as “ Industrial Terrorcore". A fitting term for the in your face beats and audio samples ripped for horror films or terrifying 911 calls. The release was comprised of 18 songs and received a great deal of media attention. The album track “Code187“ was included on the UK fanzine; Bubblegum Slut, 2009 sampler. Germany’s Obliveon Magazine also gave the release rave reviews, stating “Johnny Daggers doesn't give a darn about being conventional, about the music business, society or the expectations of people who listen to his music.” The publication went on to add, “Nothing is holy to Johnny Daggers, whether the ethnic and moral principles or the supposed accomplishments of a degenerate society, which he holds a mirror to the face of in his songs. It hurts, physically and psychologically but reach its desired effect.“ Kult Ikon also received cover mention on Inclination Magazine along the side of Dope, John 5 and The Black Label Society.

In 2010 Johnny Daggers film career took and unexpected soar, and eventually became his full time profession, leaving little time for music and Kult Ikon went on hiatus at the peek of their success. “The one thing that I love about Kult Ikon is that it is just me. There are no external pressures and I can work on it as I please. If that means waiting a few years between releases than I can do that.” It would be five years before the world would hear a new Kult Ikon release. 

 

In 2014 Daggers wrote and recorded “God Hates You”. “I had just begun work on a new film when the bug hit me to write a new Kult Ikon song. I didn’t have the energy or time to write an entire album, but felt compelled to write a  new song.” Having little time for a new album, Daggers decided to re-release the out of print debut, change the album name to “God Token” and adding “God Hates You” as a bonus track, along with a remix version of Daggers personal favorite,“Painless Death”. In April of 2015 Daggers officially re-released and revamped the debut album through CDbaby. The album omitted the song “Everything In You” but was released as a single which is also available for sale through CDbaby.

We have not heard the last of KULT IKON, but when we do, it will be when we least expect it.