ʌnwˈɔntᵻd pʌblˈɪsᵻɾi kˈeɪm tə ðə bˈænd ɪnðə fˈɔːɹm əvə sɛnsˈeɪʃənəlˈɪstɪk ɛskwˈaɪɚ mˌæɡɐzˈiːn ˈɪʃuː ɛntˈaɪɾəld "ˈiːvəl lˈɜːks ɪn kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə" ɛskwˈaɪɚ, mˈɑːɹtʃ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti, wˌɪtʃ lˈɪŋkt kˈaʊntɚkˌʌltʃɚɹ ˈɪntɹɛst ɪnðɪ əkˈʌlt tə tʃˈɑːɹlz mˈænsən ænd ðə tˈeɪtlˌæ bɪˈɑːŋkə mˈɜːdɚz, wˌaɪl ˈɔːlsoʊ mˈɛnʃənɪŋ ðə wˈɪtʃkɹæft ˈælbəm ænd ɪts blˈæk mˈæs mətˈɪɹiəl.
Unwanted publicity came to the band in the form of a sensationalistic Esquire magazine issue entitled "Evil Lurks in California" (Esquire, March 1970), which linked counterculture interest in the occult to Charles Manson and the Tate-La Bianca murders, while also mentioning the Witchcraft album and its Black Mass material.