INTERVIEW: Dan Bonnici – Pagan

The past several years has seen an explosion of talent emerge from the land from down under. Australia’s booming heavy music scene now has the global spotlight as more bands are breaking out and establishing names for themselves. Intending to join their countrymen is PAGAN who arrive hot on the scene with their debut full length record Black Wash (read our review here). The product of three years hard work since their inception back in 2015, Black Wash‘s blend of black metal, punk and vintage rock ‘n’ roll is something fresh and should catapult PAGAN up the ranks in today’s heavy music climate. With the release of Black Wash just around the corner, we spoke with bassist Dan Bonnici to lift the lid on their upcoming debut, including its themes and fresh sound, alongside discussing on how the band will cement their place amongst the competition.

So you are set to release your debut album Black Wash this Friday (July 6th). What can people expect from your upcoming record?

Dan: Black Wash is the most fully realised PAGAN work to date. It’s the full picture of everything we’ve been hinting at for so long, and we’ve taken everything that our band has celebrated musically in the past but made it bigger, louder, prettier, uglier and much more dynamic. When you hear it you will hear four people who love and care about each other very much, exorcising their devils together.

The album arrives three years after your formation in 2015. Whilst some bands tend to drop albums quickly after forming, did you decide to take your time to define your sound on this record?

Dan: It was a mix of a few things. When PAGAN began, the plan was to record a demo, play a show and then break up. But we quickly realised it was far too enjoyable to give up on that quickly. There was still no plan to actually ever make an album though and we’d planned to release 13 singles and THEN break up, until we started speaking with our friend Lochlan at EVP Recordings who seemed to really believe in the band and what a PAGAN album could be, and that was sort of the turning point where we decided to get some of the music we’d been working out, and flesh it out into a full length release.

The arrival of this record follows live shows with KING PARROT, RISE AGAINST to name just a few. How were those live experiences and do you believe it has built a solid platform for you to release this record?

Dan: Absolutely. That KING PARROT tour in particular was really good for us in that was six shows in six cities over six days. Every day was just waking up, flying, heading to the venue, partying a bit, sleep and repeat. It was tough on our bodies and minds, but it was a really good introduction to a few of the major Australian cities that we were yet to play to that point. We also did a huge tour with our friends in CLOWNS just before that which kind of did the same thing for us in some smaller towns throughout the East Coast.

Can you describe the writing and recording process for Black Wash?

Dan: It’s very organic really. Either myself or Xavier [Santilli, guitars] will come in with some ideas that the four of us will filter through and decide on which ones will work as PAGAN songs. Then we’ll sort of just play through them over and slowly weave these ideas into songs. Putting the songs together is the quick part, but we then spend a lot of time on the finer details; how a verse becomes a chorus, song dynamics, and all of that. We record everything on our phones and come back to the next practice with refinements we’d like to try, and Nikki [Brumen, vocals] usually writes the first edit of her lyrics within a week of us starting a new song. It pretty basic but quite meticulous.

As far as recording goes, again it’s always been a pretty straightforward process. We record everything with our dearest friend Mike Deslandes, and he has a really efficient way of working where no time is wasted between takes and he is able to just keep us on our toes and get the best performances out of us. With Black Wash, Matt [Marasco, drums] and I tracked the drums and bass live together over a couple of days which gave everything a really great vibe and energy. Xavier built his wall of guitars of the top of that. Nikki somehow recorded pretty much all of her vocals in a day and then we spent some time recording backing vocals, synths and tambourines. I usually hate the recording process because I find it really stressful and daunting, but making this record was actually one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had.

In terms of the lyrical topics explored on this record, Black Wash explores a whole manner of topics. So, can you explain what sort of themes, messages and concepts are addressed on this record?

Dan: Nikki is the queen of metaphors and uses. The easiest way to explain the overall idea of Black Wash is that it follows the story of a person coming to the realisation that they are stuck in a relationship or situation that the don’t want to be in, but feel as though there is no escape. This concept is compared to the idea of someone devoting themselves a cult or religious sect because they so badly desire something to believe in, only to realise they the whole time they were blinded by false hope. The lyrics on this record are very personal to Nikki and reflect on a lot of things that have happened to her that I wouldn’t feel comfortable elaborating on, but this kind of sums it up.

Musically, the sound you’ve crafted is quite difficult to pigeon-hole into one particular genre. There’s elements of black metal, punk and classic rock n’ roll. Can your elaborate on your influences and how they’ve impacted the sound of PAGAN?

Dan: I think when the band first began we did have a few bands in mind that we kind of cited as individual influences. Overtime though, rather than trying to steal ideas directly from other bands, the way PAGAN sounds has just become an amalgamation of the music that we grew up on and the music we listen to now. Hardcore punk and black metal will always hold a special place in our hearts, but most of us have branched out as we’ve gotten older and we’ve found and derived influences from a lot of other places; electronic and dance music, jazz and classical and heaps of 70s and 80s guitar rock. We really enjoy sharing music with each other and kind of challenging each other – “How could WE do something like this, but make it sound like PAGAN?”

Mixing elements of black metal to the slick style of rock n’ roll isn’t something that most people would put together. Did you find any difficulties trying to incorporate these two contrasting styles?

Dan: I mean, to be fair I think KVELERTAK were making that concept work in Norway well and truly before us, and they were definitely a band we were all listening to when PAGAN started. I don’t think it’s difficult to for us to make it work. It’s very important that people understand that nothing about PAGAN is contrived. Our biggest concern with writing a song is that it flows and has the right vibe. No one ever says “we did a disco part here so the next bit needs to have blast beats!” It’s more about what our instincts tell us, and what feels natural for the song.

And by refusing to be pigeon-holed into one particular style, do you believe this helps give PAGAN a sense of identity amongst other bands in your scene?

Dan: I think so. I think that everything that we do is pretty unmistakably ours and that’s only because we all put so much of ourselves into every aspect of PAGAN, so there is definitely a sense of identity and uniqueness. Whether everyone “gets it” though us a whole separate discussion…

Speaking of your scene, there seems to be something in the water with Australia with a whole host of quality bands breaking through at the moment. How is the scene from your point of view and why do you think that there seems to be a rise in Australian talent?

Dan: Australia has a pretty sparkling musical history. I think an element of the Australian pub-rock ethic of the 70s and 80s will live on forever; working relentlessly, writing great songs and entertaining every crowd you play to and really earning your keep. I think it’s a mentality that has been ingrained in us here over the years. To be honest though, there has never not been a thriving music community and world-class bands here, I think the rest of the globe just forgot for a while until PARKWAY DRIVE and THE SMITH STREET BAND happened.

With Black Wash being your debut record, what do you hope to achieve with this record?

Dan: We worked our fingers to the bone to make this record. Finally getting to hold a copy in my hot little hands will be the achievement in itself. Anything that happens from there will undoubtedly be a very welcome bonus for us, but I genuinely feel like if this album was to totally flop and nothing came of it I’d still be so proud of myself and my best friends for making it. Further to that, if people listen to it and it makes them think or feel something and find something on it that they can connect to, even better.

And I presume that following the record’s release, the attention will turn to the road. What touring plans do you have coming up and can we expect you on UK shores any time soon?

Dan: Lots of travel plans. We’ll actually be in Byron Bay the day the record comes out playing at a Brewery, and I actually think it’s hilarious that nobody realised they were putting PAGAIN in a Brewery in paradise on the day our album comes out. Bad idea! We’re playing the Dead of Winter Festival the next day in Brisbane, and from there we go out on our first ever headline tour in celebration of the album in August, with shows across a bunch of major Australian cities. We’re desperately hoping to be visiting your side of the pond by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!

To close, we’ll offer you the floor. Do you have anything to say to the readers of Distorted Sound?

Dan: Thank you for checking out PAGAN. Hail Satan. Drink Fe.

Black Wash is set for release on July 6th via Hassle Records.

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