In this interview, Paganizer discusses their latest EP Forest of Shub Niggurath, delving into its Lovecraftian influences, the band’s creative process, and their return to Xtreem Music. They also share insights on their evolving sound and upcoming projects.
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1. First
off, congratulations on the release of Forest of Shub Niggurath! Can you tell
us what inspired the concept behind the EP, particularly its connection to the
Lovecraftian mythos?
Well its a basic death metal cliché I guess actually haha. I love the
Lovecraftian mythos and its lending itself greatly to be the aspect you use for
lyrics. Not all songs are Lovecraftian though, some are more regular horror
based as lets say Malediction Burns. But on the whole this EP is a homage to
the mythos indeed.
2. With over two decades in the death metal scene, how do you keep your
sound fresh while staying true to the brutal essence of Paganizer?
I dont know really... Do we keep it fresh? I think we’ve actually gone more
towards shorter more concise stuff lately, but then again, we always
incorporated crust and grind and did shorter stuff like on this EP. I think you
just need to play what come from your heart, and don’t worry if its generic or
fresh, just let it flow really.
3. This EP marks your return to Xtreem Music, the label that released some
of your earlier albums. How has the relationship with Xtreem evolved over the
years, and what made you decide to collaborate with them again?
Yes indeed, wich feels great too. Dave Rotten has been a very good friend for
decades so when we planned for this EP we wanted to ask him, and he immediately
agreed, so it was all very easy to do. Dave is easy to work with and there are
never any delays or bullshit excuses, he is a very very soild guy and I love
that.
4. You’ve included a track titled “Gasmask Obsession Redux” on this release.
How does this version differ from the original, and what motivated you to
revisit this track?
Well mainly the drums differ Id say. Fiebig had some ideas to update the
drumming, put some grind into it and we played it like this lately. So when we
planned the EP we thought Hey, why not record this song again too? And so we
did and I think it sounds really great updated, while still maintaining
everything from the original version too.
5. The EP feels like a prelude to something bigger, especially with the full-length album coming in 2025. Can you give us any hints about the direction or themes of the forthcoming album?
Its a bit of a mixed timeline really, as the EP was planned for after the album, as the album has been done for very long by now but delayed many times. So now it happened that they are released differently timed, its nothing we could do really. But yeah we are working on a new album now I can tell you also, wich goes along very well with the sound of the EP.
6. The song “Forest of Shub Niggurath” is an intriguing title. How did the themes of cosmic horror and the mythos of Shub Niggurath influence the songwriting process?
It crept in a little bit indeed. The titlae sounds murky and dirty almost, something horrible. And we wanted this slow crusty groove song to go with it, and it worked out really great if you ask me. I really love this song, its a creeper haha.
7. Paganizer’s sound is often described as blending atmospheric intensity with brutal death metal. How do you balance those two elements when writing new material?
Yeah we dont wanna just be into one style totally, we want to be oldschool as weve always been but also have good flow and good choruses inside the fdirty and foul heaviness. As ong should be both heavy and catchy if you ask me, and that is waht we think of when writing the music.
8. Your discography is vast, with 12 full-length albums and 9 EPs. Where does Forest of Shub Niggurath fit into Paganizer’s overall evolution?
Its a lot haha, and I think they all serve a purpose. Almost all anyways haha. I think the EP shows that we still have the dirty short songs with us, but also the ctachy stuff included and itll be revisited on the next album aswell. So the EP fits very well into the mass of releases so far.
9. Each member of Paganizer brings a wealth of experience to the table. How do you work together creatively as a band, and what was the writing and recording process like for this EP?
I usually write the music and then we rehearse it and everyone can say what they think. Fiebig arranges the drums, its always been like that. And it was the same process this time for the two main songs on the album. The other shorter more crusty grinding songs was just me and Fiebig improvising and recording as we went along. Me and him often do this as its fun and creative, and we end up with more spontaneous stuff wich is cool to add alnogside the more worked through songs.
10. The Swedish death metal scene has always been revered worldwide. How do you see Paganizer’s role in that scene, and what do you think sets Swedish death metal apart?
Well we came too late to be among the classic bands as we started out in 1994 as Terminal Grip, before changing the name in 1998 to Paganizer. But I guess these days when its been 30 years we are among the oldies in the scene indeed. We have always been met with respect and lots of people like what we do, so we feel we fit right in even if we never had the classic Swedish sound at all. We always sounded a bit different but we liked it that way. As for waht sets Swedish death metal apart, besides maybe the classic HM2 sound is that maybe there are more melodies in a way and more influence from the crust scene. You dont have that influence in lets say the US or the European scene.
11. Looking at the EP’s artwork and song titles, there's a strong thematic consistency. How important is it for you to create a cohesive narrative or atmosphere, both musically and visually?
Its very important I think. We told the title idea to the artwork guy Ivan Bragin and he came up with that Lovecraftian cover that fits killer. Everything should go along with eachother to make a complete package, thats really important I think. When you sit down with the album all the pieces should fit together.
12. Lastly, what can fans expect from Paganizer in the near future beyond the upcoming full-length album? Any plans for tours or special releases to promote Forest of Shub Niggurath?
Well we are already working on the next album, as the one coming out has been very delayed. And we have a festival gig planned in Denmark aswell, but besides that we take it a bit easy as always haha. I hope next year will bring more shows and that we can do a new album again rather soon, like a year after this coming one is released.
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