- In recent times, I’ve been slowly but surely assimilating into the cult of Melbourne quartet Pagan, who have been releasing a handful of spells without any real indication as to whether these occult compositions were to be a part of a larger spell book (a.k.a an album). It may come across as corny to refer to singles released on bandcamp as spells but Pagan have curated their sound and aesthetic around burning through straight forward rock riffs with the hellacious sound of black metal and adding a metallic tinged punk dosage to the singed remains. Initially, they reminded me of Kvelertak, which was a huge bonus because those Norwegian gents remain one of my favourite bands but as each spell was cast and after sitting through the ritual that is Black Wash, that comparison, whilst sparking my intrigue, has been shrugged off and Pagan have come into a world of their own. The album is tied together with vocalist Nikki Brumen delivering a foreboding refrain on both the album opener and closer and what happens in between these two bookends is as bombastic as it is a perfect launching platform.
The discordant opening melody could be pulled from a horror film and builds into the refrain that I mentioned before “we can never, ever escape”. As to what we can’t escape from or the reasons why, they don’t really seemed to be delved into or explained as Black Wash progresses but ultimately that's not a problem for this debut. From there, it’s straight into the lead single Death Before Disco and prior to Nikki coming through with her strained yelps, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a straight forward rock track: the riffs will trigger that atavistic part of your brain that governs involuntary head banging whilst it’s blasted forwards by a behemoth rhythm section. After the second chorus, the first indications of Pagan’s deceptively danceable sound come into frame as drummer Matt Marasco starts to fire sixteenth notes on the hi-hats like it’s no man’s business before sliding into an offbeat groove. Imitate Me continues the movement susceptibility, dropping from a similar groove to blast beats and one of the most captivating black metal sections I’ve heard all year. The vocal interplay towards the latter half of the track works well as a call and response, although it the backing vocals do swallow the leads. It doesn’t sit in the mix well but then before tailing out into the melodic outro and strained refrain there's one of the best vocal performances on the record. If only these vocals occupied more of the deep-seated hell raising area rather than the higher register.
Versatility is one of Pagan’s strengths and they play into it without missing a step. Being able to move from danceable black'n’roll on the two aforementioned tracks to the thumping one two of Holy Water and Blood Moon, gives you a scope of how far they can contort an otherwise stale and static sound. Both songs a tasteful rework of southern fried metalcore ala Every Time I Die with buzzy, barn-burning guitar work and another blistering performance from the rhythm section. Whilst they do work a tried and true metalcore sound in to their advantage, there’s not enough here to say this is record is a genre forerunner. It’s not a middle of the road record either. It’s one the better side of an otherwise dull sound. It’s swayed into being an exciting and blood pumping blend of straight forward aggression, black metal theatrics, and driving guitars. Despite being as excitable as it is, it doesn’t really give much reason to stick around longer than its run time allows for. It’s interesting, not enthralling. There are moments on here that do so but it doesn’t carry through. For an album that utilises prime elements from each genre it cherry picks, these sections could have been skewed into a more engaging style. The highlights were there and will remain in my memory but I think it would be a bit disingenuous to say that Black Wash will see repeat listens. Records like this, for me at least, should be pushing forward and clawing at your attention every second it’s on. For all your magic, Pagan, you don't have that hold over me.
- Matt Lynch.