Summon: How did the band get started?
Nerast: Lümfa and I first met in 2008 and soon after that we started talking about making some ghoulish black metal, being for many years inspired by Norwegian black metal bands of the early ’90s like Thorns, Zyklon B, Dødheimsgard, Ulver, etc. The main reason was to please ourselves and have something to listen to and play to our friends. At that time we were both in our other bands for years and the situation with those was becoming increasingly stale, so we had a lot to vent. The disgust with almost everything around us played a huge part as well.
Summon: What kind of music do you play?
Nerast: Black Metal with a twist.
Summon: How has the fan response been?
Nerast: Most people who approach us after hearing our music or seeing us live seem supportive. It wouldn’t make any difference to us if they weren’t.
Summon: Where did the band name come from?
Nerast: The word “pogavranjen” doesn’t exist in our language, we made it up in drunken stupor. It would describe someone who has morphed into a raven-like creature, a were-raven.
Summon: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Nerast: Glaatz – drums, Stid – guitar, Kabur – guitar, Nerast – vocalist, Lümfa – bass guitar.
Summon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Nerast: Lümfa makes the song structure and the rest of us build upon that. I write most of the lyrics.
Summon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Nerast: A large portion of lyrics deals with misanthropy, nihilism, loathing, isolation, and the idea of putting man back to his place, among the beasts and off the top of the food chain.
Summon: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism?
Nerast: Occultism and paganism take years of study and practice and commitment. I wouldn’t want to flirt with that if I wasn’t 100% committed and serious about it, which none of us are. To use it as some kind of gimmick is weak. I don’t see Pogavranjen as that kind of band. As for satanism, I don’t even know what’s it supposed to be nowadays. If it’s about spiritual individuality, well I can have that without labeling it or being part of some cult. And since it’s partly derived from Judeo-Christian system of belief, i don’t want anything to do with it. As a band, we’re not interested in worshiping anything other than the fall of man by man himself.
Summon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Nerast: 2 so far, 3rd is on its way. Our first recording, “The Void Transmission” was a demo CD recorded and “released” by ourselves in 2008, then released on tape by Legion Blotan in 2012. We recorded our second EP, “Povijest Trovanja” in 2011. but it’s still waiting for official release. A few strictly underground labels picked it up, so we’ll see what happens. Right now we’re finishing recording our first LP, “Raspored Užasa”.
Summon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Nerast: The songs on “Raspored Užasa” are more complex than the old material, but without overdoing it, there are more things going on in each song but it still has that black metal edge, it’s raw, jagged, grim and eerie, aggressive, maybe a bit more refined. When we started this band we were aiming for that primal old school black metal. Naturally it evolved with our appetites, becoming darker, uglier. It has to sound wrong.
Summon: Do you have any side projects?
Nerast: Kabur plays in Gods Of Chaos, a noise-mongering powerhouse, Glaatz plays in another Croatian BM band called Celephais in which he played drums before joining Pogavranjen. Stid played in Croatian death metal band Usud for many years before they put it on hold. Lümfa has been working on his solo thing lately, called Sive Rane.
Summon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Nerast: Too many to mention, all the way from early metal to avant-garde and experimental and what not
Summon: What is the band like when you play live?
Nerast: For us live shows don’t come first, so we don’t plan much in terms of theatrics and things like that. It’s a matter of time, place and mood. As long as the lights on stage are kept at the minimum, we’re fine.
Summon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Nerast: No.
Summon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Nerast: We’re usually too busy with our tools to count them.
Summon: How is the crowd response when you play?
Nerast: So far they were very appreciative. Some people got annoyed with the general lack of spikes and corpse paint on stage, and for being such superficial cunts, they’re always welcome to go fuck themselves.
Summon: What do you think of the US Black Metal/Death Metal scene?
Nerast: Thralldom, Leviathan, Repulsion
Summon: What do you think of the Overseas scenes?
Nerast: I don’t really pay attention to any scene, i hear about new releases from other band members.
Summon: What are some of new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Nerast: Blutvial, Umoral and Vector.
Summon: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Nerast: As soon as we finish recording “Raspored Užasa”. We have some ideas about our next thing which will probably be a 3 song EP. Kabur has one song already up his sleeve.
Summon: What does the future hold for the band??
Nerast: Hopefully a lot more blackened songwriting and recording.
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/Pogavranjen
http://pogavranjenband.bandcamp.com/
