Pagan: Black Wash
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Pagan: Black Wash

As the eerie ‘Il Malocchio Si Apre’ brings in a slow burning riff and Niki’s brutal vocals scream “Inside this church of Black Wash, we can never, ever escape” listeners are introduced to the ominous offerings of the Pagan cult, but are they prepared for what’s to come?
Going straight into the albums primary singles ‘Death Before Disco’ and ‘Silver’ you are thrown into the well of fast-paced punk rock riffs and brutal yet dancy vocals before the rerecorded version of ‘Imitate Me’ blisters into the sound that the bands ever-growing fan base has grown to love.
The latter of Black Wash, which primarily features unreleased songs is where the bands new sound really comes into play. From the sinister yet frantic undertones of songs such as ‘Blood Moon’ and ‘Holy Water’ you see just how well Pagan have adopted their cultish sound. Adopting the brutality of their earlier work mixed in with high energetic riffs listeners are shown the full spread of the genre-defining act.
‘Black Wash’ is not an album that is bound by genres or what is expected of Australian heavy music, instead, it’s an incredibly diverse and well rounded album that shows fans just how beautifully obscure heavy music can be and is a must have for any fans of anything a bit…darker.
EVP Recordings
Reviewed by Alex Callan