Interviews: Palegazer
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out just like that?
“Palegazer” is derived from the concept of “The Pale” from the video game Disco Elysium.
In the game, “The Pale” is an immense, mysterious void that slowly erodes reality, memory, and physical matter as it spreads throughout the world.
The band name was also influenced by a character named “Paledriver” who is a weary, eccentric woman who drives a lorry through the Pale, exposing herself to its disorienting effects and damaging her perception of reality.
Our concept of “The Pale” differs a bit from the original one, being, in our case, more of an antagonist that takes the form of monsters and beasts that seek to destroy and erase, fundamentally ceasing all existence:
“The enemies of matter and life”.
In that sense, a “Palegazer” would be someone who gazes upon this lack of matter/entropic force. Maybe someone who decides to fight it, even though it seems futile.
It can be interpreted as an analogy for mortality salience, and for metacognitions of repressed memories/emotional emergence.
This is our headcanon but, ultimately, we like to leave things open to interpretation, so that people can create their own imaginariums, and relate in their own way.
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
We started as just guitar and drums. At first, we were heavily influenced by bands with massive, sustained riffs, where the guitar carries a lot of the low end. Once we started bringing in faster grooves and busier melodic parts, relying on just the guitar for the low end didn't cut it anymore, and we realized we’d benefit from a dedicated bass player.
Some particular melodies, rhythms, and atmospheres gave direction to what we think is the fundamental core of Palegazer, but we never set out to play a specific subgenre of metal music.
We simply wanted to make music that mixed elements of what we loved listening to, and we are still creating under that philosophy.
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
Malojo: I knew Nuno from a distance because we attended the same university and frequented the same music festival during the summer (SonicBlast). One day, he posted a video playing a Sleep riff, and I literally texted him “Let's jam”. And we did. On that very same day, he came to my house with his amp and guitar in the trunk of his car, and we spent the afternoon jamming in my living room.
We became friends from then on and, a couple of years after graduating from university, we noticed we were living pretty close to each other and became good friends, ultimately leading to the band's foundation.
The project started with me on the guitar and vocals, Nuno on the drums, and, as we are told, Gil liked what he saw and heard, joining us later through mutual friends and taking on bass guitar.
Gil: I have a good friend from university who sent me a video of Palegazer playing live. It was one of their first concerts, without bass. I thought, “Yeah, this is my thing”. Then I approached them to jam one day, and for me it was love at first sight.
4. Each band member's favourite band?
Nuno: If I only had to listen to one band forever, it would be Opeth, and it’s probably been my favourite band of all time for the longest. Russian Circles would be my top pick within the post-metal scene. Dave is a huge influence for me as a drummer. Outside metal, Steely Dan deserves a most deserving honourable mention.
Malojo: I’m one of those people who can’t name a single favorite band without feeling like I’m betraying all the others.
Honestly, my favorites change all the time. We’ve mentioned some of our biggest influences before, and if you’ve been listening to metal for long enough, you’ve most likely already connected the dots…
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Caustic Wound, FĆRN, and Conan. Fu Manchu deserves an honorable mention as my go-to for chiller vibes.
If I had to name the bands I’ve been most obsessed with, they’d be Trivium and Opeth in the early days, Deafheaven, Bƶlzer, Leviathan, and Sleep. Obsessions come and go, but I can tell those six left a lasting mark on my songwriting.
Gil: As Malojo said, it’s always difficult to name one band or two. I started listening to the classics at home when I was a kid, like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, due to my father’s good taste in music. Then I grew up, and my interest in heavier tunes started to come from bands from 00’s metal and grunge.
I would say Slipknot, Deftones, Alice in Chains, System of a Down. Then I listened to Tool when I was thirteen/fourteen years old, and from then on my mind opened to all genres and bands that made “unconventional” song structures and “stranger” music.
Nowadays, as a lover of this type of music that I play, I would pick Russian Circles, Mastodon, Amenra, ISIS, and High On Fire as my top influences as a post-metal and doom fan. The combination of dense, intense, and thrilling emotional tones always gets me, despite listening to other kinds of tunes very often.
5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?
Nuno: Ever since I met Malojo in college, we’ve been jamming to our favourite songs and eventually creating our own. Some of those early ideas became part of Palegazer’s repertoire. I believe it’s this constant exchange of ideas and new music that keeps pushing us forward.
For me, as a drummer, watching some of my favorite drummers such as Dave Turncrantz or Danny Carey inspires me to drive forward into enhancing my technical skills.
Malojo: I touched on this a bit already, but simply listening to music is something that greatly inspires us.
Listening to music is a major source of inspiration for us, and I think one of the greatest traits of this project is it being the byproduct of our diverse influences colliding.
Another huge source of inspiration is the fantasy settings I consume daily. From games like Elden Ring and Disco Elysium, to books and series such as those of A Song of Ice and Fire, H. P. Lovecraft…
I’d say my other biggest source of inspiration is the need for catharsis from things I find inexplicable and unsolvable. Music scratches that itch for me, even if not entirely.
Gil: Calling a spade a spade, as a bass player, I would say Justin Chancellor, Jon Stockman, and Brian Cook because of their bands and their huge tone. Tim De Gieter, who played with Amenra, because of the presence and the back vocals. When I discovered the band and him specifically, I thought, “Wow, I can do that, I want to do that.” Unfortunately, when I saw the band live, he wasn’t there, but the current bassist was also very tight.
Besides our “big heroes” in music, daily life is also a good source of inspiration. Putting the emotions that you are currently feeling into the form of sound waves is always a challenge. Sometimes more successfully than others.
Sometimes, all you need is to grab your instrument, find that sweet spot in the tone, and just go on.
I feel very inspired and motivated seeing our local bands and friends smashing it. You can learn a lot from them, and in a way it pushes you to keep going.
6. Where was your last gig?
Maus HĆ”bitos in Porto. It was a unique set because we played two new songs we’ve been working on that won’t appear on our debut album, as well as our first-ever cover: “Hammerhandle” by Weedeater, as a surprise to our friends in Agitat Solum, which was the opening act.
Both performances were recorded on VHS and are available on YouTube under “Arquivo Porto”.
Shoutout to Juani for recording it, and to his band, Centrojas, for being sick.
7. Where would you like to act?
In Portugal, we’d love to play at SonicBlast. We’ve attended the festival for the past ten years, and many of the bands that have performed there are among our biggest influences.
Other than that, at Amplifest, if that festival returns.
Outside Portugal, we can dream of Roadburn, Arctangent… Argonauta Fest…
8. Whom would you like to feature with?
Malojo: There are a couple of names that come to my head immediately, that I believe to make sense artistically: FĆRN and REZN are two four-lettered, CAPS ON bangers for that effect.
YOB too, but their name only has three letters, so they don’t get to be part of that joke. Same as Thou, as they don’t indulge in the CAPS ON gimmick.
Deafheaven, Conan… Here, I think we start to diverge from bands that have similar fundamental attributes, and begin to fall under “particular aspect drives inspiration” territory.
I think our creations and interpretations are derived from our own encyclopedias, and maybe what defines the band will diverge into other territories later on… Who knows?
9. Whom not?
Malojo: Emma Ruth Rundle, but only because I think the fan jitters might interfere with the guitar playing.
Gil: I would play with anybody, given they are good people. Even if our genres diverge, it’s always an opportunity to learn something new.
10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?
Malojo: Oh, it’s a constant for me. The hour before going on stage is usually the worst, but once I'm up there, it's way better. I feel this way because I care. That’s just how I operate.
The lyrics sometimes even include direct phrases that I interpret as mantras during live performances, such as “Mold unease to serenity / Set your mind anew” or “Let the past disintegrate”.
Adrenaline and excitement can be very beneficial, though. Even anxiety can be a plus. It’s a genuine feeling and, while I appreciate confident artists, I usually find that those raw emotions can bring some interesting layers to a performance or even a recording, if only because they carry real truth with them.
As with anything, the longer you do it, the more comfortable you become. You start to realize that individual details aren't that relevant in the long term. At least not compared to consistency and the overall feel your performances convey. Over time, you conquer more of yourself: how you cope, how you present yourself to the world…
You improvise, adapt, and overcome!
On a more serious, last note, I don’t think there is something like being too silly or too anxious… At least in the context of being an artist, putting yourself and your work out there.
In my view of things, as an artist, there is only who you are, and how much of that truly comes out to the world.
And maybe there will be someone somewhere deeply resonating with it. Isn’t that cool?
11. What bands have inspired you the most?
YOB, Russian Circles, REZN, Deafheaven, Conan, Bƶlzer, Mastodon, Ahab, Bell Witch, and many others…
There are local bands that inspire us daily by simply walking the same path as us. Seeing them succeed gives us a grounded source of inspiration. Some of these bands are Idle Hand, Hazing Lungs, Pester, Scatter, Repugnator, Throwness, Reia Cibele, Greengo, Cobrafuma, Manferior, Redemptus, Thorne, MĆQUINA, Madmess, Spitgod, Muay, Pledge, Juseph… Thankfully the list goes on and on, given that we live surrounded by wonderful ideas that come to fruition.
12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?
Malojo: One fan asked me to play more “real guitar” and less “noise”. I found that to be super weird, and that there must be something wrong with her. That was the last time I took my sister’s advice into consideration.
Joking, sis!
That’s actually true, though. She did say she would prefer it to have less distortion, which I can agree to disagree with. The knob can turn to 11 for a reason.
Nuno: Not particularly a “weird” thing, but after one show a fan came to me and said, “You're a true inspiration for someone who is starting to learn the drums,” and I really appreciated those words. I never expected that someone would tell me something like this with only months of playing live.
Gil: Not a weird thing, but once a guy approached me after a gig at Barracuda Porto and asked me which bass and gear I was using. He was surprised and made a strange face when I said that I was playing a 500 bucks bass.
There's no secret. You have to do the best with what you have. I don’t play brands. I play bass and riffs.
With that in mind, I just need to find and tune my tone the best I can to fulfill what the sound in Palegazer needs from the lower end. It was a funny chat.
13. What do you think of your fans?
Nuno: Although we haven’t released our debut album yet, we’ve built a strong fanbase in our hometown of Porto, as well as supporters in Lisbon and other cities across the country.
We’re incredibly grateful for their continued support and enthusiasm. Their feedback has been very positive, and it means a lot to know they’re just as excited about the upcoming release as we are.
Malojo: I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well people have received our project.
Knowing our sets can evoke the same strong emotions in others that we feel playing these songs is just amazing to me, especially when they are from different ages, come from different countries, and backgrounds.
In the end, I’m super grateful to anyone who stumbles upon our work and takes a bunch of their time to connect with it.
14. What do you think of our site?
We think your site is a great platform for discovering and supporting independent artists. We appreciate the opportunity to share our music and be featured alongside so many talented musicians. Keep fucking sharing art. Thank you!
15. Something to add?
Matsuoka Shuzo [ę¾å²”äæ®é ] - ććććććć¦ććććŖć (NEVER GIVE UP!!) [English]
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