Interview with King Potenaz

“GOAT RIDER” is your debut album, can you tell us about the themes and inspirations behind it?
‘Goat Rider’ comes from far away and it focuses on the figure of this phantom goat-headed biker who is none other than the emissary of King POTENAZ… the whole album, in fact, with the exception of Pazuzu and Moriendoom (inspired by 70s horror films), is a concept that follows these characters through ruins, desert planets with two suns and interstellar travel.

How would you describe the sound of “GOAT RIDER” to someone who has never heard your music before?
The whole album sounds like the perfect fusion, at least to our way of seeing it, of desert stoner and occult doom combined with a touch of psychedelics that never hurts.

What was the recording process like for “GOAT RIDER,” and did you encounter any challenges during the production of the album?
All the tracks, except Among The Ruins and Pyramids Planet, composed during our very first sessions with the old drummer, were created in the space of a few months in a very natural way and with a precise goal… then in June 2022 we shut ourselves for three days in Stefano Manca’s SudestStudio, whom we will never stop thanking, and we recorded everything even if it was not easy, at least for me (Giuseppe) and Francesco the bass player, as it was the very first time in a recording studio. Everything was then sent to our friend and sound engineer Roberto Stomeo, who came up with the final sound.

“Pazuzu (3:33) ft. Sibill” is a powerful track that features guest vocals from Sibill. Can you tell us about the creative process behind the song, and how Sibill became involved in the project?
Pazuzu, I believe, has the most troubled history of all. it has changed form a thousand times, but from the very beginning it was conceived with a female voice. The choice, we must admit, was quite easy, in fact we immediately opted for the emerging indie singer Mara Sibilio, aka Sibilla, whose voice suited the song perfectly… let us also remember that the lyrics were written by our childhood friend Marcella Loconte.

How did you approach reworking “Among The Ruins” and “Pyramids Planet” for the album?
The rearrangement of Among The Ruins and Pyramids Planet was done directly in the recording studio, but while the former has been retouched very little except for the addition of the synth on the fast final part, the latter has undergone a real restyling with the addition of synths and intertwined double guitars.

Your music draws heavily on the work of doom/stoner bands like Sleep, Electric Wizard, Kyuss, and Black Sabbath. How do you balance honoring these influences while still creating a sound that is uniquely your own?
The bands you mentioned have obviously been our inspiration since we were very young and they still continue to inspire us, but we can honestly say that the process of fusion of the various genres, which led to our current sound, was completely natural and not studied in advance… it just came out like that… and it was a real (black) magic… ahah

Your music has been described as both heavy and atmospheric. Can you discuss the importance of creating a balance between these two elements in your music?
The heaviness of most of the songs had to find a counterbalance in something more psychedelic and dreamy and also in this case the two things mixed in a very natural way… if we have to be honest we also tried not to overdo with the addition of synths and cleaner parts… in the end we managed to create a quite unique sound and we are really proud of it.

What can fans expect from your live shows, and how do you approach bringing the energy of your recorded music to the stage?
In our live shows we try first of all to have fun and entertain the people who come to listen to us, reproducing all the energy and power of our songs as best as we can with the help of effects and visuals…

“GOAT RIDER” is being released via Argonauta Records. What led you to work with this label, and how has your experience been so far?
When we only had the two tracks of the first demo we sent them to several record companies… the first to answer were the guys from Argonauta. Gero and Michele did a great test of faith in believing in us right from the start and we are very grateful to them… they are really fantastic people and very patient and available… our wish is that our partnership will last for a long time!

What do you hope listeners will take away from “GOAT RIDER,” and how do you see this album fitting into the broader landscape of heavy music?
We hope that our listeners will be able to grasp and appreciate the creative spirit behind Goat Rider… every show of appreciation and support from them fills us with pride because it means that we managed to get a message across with our music… the music scene in which we move is full of hundreds of very good bands to take inspiration from. We are in the midst of a significant rebirth of doom and stoner, our goal is to be able to carve out a space for ourselves with a sound somehow unique and recognizable.

What’s next for King Potenaz after the release of “GOAT RIDER,” and what are your goals for the future of the band?
In the immediate future there’s obviously the release of GOAT RIDER and we’re looking forward to the 28th of April. There are a few live dates on the horizon to promote the album… then there’s a little surprise in the pipeline but we can’t say much about it yet… we’ve also already started writing new songs and we’re planning to enter the studio in late 2023/early 2024.