Interview with death metal band from United Kingdom (Sardinia) - COGAS.
Answered Piero Paranoia (vocals), thank you!
Recenze/review - COGAS - Among the Dead: How to Become a Ghost (2025):
Ave COGAS! I'm listening to your new album, "Among the Dead: How to Become a Ghost," and I'm thinking that this is what the music will sound like at the end of the world. I think you've really pulled off a masterpiece. What are your personal feelings about the new album? Have you gotten any feedback from fans yet? Have you played the new songs live? How are they going over?
Hey Jakub!
First of all, thank you for giving us this interview itʼs always a pleasure to talk about the band and help spread the name a bit more.
This album holds a special meaning for us, as it deals with the topic of suicidal Sardinian youth. It's quite personal and carries a lot of our emotions both love and hate towards the land we come from.
Our fans genuinely love how our sound has evolved since our first EP back in 2018. It's become more Death Metal faster, savage, and reckless. So yes, weʼre receiving a lot of great reviews and positive feedback from our fanbase around the world.
As for live shows, weʼre playing a mixed setlist with both old and new material. Right now, weʼre performing:
"Death Reflected," "Autopsy of a Hollow," "Absorption of the Flesh Through Self Abuse," and "Thee Noble Rot" and they all sound fucking evil!
Before I forget... Could you please introduce the band? Walk us through your history and where you are now.
So,Cogas was formed in London in 2015 by myself Piero and Davide,back in those days the original line up which composed and recorded the first two Ep and the first full lenght was,me Davide,Francis and Mike,but after that…
A series of events on the verge of tragicomic both musically, regarding our lineup, and personally, in the lives of each band member has sometimes made me wonder if Cogas are cursed.
So, letʼs begin: practically a few months after the release of our beloved Unconscious Sons Of The Reptile God, our original drummer Francis Ball and Cogas decided it was best to go our separate ways. You know when you donʼt have the guts to break up with your partner, so you start acting like an asshole hoping theyʼll dump you? Yeah, thatʼs what happened.
Despite the initial heartburn, weʼre still on great terms with him to this day, especially considering his valuable contribution to two EPs and one full-length (letʼs give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, as they say), and for a few live appearances in recent years that saved us from slipping into total inactivity.
Anyway, itʼs 2022. The cosmic void. Drummers applying and never showing up to rehearsals. Drummers too inexperienced to keep up with our rhythms. Drummers who do show up, but with obvious substance abuse issues. We even had to cancel important gigs for obvious reasons. Things were bad actually, really bad.
At some point, I think it was 2023, we finally managed to find a decent guy to sit behind the kit: Dan Danby. Dan was fundamental in making us feel like a real band again. The fog of two years of uncertainty started to lift, rehearsal by rehearsal but not without turbulence.
Our long-time bassist Mike Poplawsky left London and moved to Sweden. Thereʼs never any peace in this goddamn band. Mike was a cornerstone for us a guy who always busted his ass for the group and truly believed in it. So much so that he stayed on for several months after announcing his departure, just to help the new bassist settle in. Thatʼs not something everyone would do, and he has our eternal gratitude for it.
Enter Gianmaria Ruiu, on bass.
Amidst all this chaos, Davide and I kept hammering out ideas for what would become our new album. It was an exciting time the new members were eager to leave their mark on the band, and we were all working with great energy. We played a few gigs and spent lots of time in the rehearsal room.
Then, out of the blue, Dan had to leave the band for personal reasons. Obviously, morale hit rock bottom, but we managed to bounce back thanks to two key things:
Reason one: The album writing was basically finished.
Reason two: Despite everything, we were able to keep doing live shows with the help of Davide Marini and our original drummer Francis Ball, which kept the name Cogas afloat.
Fast forward to 2024. Davide, Gio, and I looked at each other and said, “Itʼs time to record this damned album.ˮ We called our friend Davide Marini and handed him our baby, trusting fully in his musical abilities with only one note: “Record the most violent drums youʼve ever done.ˮ And thatʼs exactly what he did.
Now itʼs 2025, we have a new official drummer Lorenzo Balia from the legendary Vultur and the album has just come out,unfortunately Gianmaria left the band so we are without bass player and strongly thinking to become a trio.
We just came back from a small UK tour where we recieved lots lots of consents,and now me Lorenzo and Davide are about to start writing our next album.
Morale is high.
How do you actually create new songs for COGAS? Are you a traditional band that locks itself in a rehearsal room and composes there, or do you use the internet, which is so popular these days, and send each other ideas by email? I'm interested in the creative process itself.
Itʼs a bit of both, to be honest. Davide and I work at the same place, so we're constantly sharing ideas about the band. Whenever Davide has something in mind, he sends it over by email, and I start working on the lyrics.
The next step is meeting up in the studio to rehearse the song, see if it actually works, and make adjustments where needed. After that, we send the file to Lorenzo, who lives in Sardinia, and he starts developing his ideas for the track.
Itʼs a pretty intricate process, but we donʼt really have a choice since not all of us are based in the UK.
The lyrics are a separate chapter for COGAS. In your promotional materials, you mention that they are about the wild and bloody history of Sardinia, where you originally come from. What exactly are they about on the new album, and where did you get your inspiration for them? On "Among the Dead: How to Become a Ghost," they fit the music perfectly. Which came first, the music or the lyrics?
The theme explored in this latest work of ours is something truly close to our hearts. “Among The Dead: How To Become A Ghostˮ addresses the plague of youth suicide in Sardinia something that, to my knowledge, has never been tackled so directly by any Sardinian band before. Partly due to ignorance, and partly because itʼs become so widespread and deeply rooted over time that it seems to have been culturally absorbed and normalized by the Sardinian population.
The album oozes anger the kind of anger that makes you both drool and cry at the same time. Itʼs a provocative album, meant to stir emotions, and we fully accept the responsibility of being the lightning rod for those emotions for better or worse.
I must admit that the cover for "Among the Dead: How to Become a Ghost" is excellent – it also fits the music perfectly! It literally gives you the creeps. How did you choose the cover and who is the author? Did they hear the new songs in advance for inspiration? Or is it some old original painting?
It is an original painting,
The artwork was created by the talented Ilaria Gorgoni, also Sardinian, an artist with infinite patience and a sensitivity in approaching art typical of those pure souls that have become so rare in this scene.
The album cover features a central figure of a young man with his hands on his face, in a very dark moment of his life a young man struggling with depression and drug addiction, who wants to end it all... a thousand faces, one single purpose.
Beside him, we wanted to place two Cogas (for those who donʼt know, our bandʼs name comes from these vampire witches of Sardinian folklore), whispering evil and doubts into his ear, sowing the seeds of envy, betrayal, and selfdestruction our personal tribute to the evil one.
The sound of the entire recording is great. It's dark, cold, and sharp at the same time. In which studio did you record the album? I read somewhere that you, as a band, are credited for the sound. Is that true? How did the recording process go?
Thank you thatʼs exactly the sound we were aiming for with this new album. The guitars and vocals were recorded at home, while the drums were tracked in a small studio in southwest London.
But the magic was made by Davide Tavecchia in Milan at his Twilight Studio, which created the perfect mix of rawness and modern sound. This isnʼt the first time weʼve worked with him; heʼs incredibly talented, and we are very grateful for his work.
If I'm not mistaken, the new album was released only digitally. Are you considering releasing it on physical media as well? Are you currently looking for a label? What is your relationship to CDs, vinyls, and cassettes? Are you a collector?
You are mistaken indeed ahahah,we always released phisical copies cd and cassette and you can buy them on our official Bandcamp website,check them out.
From our first EP until today, Cogas have been a self-produced band. With great pride, we are part of the English working class, and since weʼre not exactly swimming in money, I wonʼt deny that some support and recognition for the musical ethics weʼve upheld for years would be more than welcome. Unfortunately, no one has shown genuine interest in the project.
We came very close to releasing our latest work with a label, but we couldnʼt find common ground on issues that are fundamental to me and Davide issues concerning the albumʼs aesthetics and length. Davide and I are very uncompromising about certain things; we seriously believe that if youʼre interested in Cogas, you must respect our vision, which has been solidified in our minds through years of sacrifice.
That said, Cogas have always had two or three allies working behind the scenes who have helped the band gain visibility and dignity within the extreme metal underground, despite being an independent musical project.
Anubi Press, which has believed in Cogas since the first album and handles promotion, and UKEM Records, which took on the task of reissuing our albums on cassette format with great sales results.
At the moment, these are our only concrete supports to help give more visibility to a musical project that is hard to kill.
Ps:Cassettes are officially sold out I am afraid,but we still have few Cds,hurry up!!!
The band's history dates back to 2019. How did the idea to play death/black metal come about? Who was your role model? Please reminisce for us! What is it like to play in the UK and what was it like in Sardinia? What were your beginnings like when you started out in music?
Yes, if Iʼm not wrong, we played our first gig in London in 2019.
Our major influences are varied from Bathory to Deicide, from Immortal to Cannibal Corpse, etc., etc.
Davide and I come from the same music scene in Sardinia, and we just want to bring a bit of our passion and ideas about extreme music to London. Weʼre very humble, we donʼt have any ulterior motives for doing this. We do it because we believe we have something to say, and mainly because it keeps us mentally sane.
When I started to be a vocalist it was very clear for me that it wouldnt be easy,as I was surrended by many many more talented vocalist and competition was high,but I believed that I was moved by stronger purposes then my collegues and since I was 16 I just wanted the chance to express my self,and here i am,34 years old frontman of a Black Metal band in London!
It's very clear from your band how much you enjoy your music. Do you have any goals you would like to achieve? For some, it's a famous record label, others want to play at a big festival.
I donʼt call us a band with goals, but a band with attitude!
If a big label notices us in the future, I would be happy about it, but otherwise, weʼll keep doing this until itʼs no longer stimulating for us.
Next year, weʼll definitely hit a few festival stages, but I canʼt say anything more about that yet because nothing has been announced!
What is it actually like to play death/black metal in Britain? Do people come to your concerts? Do they support you, buy your CDs? When you organize an event, how many people come?
It is great fun,we had the chance to play with great bands and we always recieved a lot of support.
We just came back from a north england tour with Lavinia Whateley and The Machinist,checjk them out they are both amazing bands.
Death/black metal is a demanding hobby and an even more demanding lifestyle. What does it mean to you? What do you enjoy most about it and how do you perceive it? How did you actually get into it? Feel free to engage in philosophical reflections.
You just asked a million dollar question.
For me, it has always been a fascination with the unknown, death, and what lies beyond since I was a little kid. So when I discovered metal and rock ʼnʼ roll, it felt like I finally found someone who spoke my language and understood my nightmares.
I canʼt remember very well, but I was probably visually fascinated by a metal magazine showing how black metal bands looked,the logos, the mystery behind them. All these factors, combined with the deep feeling that this music was calling me, sparked a strange journey that Iʼve loved every minute of since.
I deliberately ask this question to all bands so that they can promote themselves a little for the future. Please tell us what COGAS has planned for the near future. What can we look forward to? If you have a message for promoters, fans, or labels, here's your chance...
As I mentioned before, we are starting to compose new material to give Lorenzo the chance to put his mark on Cogasʼ history as quickly as possible.
We are already planning what 2026 will look like in terms of gigs. We would love to play outside the UK, so if there is any promoter interested in having us on their bill, feel free to contact us at cogasblackdeathband@gmail.com or through any of our social media accounts on Instagram or Facebook!
We are hungry to play gigs!
Thank you very much for the interview, and I wish COGAS lots of record sales and sold-out concerts. I wish you success in your personal life as well. I look forward to the next death/black metal apocalypse!
Thanks a lot Jakub for this interview and thanks to you who read all this ahah always be true to yourself,support the real underground,support Cogas!!
Recenze/review - COGAS - Among the Dead: How to Become a Ghost (2025):
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