Please tell us a few words about the new release, about the music on it as a whole or a few words on each track in part. How are you happy with the final release?
P: Omass is the latest release of Paragon Zero, hailing from Hungary. The title has multiple meanings, it can be understood as 'Old Mass' as it caintains songs about some ancient customs and the heritage of our homeland - and on the other hand it refers to Ómassa, a village up in the hills of Bükk - the band originally is from that part of the country. The EP was released in co-production by Pest Records and Neverheard Distro. 
Gravel S: We are completely satisfied with the final product, Neverheard Distro did an outstanding job as always, huge respect to Balazs, a truly total freak of metal underground.

How would you describe/label the music on it? Does it sounds like anything we might have heard before?
P: There's nothing really new and original on this Earth - but of course the songs are not rip-offs or copies. We describe our music as Dark Metal - it's something between black, heavy and doom metal - it's melodic, sometimes fast-paced, but always gloomy and negative!

Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from the recording/producing the material?
P: Omass was written back around 2015, and the drum and bass tracks were recorded by then, but as the band went on a hiatus the guitar and vocal parts remained unrecorded until 2018. That year Zasolth joined the band and the remaining tracks were added to the already existing structures by the end of the year.
Gravel S: I recorded the drum tracks when I was still a session member but in the meantime I have joined forces with the others so when the EP finally came out, we became a full band already. Every instrument was recorded in different locations and sometimes it was unbelievable when it will be done, I even let it go at periods when the band was inactive. All in all, during the years that went by, we got more into half-professional "home studio" recording, so in the end we did the mixing and mastering in Spiritside Studio, a portable studio which was established for the projects of our community. It was quite an achievement not just as musicians but as sound enginnering work too.

What can you tell us about the cover artwork? Is there a link between the artwork and the lyrics? What are the topics of your lyrics?
P: The release has an extensive set of artworks: on top of the cover art, each and every song has one specific drawing that is deeply connected to the song. Even further the lyrics in the booklet are handwritten - all these glorious pieces of art were done by th Greek/German artist ikosidio.
The songs have strong lyrical content, with specific topics. 'Phosphorous Blaze' is about the caves in which the elders used to free their souls, 'Remnants' tells on the longing for the ancient ways and the homage we feel for the forests. 'Greatest of all Shadows' is an apocalyptic vision and 'The Grey Fest' brings us closer to the Autumnal cult of Bacchus. 

What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
P: To be honest the most gain is the act of the release itself - in case you play music, you have this urge to have your message setting sails. Now, that Omass is out, we want to promote it on live shows (2020 is not the best year for this, but still) and to put together the next pack of songs - this time in the form of a full-length.
Gravel S: You can never know who you can reach with a new material. Sometimes not in the moment of releasing, but years after, you bump into someone who lets you know that he is extremely into your previous album and how much does it mean for him. Of course we set aims as a band as usual, but besides it there are always surprises that lead us to the path of new possibilities, thanks to the dedication of fans.

Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
P: Omass was released on CD: there are one hundred digipaks, and four hundred jewelcase copies. The digipaks came along with and embroidered patch of the band logo.

Where and how will you promote this new release?
P: The main platform for promotion is live shows, but we approached a few 'zines as well. It is also available on all major digital platforms.

Where can we order it from?
P: You can order your physical copy from Pest Records (https://pestrecords.bandcamp.com/) or Neverheard Distro (https://neverhearddistro.blogspot.com/)

October 2020