SHIVERED • 2024
📸 Mohammad Maki

Shivered: Gothic Doom Metal from Iran!

Out of the darkness of Iran rises Shivered, presenting their gothic doom metal reveries upon the world at large.  Created by mastermind Mohammed Maki, Shivered has just unleashed Existential Mourning, and it’s a stunning collection of auditory intrigue destined to set the imagination in flight.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed Mohammed Maki to find out more about this amazing metal band on the rise from a country who actually bans this style of music.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Shivered, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Mohammad Maki and I founded Shivered in late 2015, I do pretty much everything from instruments to artwork and mixing and mastering, I used to hire session musicians on previous records, but they were not band members.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there? Is there a live underground metal scene in Iran?
There are lots of live underground scene in Iran, but they keep a very low profile since Metal music is banned here but I personally myself have never been associated with any live events or gatherings here in Iran.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album and song title Existential Mourning?
Existential Mourning is about coming in terms with grief, loss, abuse and existential thoughts! When you are going through lots of despair you lose connection with the reality and that’s what Existential Mourning is about.

Select two songs from Existential Mourning and what inspired the lyrics?
Pale Painted Black is about being different and unique, even if it’s not widely accepted by governments/media or whatever. It’s about being proud of who you are no matter what others think.

Weary Toll of Time is about being abandoned by someone you loved and trust the most.

Artwork • “Existential Mourning”
🎨 Mohammad Maki

Has Shivered ever played live and if so, what was the experience like?
No unfortunately, I’m thinking of going live on Instagram and play one song on an acoustic guitar but let’s see what happens but I won’t play live in Iran due to legal issues.

If Shivered could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I’d love to open for Paradise Lost or Type O Negative because they were/are my heroes, R.I.P Peter Steele

How easy or difficult is it to buy CD’s and metal music in Iran?
It’s pretty difficult lol and it’s even more difficult to find legit ones! Nobody even buys “Legal Tender” records here let alone illegal metal CD’s.

Next year marks the 10-year anniversary of Shivered. What do you think has kept you so passionate about Shivered and metal music for nearly ten years now?
I’ll do my best to release another record next year and what keeps me passionate is making music is kind of a drug to me, so it calms me it motivates me and keeps me going.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Shivered?
I got featured on one of the songs of Canadian heavy metal band called Malacoda and recently I did vocals and lyrics on an atmospheric doom metal band called Rove Monteux next release that’s coming out soon.

What’s up next for Shivered?
I’m not sure yet but I don’t like repeating myself so it will be something different.

Any final words of wisdom?
Thank you for this interview, I want to ask doom metal and gothic metal fans to please support your favorite underground bands.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Shivered on Facebook