With the release of their stunning debut album, "Triumph of Fire" in 2001, Kult ov Azazel burst forth on the international Black Metal scene with a maturity and sense of purpose that had many calling them the best Black Metal band ever to emerge from the US scene. Raw, grim, yet razor-sharp and polished, the assault on the senses and soul that is the music of Kult ov Azazel has secured them a rabid fan base who were eagerly awaiting their sophomore effort. Now, with the release of "Oculus Infernum", a merciless diabolic descent into Hell, the wait is over and Armageddon has begun! Interviewed by David Horn & answered by Xaphan Tell me about the origins of Kult Ov Azazel, originally known as Azazel. Kult ov Azazel was formed in the spring equinox of 1999 under the infernal name Azazel and consisting of Xaphan (myself) on guitar/vocals, Xul on vocals/bass and Von on drums. Under this name and lineup we recorded and released "Order of the Fly". Soon after Von was kicked out and Hellspawn took over drum duties and with this lineup we recorded and released the material on the Kult ov Azazel/Krieg split CD. In the spring of 2000 we kicked out Hellspawn, decided to change the band name to Kult ov Azazel and soon after signed a 4 album deal with Arctic Music. In March 2001 we released our first full length "Triumph of Fire" with Vetis as a session drummer. We have also participated in a 4 way split with Obitus, Humanicide and Thylord and various compilations. Now 2003 sees the follow up to our last release "Triumph of Fire" and is the first time we have recorded with a full permanent lineup. The lineup as of now is Xul on vocals/bass, Xaphan (myself) on vocals/guitar, Nocturath on guitar/vocals and Goss the Hammer on drums. What other bands have members of the Kult played in in the past and present? Xul has played in the bands Devoured By Darkness and Erebus, Nocturath had his on project called Nocturath, Goss has played in numerous thrash bands since '88 namely Monarch and Mad Posture and I have been in Exhume, Coprophagia, and since 2001 I have been playing the 4 strings of molestation in Hateplow. What was the musical goal behind the creation of the Kult? The first and foremost goal of this band is to stay true to ourselves musically and create music that we feel connected to. We wish to hold true to the ideals that black metal originated from and represent this in our music and lyrics. Kult ov Azazel is our vehicle for spreading misery, suffering and the destruction of monotheistic ideas through musical violence. We wish to spread our hatred and profanation from one continent to the other. How has the Florida Death Metal style influenced the Profane Black Metal style of Kult? I can't say that it hasn't influenced us because we all grew up listening to the bands coming out of Florida in the early nineties, not to mention other death metal bands coming from other parts of the world, but at the same time I don't think it has had any influence over what we do musically. We draw more influence from the black metal legends of yesterday and I myself personally draw a lot of influence from early speed/thrash metal of the 80's. Stuff like Possessed, Destruction, Mercyful Fate, Onslaught, Exodus, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom and the originators of the black metal style such as Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer. These are the bands that made the most impact on me back then and inspired me to play the form of music I am playing today. Why the name change to Kult Ov Azazel and what is the meaning behind the name? I will first explain the history behind the entity known as Azazel and then the meaning behind the name should be clear. In Enoch I, Azazel is one of the chiefs of the 200 fallen angels. In 'The Zohar' the rider on the serpent is symbolized by "the evil Azael." In this he is said to be chief of the order of bene elim otherwise known as "men-spirits". In 'The Apocalypse of Abraham' he is "lord of hell, seducer of mankind," and when revealed in true form, he is a demon with 7 serpent heads, 14 faces, and 12 wings. Jewish legend speaks of him as the angel who refused to bow down before Adam when the 1st human was presented to God to the assembled hierarchies in Heaven. For such a refusal, Azazel was thenceforth dubbed "the accursed Satan." According to the legend in Islamic lore, when God commanded the angels to worship Adam, Azazel refused, contending "Why should a son of fire fall down before a son of clay?" Whereupon God cast Azazel out of Heaven and changed his name to Eblis. In Paradise Lost I, Milton describes Azazel as a "cherub tall" but also as a fallen angel and Satan's standard bearer. It is also said in legend that Azazel was the first star which fell and has been called "that fallen and yet mighty angel." In demonology Azazel is the god/demon of war. So as you can see Azazel throughout history/religions has been linked to war, rebellion, defiance, non-conformity, hate, destruction, and a defiler of humanity. As for why we changed the name, the whole reason was because we wanted to distance ourselves from other bands that have or are using 'Azazel' as a band moniker. When we made the name change we decided to use the Germanic spelling of cult because both Xul and I have ties to Germany through our ancestry and decided to use the 'ov' as opposed to 'of' because this represents the occult influences we bring into the music. At the time when we changed the name it was original and no one had used these '"cryptic" spellings in band names but now it seems that many bands are using them a lot. Regardless I think what the name means and represents is pretty evident after my explanations. The cover art for Oculus Infernum is barely visible on the CD but quite disturbing in mood - tell me about it as well as the woodcut images inside the booklet. The cover art of "Oculus Infernum" is a grim interpretation of a torture chamber and its devices therein. It was inspired by a vision of the reversal of parts in a time such as The Crusades. The lyrics to "Oculus Infernum" aid to this vision, as Christianity is the forever sufferer. The woodcuts and photography within the booklet interact as footnotes to the basis of the lyrics/songs - an endless timeline for the never ending suffering and killing of purity and God. Christianity, throughout time, has consistently illustrated, in my eyes, its own death. One by one, tossed into "The Eye of Hell." What has the response to Kult Ov Azazel been on the international Black Metal scene? If the reviews we have received for "Triumph of Fire" and now for "Oculus Infernum" are any indication then I'd say the response has been greater than we could have ever expected. It seems we have the support of many maniacs throughout the world and the blasphemies we create are well accepted among the international scene. I have seen and heard many people from Europe saying that never in their life would they have expected a band from the United States to play black metal and execute it in the way we do. I mean it's good to know that what we are creating is something that others identify with yet even if no one liked what we are doing we'd still be going at it and not compromising our ideas or style to gain any acceptance from anyone. Arctic Music seems to do impressive work for a relatively small label - how has your relationship been with them? The relationship has been very good. Scott and Phil at Arctic have helped us out tremendously. Unlike labels that like to force their ideas and ways upon bands, Arctic gives us free will to do whatever it is we please from an artistic standpoint. We have had total say in the recording of every album we have done on Arctic and even produced this last effort by ourselves. They have done a great job in promoting our releases and getting them out there. All I can say is that we are very grateful for all the support they have given us since we signed with them. Tell me about some of your lyrics, "Anguish Brought to Heaven", "Mark of the Devil". Xul penned the lyrics to "Anguish Brought to Heaven" and some visions were inspired by Viking tales of conquering, raping and pillaging new lands. The lyrics themselves are about invading man made heavens, annihilating everything that is holy. Darkness brought by our legions with untamed lust for destruction. The lyrics for "Mark of the Devil" were inspired by the Omen series and are about the rise of antichristian ideals through the eradication of religious doctrine. It's about the end of the age of christianity and the beginning of the age of Satan. Is Kult a project band or will there be live performances? Kult ov Azazel has from the beginning been a studio/live band just over the past year or so we have been unable to play live as often as we like to due to schedule conflicts. Only Xul and I live in the same city, Nocturath lives up state and Goss lives in Buffalo NY and travels 75% of the year as drum tech for other bands. We will be playing our one and only show for the year 2003 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on August 9th with Bloodstorm and Decieverion and would like to get out and tour in support of the new album but at this time there are no definite plans.