Interviewed by NV, answered by Xaphan

Hailz Xaphan and Kult Ov Azazel! Greets from Greece and Bloodcult’zine crew. Congratulations for you new album "Destroying the Sacred" . Kult ov Azazel are back with yet another scathing attack on monotheistic religions. Fast, blasting heretical black metal at its best! Have you gotten any feedback on the album yet, how has the press and your fans responded to the album?

Thanks brother! The fans have responded positively to the new album. We have yet to hear too much from the press. Very few promos were sent out and on top of that they went out a week after it was released.

The new album consists of nine tracks showing more of the band’s thrashier side without losing the brutality and harshness the band is known for on past releases. What should the fans expect from your new work?

Definitely to hear some thrash influences appear. Other than that it is pretty much straight forward Kult ov Azazel.

You come from Florida. What did inspire a bunch of people from the sunny and hot (!!!) Florida to create a black metal band? Are there any other BM bands from Florida area to suggest to us ?

Don’t let the sunny beaches, palm trees and beauty fool you. South Florida is not all that it seems from far away. Live here and you would know it is full of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, assholes, perverts and degenerates. It seems just as good as any place to call home base. Other bands worth mentioning from the area are Tenebrous and Devastator.

Give us some info about the album (title, lyrics, artwork) and its purpose .

The album was originally going to be a concept album. The title comes from a chapter out of Liber Null titled Liberation. The album was going to be based around chaos magic but over time the lyrics written did not entirely fit within the concept I had so that idea was thrown out the window. Instead the lyrics took on a more anti-theistic slant and that is what the album’s cover and content represents.

We are soon at the tenth years of Kult Ov Azazel. What can we expect during this year? Are you satisfied of what you have accomplished as a band during these ten years?

We have officially passed our 10th year. Am I satisfied? In some aspects, not so in others.

Give us some info about the the choose of the cover and its purpose ..

The cover was designed by Joshua Bowens. He has done all our covers since the 2001 split we did with Krieg. The cover art depicts the severed head of Christ shoved onto a pike. Its purpose… to offend.

You have releases 3 albums with Arctic Music. Are you satisfied with your co-operation? How has your relationship been with them I think that "Destroying the Sacred" is the final one for Arctic. Any news about the search of a new label ?

The relationship and co-operation with Arctic has been good. We have received offers from other labels now that our contract with them is up but also have been given the option of continuing with Arctic on an album to album basis so right now we are weighing our options. There’s no need to rush into a decision just yet.

You and Xul are the only members left from the old Azazel. How do you feel 9 years later?What was the best and the worst moment of KOA?

It is crazy how time flies! It doesn’t feel like that long ago to be honest. Best moments would have to be the alliances we have made over the years, the tours/shows we had the opportunity to play, the ability to have our albums released and the amazing fans we have met. Worst moments have been the arguments, show mishaps and overall bad distribution on some past releases.

Outside of KOA, what are your hobbies, your lifestyle? At your free time, do you study/read any books? Can you name any writers- literary works favor to you?

I cannot since I have not read a book in 3 years about. I read a lot of guitar magazines, that’s about it. Outside KoA I am pretty much a recluse. I don’t go out much and if I do it is to metal shows or hockey games. I can always been found at home playing guitar.

Can you name 5 albums of 2009 that got your attention ?

The first two will be obvious from one of my answers above. Those are Tenebrous “Opus Magnum” and Devastator “The Summoning”. That’s it; I guess I only have two albums so far for 2009. I haven’t heard a whole lot of new music this year to be honest. I have been writing music for the next album since the beginning of the year and don’t like to cloud the writing process with new music. When I do listen to music it is whatever is on my iPod which is set to randomly play songs so I don’t listen to a certain style too long and have it seep in to what I am writing.

One thing that I would like for sure to claim is that I would like to see the band do more touring….What is your statement about this fact?

I agree 100% but I would add to that statement more touring internationally.

Can we expect an European Tour to promote “Destroying the Sacred”?? What is tour feedback from Greece? Is there any chance to join us for a gig?Do you have any contact with any greek bands?

I wish I could say yes to all those questions but the truth is I doubt it. There has been little to no interest over the past ten years from European promoters and I don’t expect there to be a sudden demand now the new album is out. We’d very much like to play Europe, especially Greece but that will never happen without the support and backing of promoters from there. As for Greek bands, I know the Rotting Christ guys very well. That’s it.

You are fans of covers, considering the ones you did at the past (Sodom, Mayhem, Hellhammer, Beherit). Are there any new ones for the near future?

Of course! The new album has a Nuclear Assault cover. We also recorded a Black Flag cover while we were in the studio doing Destroying The Sacred that was online for a while. We will also be recording a Venom cover soon that will be on a split with Teratism through Negativity Records.

It was an honour to have this interview with you and introduce to the greek metalheads one of the best known Black Metal commandos from the United States… The last words are yours..

I salute you for contacting us and your support! Other than that we can be contacted through the website at www.kultovazazel.com. Destroying The Sacred is out in Europe so hunt down a copy, put it in and let the destruction and violence begin!