Interviewed by Tymothy answered by Xaphan What idea hides in the title of your new album „The Word, the Flesh, the Devil”? There is no hidden idea behind the title of the album. It was chosen for the simple fact it pretty much reflects and summarizes what the album is about, such as the atmosphere of the lyrical context. With your new material you show that belongs to black metal leaders not only in USA, but and worldwide. „The World...” kills, to tell the truth I did not expect after you that so you would ravage me. Thanks for your comments on the new release. Our will has been achieved. Your new stuff is truly killer, integrated into a full and thick sound which smashes one into the dust. Are you satisfied from the new album? I am. What we got with the new album is a total true representation of what Kult ov Azazel is about musically and ideologically. Between the recordings „Oculus Infernum” and „The World, The Flesh & The Devil" you did not laze and you recorded splits with Horn of Valere and Vrolok. On your own account you have also splits with Satan’s Blood and Krieg, what do you think about such releases and what formats are the splits? The bands we have released splits with have all been bands I have personally been in contact with. There have been many conversations in person or by phone so I know where their true convictions lie. So it’s never something we have done on a whim. It’s been out of our admiration for the bands, musically and their dedication to what black metal truly represents and the most obvious; to spread propaganda to those that might not know either band. Since you ask about the split discography it goes as follows: 4 way split with Obitus, Humanicide and Thylord titled “Gather Against Humanity” released in 2000 on Christcrusher Productions on CD, the split with Krieg released on CD in 2001 through Genocide Music, the Satan’s Blood split released by Autopsy Stench Records in 2003 on 7” vinyl, Horn of Valere split titled “Through War or Suicide” released in June of this year through Abort the World Records on 10” vinyl and the split with Vrolok called “Feast of Sacrilegious Impurity” will be released on CD w/ enhanced CD-ROM live footage by a soon to be named label from here in the States with the blessing of Arctic. In 2004 you release „Black Mass Consecration” what is found on this CD? This consisted of all recordings done prior to our first full length on Arctic Music. What’s included is the “Order of the Fly” demo, “Of Evil and Hatred” sessions, “Entering Erebus” demo and rehearsals that became the “Triumph of Fire” album. Yours albums are released by Arctic Music, you must be satisfied from the cooperation with this label when all along you stick together. Arctic has been good to us over the years by totally supporting the band. Many small labels or bigger labels for that matter do not give bands which they sign any tour support. Arctic has never been like that and has always helped out in that area. So overall, they have been overly supportive which we are eternally grateful for. Without their support we would have not done the past two tours here in the United States or played Canada. Much less have released 3 killer albums. Your first CD „Older of the Fly” you release with your own resources, how do you remember those years? In what degree did you evolve as horde and people from that time? A lot of blood, sweat plus lots of money went into it since we self financed and released it ourselves. In all there were 200 hundred copies pressed before we ran out of money but at the time it was done under the moniker of Azazel. Since then we have evolved in many ways, for starters we are a complete band now as opposed to a two man unit utilizing session drummers. We’ve also incorporated another guitarist in the band which has thickened our sound, maybe not so much on the albums but definitely in a live setting. Just over the past six years I think our song writing has gotten better and our ideology clearer to those that pick up our releases. To stay still on this release, why you re-release it twice? The interest for this stuff was still so large? Yeah and it still is. Whenever we tour or play out I get asked if we have copies or if I know where one could find a copy, mainly the mCD or vinyl versions. I get emails a lot too inquiring the same questions. And to correct you it has been released more than twice, try four times. Twice in mCD format, once on vinyl and about a year ago on cassette. But those that wish to have this are fucked now since we’ll no longer allow it to be re-released again. It’s been beat into the ground enough. You are from Florida, death metal mecca in U.S.A., I am interested, what cause you to start playing black metal and not death? You never have the readiness on a sideproject, where you would be able to to play death? Do you take part in in other hordes than Kult ov Azazel? Black metal has always been in my veins. Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Destruction, Sodom’s “In the Sign of Evil” that’s what inspired me back in my early teens. And as a matter of fact I have played in two different death metal bands, one while I lived in Tennessee and then formed another once I moved to Florida. In 1994 I stopped playing guitar and concentrated on getting a degree in sound engineering but around the same time began to listen to black metal exclusively. In 1998 I started playing guitar again and that is what sparked me to approach Xul about forming this band. Then in 2001 I was recruited into Hateplow to play bass yet since the day this band formed it has remained my main focus, anything else is secondary. Your albums are released on CD and LP, but you also have MC, what do you judge MC as such a data carrier? Many believe the best carrier for metal is vinyl. What is your opinion? In the end it doesn’t matter to me if it is on vinyl, cassette or compact disc. All have there advantages and disadvantages. Vinyl although will forever be my favorite form of media. What are your relation with other black metal hordes from your country? Over the years, I have seen enough backstabbing and shit talking that goes on we just we tend to stick to ourselves. With the few we are in contact with relations are great. „Triumph of Fire” had the motto "No Beauty, No Atmosphere, No Tranquility", what is the motto “The Word...”? There is no motto. It’s just total heretical black metal. Many it would call you heretics, for your blasphemous opinions and antichristian attitude. What have you to the say to these „holy„ people which blindly believe in what the church offers them? Let them call us heretics. In their disillusioned world I suppose we are. I say they are all fools! What is your opinion on Muslims and Jews? Somebody believe they are more „evil” in the world than Christians. I am what one would call an equal opportunity hater when it comes to those that impose religious beliefs upon the world. Face it, since the beginning of time the Muslims have hated the Jews and deemed them “evil” and vice versa. Then formed the Roman Catholic Church whom deemed both the Jews and Muslims as “evil”. The Roman Catholic Church spawned many offshoots of Christianity which in itself sprung offshoots all of which deemed the other as “heathens” and “the devil’s adversaries”. So what I am getting at here is all religious sects that follow any form of monotheistic dogma are all mindless masochistic brainwashed filth be it Jew, Muslim or Christian. How every horde also you did not avoid personal changes , in what degree do such changes bear on the creative process in KoA? The stem of the band are Xaphan and Xul, remaining musicians are only renderers of your ideas? As you stated, Xul and myself have always been the core of Kult ov Azazel since day one. I have always written the majority of the music and after “Triumph of Fire” I have been doing the majority of the lyrics also so lineup changes have never put a hindrance on the band. Don't you think that Satanism in the form "Satan is my master, without him I mean nothing, I am a nobody" is same fucked as Christianity and in principle there are not differences between them? What you speak of is reverse christianity, a christian in wolves clothing so to speak, although devil worship is much better than god worship when it comes down to it but still nonetheless a confused christian. Satan really is just a mere symbol, a metaphor which represents undefiled wisdom, enlightenment, strength, power and free will through individuality. The dark driving force of the soul, the third eye, the subconscious, a representation of adversity to all that is holy and sacred. Real Satanism is practiced by those of strong will whom embrace the darker aspects of the human psyche and behavior. Ones who are their own master forging their destinies with responsibility for their own actions. It’s one who understands that most of humanity is feeble and filled with mindless sheep that would rather follow without thought. Some make fun of black metal scene in USA, speak that there are not on her good bands. What is in the reality? What bands would you recommend? Let them scoff, the reality is those that think this way are missing out on some of the better black metal being released these days. And I would rather not recommend bands; let’s just say there are many. For productions is responsible Erik Rutan how cooperated with him? During the work into the studio you allow improvisations, you add something new or you record according to the earlier settled plan , from there are no defections? We wanted a different sound and production as well as get away from the one dimensional sound that we got on our past two albums recorded at Studio 13. Being that Kult ov Azazel had played a couple of times with Hate Eternal and I knew Rutan from my ties with Malevolent Creation/Hateplow I called him up and he was completely into us doing the album at Mana Studios. Also to clear things up a bit Shawn Ohtani had just as much to do with the production on the album as did Rutan. Erik helped out here and there but for the most part stayed away from the whole recording process and turned the reigns over to Ohtani when it came to engineering and mixing the album. He merely mastered the final mix but nonetheless was just as important to the final process of the album. As for the recording process the majority of the songs stayed the same way as the demo versions we recorded before going in but of course there’s always little changes and improvisations made while in the process of the actual recording. On the new album there weren’t many, a few but nothing worth going into detail about. Soon you move on HELLSTORM OF UNHOLY LEGIONS" 2005 EAST COAST DESECRATION. Bands you play in USA, and what with concerts in other countries? Actually we returned from this a couple weeks ago. The tour was with Blood Storm, Teratism, Horn of Valere and Tenebrous. As for tours in other countries, nothing has been planned but could happen if the opportunity arose. From your lyrics it breathes hatred to the religion and people, from where in you so much negative excitements, aggressions? My lyrical inspirations have always come from occult and satanic writings, many different forms of philosophy from nihilism to anarchism and by the everyday happenings within the world. Some being based around day to day happenings, some about the demise of worldly flesh and others are praises to the dark force that resides within. On this album the majority of inspiration is from my intense hatred towards all religion. Some were inspired by worldly events occurring from day to day such as war, murder, suffering and death as well as lyrics that are directly inspired by LHP practices. The lyrics on “the World, The Flesh & The Devil” are definitely anti-monotheism yet peppered extensively with occult matter, along with a good deal of religion bashing. You are interested with the magic and the occultism? You practice some rituals? Yes very much so. I have performed many rituals over many years but not for quite sometime now, shortly after forming the band actually. Instead I use this band as my ritualistic vehicle and take the energy harnessed and symbolism I would use performing a ritual and divert it into a tangible form such lyrics I write, the music I compose, the albums we release and when we play live. Does the politician lie in the circle of your interests? What do you feel about to the activity of your own country, the meddlesomeness to all, his aggressive and expansive activities in relation to other countries? Don’t you think, causes this, that does not please then to many people and because you are a main objective for terrorists? Fuck politics, I hate that shit. Politics and religion go hand in hand. As for our government and its policies I could care less. The bottom-line is the Jihadist or in your terms the terrorists that wish to attack our country use USA diplomacy and policy only as a scapegoat, a bullshit reason why they wish to exterminate Americans, the bottom line is it has nothing to do with the policies or activities of the government be it here or any where for that matter but more to do with the fact they want Islamic law worldwide. They wish to impose their laws, religion and their shit-smeared Allah upon us all. It is a religious war for them, not a war for freedom or independence or even resistance for that matter, this is their religious conquest and it’s time that others wake the fuck up and realize this. We might have been the first on their hit list but I assure you that America is not the only country. England has been hit, Spain has been hit and it’s just a matter of time before they hit Poland and every other nation that does not embrace Islamic law. Mark my words! Metal in a way is a hermetic music , directed to concrete people. What do you think, about these bands} which want to popularize him among people, to play some fine, commercial shit to call it metal? I disagree that metal is directed totally towards serious people. Think about it, the majority of those that listen to metal are between the ages of 13-25. Very seldom do you find a kid that can form their own opinion much yet one that has their own identity between those ages. But I do agree it is a very solitary hermetic form of music meaning that as one grows older it becomes a lifestyle to those that continue to heed the metal call. The ones that have found their own identity and accept that metal is also a way of life. As far as bands are concerned and what they do and what they don’t do, I could care less. I don’t spend my time worrying about what other bands are doing; I just focus on Kult ov Azazel, nothing more. Your cover is enough suggestive. You attend that the world rule of the devil? That is not what we are implying but one is welcome to read into whatever they wish. The lyrics explain the cover if one bothers to read them. Black metal scene is full of "warriors” which can only a lot bark, and do nothing, fucking poseurs which want to shine on soil of this music nothing with themselves to represent, how often you meet on your own way of such losers? In real life, never. Only on the internet do you find such cunts. Thanks for the interview. Likewise. Those interested the new album “The World, The Flesh & The Devil” should seek it out, acquire it, revel in the blasphemy!! That and other propaganda along with other information can be obtained online at www.kultovazazel.com or by writing Kult ov Azazel, PO Box 23308, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307, USA. Horns up and thanks again for your support!!