Interviewed by Mordant, answered by Xaphan Hello. How is everything going? Hails! Things are going well. When and why did you start Kult ov Azazel? Why did you choose the name Azazel, the change it? How did you come up with the name? The band started in 1999 and was started as an outlet for expressing ourselves. The name Azazel was chosen for what Azazel represents that being the epitome of all evil, the scapegoat, a defiler of humanity and a warring icon dedicated to destroying and corrupting mankind. We changed the name from simply Azazel to Kult ov Azazel in 2000 to distance ourselves from the handful of other bands using the same name back then. Why did you decide to play Black Metal? Which bands inspired you to start playing Black Metal? It’s always been the form of music that best represents me, my ideals and my beliefs. The bands that inspired me to start were first and foremost Venom in 1984. Others were Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, the first three Sodom, Destruction and Slayer albums, Possessed and Bonded by Blood era Exodus. Also there is Darkthrone, Euronymous era Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Profanatica and Beherit. Kult ov Azazel has been keeping a low profile for maybe two years now, why is that? What have you been doing during the down time? Why “return” now? First off we never left. We have kept a low profile since 2006 but have remained an active band the entire time. Scheduling conflicts, work schedules and family related things have at one time or another kept us from doing any touring or one off shows over the past few years. We decided on what little time had when we could get together to focus on writing rather than performing live so that’s what we did one week here and there over the past two years. All the long I have been very active band wise be it writing music, maintaining the website and myspace profile, answering emails and interviews, mailing merch, etc. as I live and breathe this band day in and day out. Have since we began. I saw that you have gone back to being a three piece, why did you decide to do that? Easier to work as a three piece. I never wanted to bring another guitarist into the band but after recording Triumph of Fire Xul wanted to add another guitarist to the lineup to thicken up the sound. Once Hammer was officially added to the band in 2001 I was outvoted and agreed to it. Since that point it contributed nothing but problems when it came time to do anything and extra time spent tracking in the studio. From this point out we will only use session guitarists in live situations and maybe in the studio as guest musicians on albums. The core members will consist of the three of us though. Talk about “Destroying the Sacred”, how will it sound? How would you describe it? Are you satisfied with it? Can you reveal any song titles? Production wise I am looking to get the same thing we got on The World, The Flesh & The Devil. That’s one of the reasons we are going back to Mana Studio in August. Description wise, anyone that knows our past material will know what to expect. We have from the beginning been a band known to play fast and nothing has changed in that aspect. People will definitely hear our speed and thrash metal influences a little more than past material. So far I’m satisfied with how it coming out. Song titles so far are Prelude to Holocaust, The Plagues of Mankind, Slaughter the Prophet, Sacrilege: Destroying the Sacred, Gutting Religious Heritage, Conquer & Decimate and three yet untitled songs. Also if everything pans out there will be a Possessed cover on the album with Jeff Becerra on vocals. What do you think about the current Black Metal scene? Any bands left worthy of praise, or is everything just garbage? This seems to be a recurring question in interviews. There’s a lot of garbage out there for sure. But I have never been one to care about the scene. There’s only division and double talk in the black metal scene from my experiences. My way of thinking is stay true to yourself and fuck what anyone else says or does. Will there be any touring to support the release? What is the ideal Kult ov Azazel show in your opinion? Any live performance is the ideal show for me. We will do some touring in support of the release here in the States with possible Canada and Mexico shows. I am in the beginning stages of organizing dates. You played with Celtic Frost, how was that? What do you think about Tom leaving Celtic Frost? Should they continue without him? It was a phenomenal experience. Being that they were a huge inspiration to me in my teenage years musically it was jaw dropping when I got the offer. It was definitely a career defining moment for this band. It is also unfortunate that Tom left. With what I saw as a strong comeback I was shocked and saddened at the same time when I heard. Monotheist was my favorite release of 2006 and it is a shame that Celtic Frost is done with again. I was really anxious to hear the follow up to Monotheist. Next year will be your 10 year anniversary. Will you celebrate in any special way? A live show perhaps or a special release? Currently the idea is to set up a show locally which we will film for a DVD release. What are the future plans of Kult ov Azazel? Just to record the next album, do some touring and to continue our path of annihilation. Thanks for the interview, end in any way you like. Thanks for your support and allowing us this interview. For updates, live dates and merchandise visit www.kultovazazel.com. We can also be found online at www.myspace.com/kultovazazel. Our thanks also to our supporters overseas, hails to you all! Liberation through decimation!!!