Interviewed by Gwen, answered by Xaphan People may think at the moment of reading this that this interview is about a new band. Very soon you guys will be celebrating your 10th anniversary since KOA saw the light. Unfortunately your music is not well known in Mexico for not having an open distribiution for the albums. I am going to give you the chance to introduce the band and KOA's music in your own words. Also send a brief invitation to the audience to tell them why they should listen to the band. We are a black metal band from the USA that plays heretical black metal exclusively!! Our style is executed brutally and precisely with strong satanic overtones. Those that like that style of black metal will most likely get into what we have been doing the past 10 years. Xul and I formed the band 1999 under the name of Azazel. As Azazel we released a promo tape titled Forever Heaven Gone and then a self released mCD titled Order of the Fly. In 2000 we changed the name to Kult ov Azazel to distance ourselves from other bands named Azazel, released another promo tape titled Of Evil and Hatred and have since done numerous split releases with the likes of Krieg, Obitus, Humanicide, Thy Lord, Satan’s Blood, Horn of Valere and Vrolok. We’ve been on many compilations, released a live album titled Assaulting the Masses and 4 studio albums to date which are Triumph of Fire (2001), Oculus Infernum (2003) , The World, The Flesh & The Devil (2005) and Destroying The Sacred (2009). The lineup is myself (Xaphan) on guitar/vocals, Xul on bass/vocals and Hammer on drums. KOA is a band with so many years of experience. How difficult has it been for the band to stay active and firm in the Metal Industry for so long? You know, these days we have a bunch of bands out there in competition to be in the taste of the audience. To say it has not been difficult would be a lie. It’s seems like it was way easier in the beginning. The biggest obstacle since 2001 has been that none of us live near one another. Xul and I live about an hour distance from each other. Hammer lives in Buffalo, NY. Both he and I make a living on the road, him being a drum technician and myself a sound engineer. Xul travels a lot for his job also. So over the years it has become much harder to get everyone together in one place for writing and rehearsals. Working around tour and work schedules complicates things a lot. However we are still together and have lasted this long with no plans to quit anytime soon. In alot of people's conception, Norway has been the only cradle of Black Metal music and the sound is something unique and hard to reproduce. How does KOA's Black Metal compare with that made in Norway? Do you consider the results are different even if both are based in the Black Metal roots? The cradle of black metal begins with Venom, not Norway. Kult ov Azazel creates music equally comparable to that created by our counterparts in Scandinavia and Europe. Our approaches and backgrounds are different but it is all rooted in the same form of music. Another possible myth is that Black Metal musicians are so fanatic with their beliefs and music influences that they never listen or like anything else but Black Metal (Or Metal in general). ¿How true is this in your case? If you listen to other stuff would you share with us what it is? I listen to all forms of metal; Black, Death, Thrash, Speed, Heavy and Doom. Outside of metal I listen to Stoner Rock, 70's & 80's era Punk, Crossover, Crust, Ambient, Industrial, Darkwave, New Wave, Classic Rock, Delta Blues, Blues Rock, Classical and Movie Scores. Just about everything except rap, hip-hop, pop, mainstream rock and modern country. From a musician’s standpoint I don’t listen to just one genre and there are some forms I like more than others, black metal being my favorite. Also as a guitarist I want to explore all forms and styles of playing. The first time I heard KOA's music was in 2003 (the"Triumph of Fire"album). I remember that I was searching websites to find new bands to listen to and at that time I was so in love with bands that show to have a true passion for Satan and Satanism philosophy (Bands that talk about the war against that shit called "religion") KOA proved they were for real. Probably you have noticed already that this element is used by alot of bands that just want to look "cool" or try to shock the audience with Satanic paraphernalia ignoring the deep significance of this legacy. I wanna ask this cuz there's a strong connection between this (Satanic paraphernalia) and the band's work. What does Satan means to you? I believe Satan is the dark evolutionary force of entropy that permeates all of nature that is the drive for survival and propagation in all living things; representation of qualities embodying rational self-interest, avoidance of oppression and perseverance towards success, the reservoir of power that can be tapped at will within oneself. Let's talk about the new album. How many tracks are included? How long did it take to record? We tracked, mixed and mastered it in two weeks at Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, FL. Same place we did the last album. It will consist of 9 songs. "Destroying The Sacred" will be in stores in U.S. pretty soon (June/02/09 to be exact) What's coming after the release? (If there's any future activities like touring, making a new video etc.) There’s not a whole lot confirmed just yet. We are definitely locked in and doing the Hostile City Death Festival in Philadelphia, PA on July 5th. Outside of that I have been talking to some Central American promoters about some shows towards the end of the year down towards Guatemala and El Salvador. Nothing is for certain though. KOA fans have already had the chance to check out the CD cover and 2 preview songs from the new album (At the official KOA myspace). Talking particulary of the cover, it is very simple but at the same time contains a very strong and brutal message against what is considered "sacred" (like Jesus). Who come up with the concept and who made the cover? Josh Bowens aka Nocturath designed the cover and layout. He has done artwork and layout design on all our full length albums. On past releases I collaborated to an extent with him on what we were going for. On this one I let him run on his own. I basically gave him the title of the album and he knew immediately want he wanted to do. He passed the idea by me and I liked it. The outcome is the cover for the new album. I have to say that everytime you guys put out a new album it seems like the band's music keeps getting better and better (sound quality and execution) and the recordings seem to be more "polished". Do you think this album could be considered the best in KOA career? I don’t know how others will view this album. Will it be the defining album of our career? I hope not. Not because it will be inferior to past releases but usually a career defining album is the death of a band. I am pleased with how it came out but there much still left in this band. This album will be much different than past ones, as all our albums have been. Some will like it and some will hate it. Also im a bit curious about why you guys decided to "keep the core" of the band and leave it in 3 pieces. What's the reason that motivated KOA to take this decision? We originally formed as a 3 piece. Everything we recorded up to Oculus Infernum was done as a 3 piece. It’s much easier to rehearse, write and record when less people are involved. We still include a fourth person but only for live situations and no one holds the spot. We use various individuals from other black/death metal bands. Just depends on who is available when we need to do shows. I wanna thank you for taking the time to make this interview possible. If you want to add something to close it, this is your chance! Thanks for the interview and exposure in Mexico! Kult ov Azazel releases and contact can be made through www.kultovazazel.com.