Interviewed by Viktor, answered by Xaphan So brutal record! Did you touch your limit in terms of speed and brutality? Thanks man! I do not think so. There is much more to come. What did you add on production level to achieve so crushing sound? The only difference on this album and past albums is the use of guitar effects and we used some reverbs and delays on the vocals which we never used on past albums. Could you tell me more about the song Gutting Religious Heritage? What does inspire that song? Was it an easy one to create? It was one of the first songs we wrote for the album so no it wasn’t hard to write musically. Lyrically the song is a analyzation and dissection of religion. What do you need to compose majestic riffs? Do you feel you find your unique guitar sound? My guitar sound has not changed much in 10 years. So yes I do feel I have my own distinct sound. As for riffs, they just come to me. I don’t really need anything to compose them. Playing guitar a lot helps though. How do you manage the vocal parts? Do you plan where to include Xul or is it a spontaneous process? When I write the lyrics I have a general idea who will be doing vocals when and where in the song, whether it is myself or Xul. If your music reflects your soul….why do you keep such aggression and hate? What does fuel your creative energy? Waking up every day. That’s what fuels my aggression and hate; my creative energy. Having to interact with society on a daily basis will naturally lead one to develop aggressive tendencies. Why do you want to destroy Christianity? Is Jesus responsible for all stupid human behavior? I want to destroy all religion, not just Christianity. Jesus was not the problem; just another useless human that added to the problem. Every religion has one. Do you see your band comparable to acts like Marduk and Dark Funeral or you prefer staying away from comparisons with Scandinavian black metal? I can understand why certain people compare us to those bands but personally I think we are quite different than them. Despite great album like Destroying The Sacred, your band is seeking label! Isn’t it a controversy? We are still working with Arctic Music but are doing so on an album to album basis. This way if something better comes along we have the ability to pursue it. We have been approached by a few labels but none have offered anything that would beneficial to us. Do you get tired of questions like why do you decide to play black metal in death metal region like Florida? Yes. What do you think of those bands and albums? Wolves In The Throne Room – Black Cascades Haven’t heard this. Orcustus – Orcustus Total black metal insanity. Love it! Svarttjern – Misanthropic Path Of Madness Now these guys are more comparable musically to Dark Funeral and Marduk than us. I like it though. 1349 – Revelations Of The Black Flame A bit strange but good. Dimmu Borgir – In Sorte Diaboli Not a big fan of the long cinematic keyboard interludes, this I have even expressed to some of them. Outside of that, I like the concept behind the album and the riffs are some of Dimmu’s best. Solid album. Do you have respect for pioneering bands like Venom and Bathory or they didn’t have influence on Kult Ov Azazel? Venom is my favorite band of all time and the band I cite as my catalyst into extreme metal, the LHP and the ongoing learning from both. Bathory I consider influential as well but not as much as Venom. I respect both bands and what they contributed to the beginnings of black metal. Would you recommend to our readers real true and brutal US black metal bands? I can recommend Krieg, Tenebrous, Devastator, Absu and Averse Sefira. This year your band celebrates 10 years history. What do you remember from your first steps? This band turned 10 years back in April. I remember in the beginning it being difficult. I remember sending our Order of the Fly mCD to labels and getting turned down with some even calling us a joke. Funny how things change over time. I also remember being a complete alcoholic for about the first 6 years. I was wasted a lot on whatever booze I could get my hands on! That too has changed. Do you see bigger interest in Kult Ov Azazel from magazines, radios, TV stations? How do you explain this growing American black metal scene movement? Only now that the new album is out. Up until it was released no one had any interest in us. We have only done a few interviews over the years since the last album was released. To be honest I like it like that. As for the growing scene here I have no knowledge of what is going on. I do not read music magazines or keep up on stuff of that sort. My focus is always on Kult ov Azazel and never on what other bands are doing. Do you keep contacts with other bands? Do you gather together and share ideas like in Norway or in USA the great distance between different states is a difficult Yeah the distances between the states and even cities here makes it hard to have a scene like say Norway. I do stay in contact with a few bands or individuals from bands through email, phone or sites like myspace and facebook. I don’t share ideas with them and only gather when we play festivals with said individuals or bands. We write an article about Anthrax album Among the Living, so I will appreciate your honest opinion about that record? Quite possible the best Anthrax album ever! Listening to it takes me back to my teenage years. It was rare back then that I liked every song on a bands album but this album was one of them. Ian and Spitz were a great duo. Outside of that, the production was amazing for this album and the songs were all crushing for back then. Still a favorite to listen to.