Answered by Xaphan Thanks for the interview. Firstly, whats the band up to? We are currently working on a new album, just released “Triumph of Fire” on vinyl with “Order of the Fly” to be reissued soon on vinyl also. We have added a new guitarist to the band who goes by Nocturath as well as a permanent drummer who is Goss “The Hammer”. How would you describe the Kult ov Azazel sound? Nihilistic black fucking metal! How did the band begin in 1999 as Azazel? It began with me working on Azazel as just a solo project and it became evident that in order to accomplish anything more people had to be brought into the equation. I soon met Xul who was basically doing the same thing with his project “Erebus” and we decided to join forces and keep the name Azazel. The band has had a number of drummers. has that been easy to work with? Not exactly but we have never let it hinder our progress. Kult ov Azazel worked relentlessly to promote itself in the first year and a half of it's existence. How happy were you to eventually get your first full length album out after all that hard work? I can say we were very happy with finally getting some recognition after all the time we spent promoting and spreading our propaganda. How was 'Triumph of Fire' recieved by fans and press? It has received excellent reviews and people seem to think it was a devastating album for a US black metal band. Overall it has done well. The band has toured permanently since then with bands like Amon Amarth and Gorguts. Which bands have you enjoyed working with the most? We have only played local shows with these bands as well as others. As for who was the most enjoyable to have worked with there is no answer. We don’t kiss ass to any bands we play with and at the same time they don’t speak to us either. Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)? Yes and it went quite shitty. We had a 2 am slot at a local club playing after Divine Empire. The club was packed until we went on and then we played to maybe 20 people that had stayed. Everything that could go wrong did and it was not one of our better shows. What are your favourite Kult ov Azazel tracks? Garden of Shadows, Destruction to the Throne of God, Symbionic 666, Le Messe Noir, Crown of Fire, Triumph of Fire and My Misanthropy. What are your favourite all time songs? Leave Me in Hell by Venom, Deliver Us to Evil by Exodus, Antichrist by Destruction, Blasphemer by Sodom, The Gate of Nanna by Beherit, Sacrifice by Bathory are just a few I can think of right now. There are way too many of them. What would be your dream band line-up? Can’t say I have one. I think the lineup we currently have is our best so far. What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today? Metal will never be an accepted form of music, and I mean real metal not this Mtv mainstream shit that labels try to classify as metal today. Music of today in general sucks because it’s made to appeal to the masses. I hate it all! Do you have any unusual stories you can share with us? No. And finally, what do you see in the future for Kult ov Azazel? The future holds the release of the next album “Oculus Infernum”. We’ll also be participating on a Beherit tribute, a Bathory tribute and will do a few split 7 inch records with other bands. Other than that there really are no future plans, perhaps we will eventually get around to touring.