Interviewed by Fiend & answered by Xaphan Hailz! When did you found Kult Ov Azazel and what can be said about it's history? Kult ov Azazel was formed in April of 1999 when Xul and myself decided to join forces. We had met at the music store I use to work at and we were both at the time doing our own projects. After a few talks what is known now as Kult ov Azazel was born. Since this time we have gone through many drummers but have released 3 CDs to date. To what purpose did you begin with the band? What are your goals? The purpose this band formed was to bring back the old ways of black metal. I got disgusted with all the black metal that was coming out, over produced and weak. I wanted to form a band that's whole purpose was to stay true to the roots of what black metal had portrayed and been in the past. I felt that black metal had in general wimped out and was being overrun with a bunch of faggots that had no clue or ounce of a brain to know what black metal stood for, what it embraced, what its entire purpose is and that is to be the embodiment of hatred, destruction, and blasphemy in musical art form. So that was one of the main reasons of forming this band ... to prove that black metal is still what it use to be! Our goals have far exceeded this at this point and our main goal is to spread our propaganda across this whole fucking planet Earth. The demise of religionist will come yet... What is the essence of Kult ov Azazel, how would you describe your art? The essence of Kult ov Azazel is essentially two guys that have a complete passion for creating nihilistic music. Our art can best be described as misanthropic black metal. What was the reason to release „Triumph of Fire“? Are you satisfied with the album and the reactions you received? Yeah I am very satisfied with the way the album came out. I think it's the best material that we have written and recorded up till now. I also am pleased with the production we got on it. We have never been the band that was going for the necro sound but yet have never polished our sound either. So I think on „Triumph of Fire“ we were able to achieve a very good clean raw sound with a good balance of the instruments levels. So yes I am very pleased with the way it came out from the sound to the fucking killer work that Josh Bowens did on the cover and layout. As for reactions they have been mixed. It seems in Europe that we have been getting trashed for being an American black metal band. Yet over here and in South America we have been getting really good reviews on the album. It seems that the Europeans are more concerned with what country a band is from rather than what they stand for and musical quality. The bottom line is no matter if people hate us or they love us we don't give a shit. We are playing black metal and writing songs for ourselves and if you can relate great, if you can't then keep bashing us, others hate and contempt for this band is what keeps our veins coursing. „Triumph of Fire“ is killing in high speed from beginning to end. Have you never considered writing slow songs or adding some more variety to the music? Yes, we have thought about writing slow songs and even more mid tempo riffs. In fact our older stuff was not near as fast as what you got on "Triumph of Fire". Either way the newer stuff we are currently working on will reflect this. You used a text by Anton LaVey for the song „Le Messe Noir“. Why have you chosen it, what is your opinion on LaVey and his ideology? We used those texts because in all honesty that song was the last to be written. I woke up one night out of a dead sleep, put the riffs together, and wanted to make sure it made it on to the album. I knew Xul wasn't going to write lyrics for it last minute so I picked parts out of Le Messe Noir, which in French means the Black Mass. The version found in LaVey's „Satanic Rituals“ was the one performed by the Societe des Luciferiens in late nineteenth/early twentieth century France. The ritual itself maintains the necessary blasphemy yet is used to elevate the concepts of Satanism to an honorable, logical degree. The purpose of this ritual was to repel stigmas inherited through past associations with Christianity and used as a vessel for revenge against acts carried out in the name of God. For these reasons I found it to be in agreement with our views and got permission to use them. What is your own basic ideology? Are you able to describe your state of mind? My ideology is basically survival of the fittest. Only the strong survive and the weak are eliminated. You are one or the other. As for my state of mind, it depends on the day and the factors that go into play. I don't know what else to say on this subject. From all your lyrics I like best the one for „My Misanthropy“, would you tell me something more about this special text? My Misanthropy is about a few different things. Firstly the lyrics reflect hatred towards society and humanity. It's about getting away from life by self mutilation with the outcome being a calm yet chaotic state of mind; a state of mind that craves pain, torture, seclusion and sacrifice. It describes the sense of being lost in your own head; hallucinating while drawing in blood with a knife or a spilt from your body to feel and see what you want to see – death and misery. What do you think about Satanism in general and what about the Church of Satan? Can you imagine following one specific ideology and completely agreeing with one single philosophy? To me Satanism is attainment of the will through knowledge, self-preservation, ritual and elitist ideals. I am very much into the occult and Satanism and these have been two leading factors in my life since a young age. I am a member of the Church of Satan but I have my own views on things. I agree with the majority of what LaVey wrote but not all. But regardless I support the CoS because I ally myself with and support all things that lead to the abolishment of Christian thought and ideology whether it be an organization, band or author/writer. And no I am not the type of person that will completely agree with one single philosophy or belief. If I agreed with everything someone else said or preached than I would be no different from the people I hate. How came you to explore Black Metal? Which bands do you like, which despise? This would be back in the early/mid 80’s around 83/84 when I was introduced to the Venom „Black Metal“ album. A friend turned me onto „Welcome to Hell“ and then shortly after that „Black Metal“ was released and I don't give a flying fuck what anyone else says but that was what black metal was back then. Venom coined what would become this musical style and to me were the forefathers to everything that was to become known as Black Metal. From there I got into Bathory, who also pioneered what was to come. Then overtime I have and still do listen to Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Possessed, Sodom, Mercyful Fate, Destruction, (first) Exodus, (old) Slayer, Kreator, Bloodfeast, VoiVod, (old) Metallica, Hobbs Angel of Death, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Beherit, Acheron, Burzum, Impaled Nazarene, Blasphemy, Dissection, VoiVod, Unleashed, Bestial Warlust, Marduk, Hypocrisy, Infestdead, Abigor, old Deicide, Pungent Stench, Morbid, Angel Corpse, Behemoth, (early) Morbid Angel, (old) Samael and I am sure I'm forgetting many more. Other bands I find to be worthy are Nargaroth, Krieg, Thornspawn, Temple of Baal, Antaeus, Weltmacht, Inquisition, Black Witchery, Averse Sefira, Infernal Hatred, Vukodlak, Demonic Christ, Thylord, In Aeternum, Obitus, Cryptic Winds, Bloodstorm, Cult of Daath, Noctuary, Belphegor, Judas Iscariot, Mutiilation, Malleus Maleficarum, Celebratum, Abazagorath, Open Grave, Humanicide, Evil Incarnate, Nokturnel, Funeral Mist and Ibex Throne. What's the weather like in Fort Lauderdale? Do you think there are places in the world where it would be easier to bear life? Do you feel an urge to be surrounded by nature or is it fine with you to be in the city? The weather in Fort Lauderdale is pretty much the same year round. It doesn't get any colder than maybe around 50 degrees at night during the winter. The whole reason I moved here is because the climate stays the same pretty much. I grew up in Tennessee and did not care for all the climate changes so I figured the closer to the equator I got the better off I would be. South Florida seemed like the best way to go. I do not really care about nature or being around nature. I grew up in the city and therefore I function just fine in the city. It is nice to get away, get out in the country, and seclude yourself from all outsiders yet it's not how I would want every day to be. I seclude myself well enough just living in the city and it's much easier for me to get around and gives me justification for the way I feel when I do decide to venture out into the world of self-deceit. How does your hatred expressed in Kult ov Azazel affect your everyday life? I would have to say the better question here is how does my everyday life affect the hatred expressed in Kult ov Azazel and this is simple. Here in America there are many religious sects and to hear them preach and go on about God yet live their way of life totally and completely hypocritical to what they say disgusts me. People are too fucking blind to see past what is fed to them through church and hundreds of years of Christian brainwashing. Christianity has bred stupidity and America is a hotbed of it. Weakness and dependency is what fucking humanity needs and it seeks it in the form of a non-existing deity. If fucking goddamn humanity wanted to save itself it needs to wake up and realize that no God is going to do it for them. What's your opinion on suicide? Do you think it's acceptable? How would you proceed? I hope you would take many with you! If that's what you feel you need to do then it's fine by me. I think suicide is a very effective way of telling the world to fuck off -- that you wish to be no part of it. But personally I would never kill myself. As much as I hate the majority people I have to interact with I do enjoy at lot of things that make my life somewhat bearable. But if I was to commit suicide it would be an act against Christianity and their suffering would be catastrophic. Would you prefer a sword or a machine gun? Machine gun. Do you think there is still some rest of a scene left and if so, where do you think it can be found? Yeah I think there is still a scene left but where to pinpoint it is much harder to do. There are many killer bands from many different countries, you just have to look hard enough. Are you playing live? What's your attitude towards concerts? Yes, we have played live many times and the way we look at it is this, seeing us in a live setting you can actually get the full impact of what we are all about much more than just listening to the album. But when it comes to a live show theatrics are useless to us. We just plug in and rage, just get up there and let the hatred and music do the talking. It is ritual for us to perform. It's during the live performances that the barbaric antichristian war cries are heard and intense hatred and disgust for all life is manifested, rearing its ugly head. Please tell me your opinion on the life-affirming and annoying NS-trend! I myself am not NS nor do I even bother with politics. I personally think politics and black metal have nothing to do with each other yet the truth of the matter is it was destined that these two would cross paths. But the NS movement has corrupted and twisted black metal into their own ideologies. I can understand pride in ones heritage but I personally view all humans as worthless mindless scum and don't see a need in securing any fucking race, at best all races fall under one title and that's the human race. It is humanity in whole that I wish to see suffer the consequences for the years of suffering and brainwashing it has done under the guise of religion. So in other words it is man that made his own gods and religion to manipulate and control the masses and it will be his man made gods and religions that will ultimately be his demise. But here I'm getting off topic so to end this I will say to each their own. There are just as many scum bags in all races so that requires that they all need to be wiped out. But overall I have no interests in NS philosophy or the belief in preserving ones own race or procreating to further ones race for that matter. What are your future-plans? We'll be going into the studio in December to record 3 or 4 new tracks that will go on to a CD with 9 live songs and will be titled “Black Mass Consecration”. It will be unleashed around January/February. We'll then go back into the studio in February to begin recording the next full length that I am told will see release sometime in the fall of 2002. We'll also be re-releasing our first recording “Order of the Fly” on 12” vinyl through Crooked Cross Records. It will include a live version of “Symbionic666” and live cover of Mayhem’s “Chainsaw Gutsfuck” as additional tracks and limited to only 300 copies. Use as many space as necessary to fukking insult some human beings, blaspheme Christ or say whatever you want! Hails for the interview. Further information on our agendas and activities can be found at www.kultovazazel.com or you can write to us at the address below. Embrace total and complete hatred and end your life now!