Interviewed by Scott Alisoglu & answered by Xaphan Congratulations on a great new album. I find The World, The Flesh, and The Devil to be a big step forward for the band in almost every aspect. I would guess this is the kind of sentiment that you had hope for. : Thanks Scott. I don't think it's something we hoped for just merely something we set out to achieve. Musically what good is it to us or the listener if Kult ov Azazel continued to release the same album over and over again? I nor the other guys have any interest in that. Each album should be a progression and a step forward rather than a step backwards. The first thing that immediately jumped out at me is the sound mix. Ohtani gave the music more clarity without sacrificing a bit of the ferocity that KOA is known for. Talk about the co-production (KOA and Ohtani), the mastering (Rutan), and the mixing (Ohtani). Well that's exactly what we went in saying; we wanted to get away from the one dimensional sound that we had got working with Staska at Studio 13 on the past two albums. We knew by going to Tampa to record at Mana we couldn't go wrong. On top of that we'd be working with two guys that know what we as a band are out to achieve. Ohtani plays in a black metal band and is also a guitarist and does Rutan even need an explanation? So when we entered the studio they knew exactly what direction we were going. Ohtani knew that we wanted clarity and rawness without losing any of the attack we're known for. They both understood we wanted a more organic drum sound than we had been given on the previous album so Rutan helped out here and there but for the most part stayed away from the whole recording process and turned the reigns over to Ohtani. I wasn't present for the mastering process since I had to leave Tampa the day after we got the final mix but I trusted Rutan to take care of it. When I got it from him it was perfect. The mastered version was flawless! I thought the guitars were mixed a little low on Oculus Infernum, but that "problem" has been rectified on The World… Yeah that was one of the many things corrected on this album. What we heard in the studio and what we got on the album was way out of balance. I even have stated many times I felt the guitars and harmonies where buried too far back in the mix. So going into the studio for the new album I immediately pointed out I didn't want that happening again. I also went about a different approach this time around. On the past two albums I wasn't allowed to use my pedal configuration into the amplifier and was running straight into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier using only the distortion supplied by the Mesa. So in the end it wasn't a bad guitar sound but too clean and definitely not my own. On the new album again I used my Mesa Dual but with my pedal configuration and we also incorporated a Engel Power Ball into the fold. I think the guitar work is better here. Not that it was bad on Oculus Infernum (not at all), but I heard a more accomplished attack in the harmonizing and the ways in which the riffs work off each other, etc. Your thoughts? Not sure I would say better or worse. I'm indifferent to the whole thing being I wrote a good portion of the album. But the riffs were in a sense strategically put together. We demo'd all the songs out so during that process I would drop or add riffs that I thought should or shouldn't be there or I would move riffs from song to song until I had the match. It was much more thought out before we even entered the studio which we hadn't done since "Order of the Fly." On "Triumph…" only a few songs got to demo and lyrics were written in the studio during the recording process, same with "Oculus…" but with that one even the music was written in the studio. We went in with only structures to songs so that recording evolved completely in the studio. With "The World, The Flesh & The Devil" everything was prepared going in and there was no improvising at all. I love what Hammer does with the drumming here too. Obviously, he's blasting all over the place (and those feet never stop), but you can here all the "little" things he does, such as the cymbal work on "Trampling the Cross." I completely agree. Hammer has been a great asset to our arsenal. The vocal work of Xul and Xaphan is still on the screamier side of the fence, but it seems to be toned down just a bit. It also seemed like you didn't do quite as much layering either, instead doing more vocal punch-ins to make impact where it's needed, etc. Is this accurate or are my ears playing tricks on me? I think your ears maybe playing tricks on you. I am doing way more vocals on this album but at the same time I must point out that I am not a screamer vocally. My vocals are done from throat as opposed to the diaphragm. Xul on the other hand is most definitely a screamer but I wouldn't say it is toned down. More like controlled and decipherable. Since I wrote the majority of the lyrics this time around I wanted him to annunciate the lyrics which hadn't really been the case on past albums and another change that came about on this album. Tell me about Nocturath's replacement, VJS - his playing, his contribution to the album, why Nocturath left, etc. In the song writing process itself VJS penned the lyrics for "Trampling the Cross." In the studio his contribution other than guitar and some guitar harmonies was also his vocals on the 3 way assaults. VJS came into the fold shortly after we recorded the "Oculus…" CD but after Nocturath and I had begun writing new material together. We had some shows set up and we were informed by Nocturath that he wasn't going to tour and just wasn't interested in playing live. So at that point we recruited VJS. Xul and I both have known him for many years and knew he was capable of handling the duty. He was initially asked back in 1999 but I ended up starting the band Xul and that's another long story. Just thought I'd point out how it's crazy that sometimes things come full circle. Or would that be destiny? Tell me about the idea behind the album title, The World, the Flesh and the Devil. In all actuality the title was supposed to have been used on the last album. But instead we went with "Oculus Infernum". It was after the music was written and I was writing lyrics that it again came to me as a perfect title for the new album. It reflects and summarizes the atmosphere and lyrical context of the entire album quite well. It would appear your lyrical content has remained largely in the anti-Christian/organized religion bashing realm. Is this true or have I oversimplified it? Nah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. The lyrical content is definitely antichristian but it is also peppered extensively with occult matter. And yes there's a good deal of religion bashing. I understand you co-headlined the Northern Lights Festival in Toronto. How was it? Other than I was extremely sick with flu and the venue was hotter than a summer day in South Florida it was a killer show. I swear it must have been 115 degrees in that venue but I was standing about 2 feet from the power amps for the PA system , two 6 foot racks of them, so that's why it was so fucking hot! Other than those complaints it was definitely worth the drive up to be a part of. Will you be doing more touring in support of this album? Yeah we'll be out in support of the new album in August. The tour is billed as "Hellstorm of Unholy Legions". The lineup is obviously us, Blood Storm, Teratism and Horn of Valere. It begins in Philadelphia, PA on the 13th of August and will end on the 27th in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Dates and cities already confirmed can be found at our website, www.kultovazazel.com. We'll be adding more dates as the come in. There's also a possibility of some Central American shows in September if everything pans out. Have I left anything out? Please fill any holes I may have left here. Thanks! I can't think of anything else. Thanks again for interviewing us and allowing us an outlet to propagate our music. "The World, The Flesh & The Devil" will be out in North America June 28th through Arctic/Crash Music and will descend upon Europe the end of days in July. Seek it out for 9 tracks of heretical black metal.