One of the most respected Black Metal acts (maybe the most!) in the US scene, answered a simple but informative interview I wrote. Xaphan says about the delay of new album and much more. No time for bullshit. Wait for a review of their new work! Check out! Interviewed by Ulysses. Hails to you, Xaphan and Kult ov Azazel. You have been recording your new album called "Oculus Infernum". How is this process doing? Is it already finished? Tell us about it and what KoA fans can expect… (The release date will be maintained?). Hail Ulysses. Yes we have been recording the new album and aren't particularly rushing it but at the same time it's not going as fast as I wish it too. Due to these and other delays the release date of Jan. will not be maintained. It's looking more like a April/May release. What can be expected are 8 tracks of pure fucking hate and blasphemy. Our comrades will see more dual vocals going on between Xul and myself like in past, more lyrical contribution from me, and an album of uncompromising black metal with the first full lineup of permanent members. Kult ov Azazel is one of the most respected bands in the USA's scene. Why do you think many bands that have been around for a while didn't get half of the recognition you got? Are there many posers and false people in the Black Metal in your opinion? As far as the US scene goes in the US many bands from here are recognized by others, maybe not overseas but certainly here. I say this as people who are truly into the US black metal scene goes, I'm not talking trendhoppers or people who infiltrate the scene with false hopes. Yes there are many false people and posers into black metal, but I don't worry about it. These people will be gone once they find another trend to follow. I see that many of the stuff released is just out of print and sold out. How do you feel about it? Is this a feeling that rewards you? It doesn't bother me that the stuff is out of print. It's mainly due to the fact that most the stuff we have released or been a part of was only released to small quantities being that the labels that released them only had so much money to do so. As for stuff we have released, it takes money to spend money and usually it involves us putting our own money in. This is something both Xul and myself have done many times so we are only able to do limited runs on the shirts and shit we print up. My take on it is if you didn't get it while it was around, tough shit or good luck finding it. The year of 2002 established Kult ov Azazel's line up. Tell me the difficulties you had to face while looking for serious and permanent members…How different you feel it is to play with another guitarist (Nocturath)? I think the old songs had just one guitar, right? How are these old songs with another one? Yeah all past releases had only me on guitar. Finding skilled and dedicated people has not been an easy task. The old songs sound just as they do on the recordings with the 2nd guitar because all past releases I laid down 3 guitar tracks. So not much is different other than when played with another guitarist the guitar sound is much thicker and more solid sounding. I knew that you played several gigs around your country. Many of them were with Death Metal bands, like the most respected ones like Krisiun, Incantation, Hate Eternal…Were this gigs great? Maybe the majority of the crowd was there to a Death Metal act…Do you think Kult ov Azazel could impress them also? By the way, how do you see Death and Black Metal styles? In your opinion, do they have to share stages and fight together? Yeah they were excellent gigs. You are exactly correct by saying that the majority of the people were they to see death metal bands. But in the long run we have made many supporters from playing these gigs. The two styles, in a live setting, can go together. Extreme metal is extreme metal, so yes the two styles can stand side by side. In my opinion, Kult ov Azazel is one of the most original bands…the rawness, the brutality…The vocals are not like most of bands. Xul really does a great job and I can hear his throat is very strong. It really makes the band recognizable, while we observe MANY bands in the scene that just sound the same. What is the importance of originality to you? Originality is everything to me. I think copying a bands style or trying to be an exact clone is worthless and the path of sheep. Weak people copy others. We as a band, as well as individuals, are beyond that. Black Metal style is more exposed now than ever before. Would be that the reason for many cliché bands and falseness in the scene? What is your opinion about the bands that influenced the scene with good BM and now are just different and popular…(a good example would be Satyricon), while a lot of people say that these bands betrayed Black Metal, I still see who says that it's called envy…? And what about the cliché ones, which just sing "Satan, 666", use pentagrams in their logos and corpsepaint to hide their weak ideology? Honestly I do not waste my time or energy thinking about stuff like this. What other bands do does not concern me. If a band goes a complete direction from what they were doing then it is evident that those were their true intentions. Personally, if a band I like does this I stop buying their albums. Simple as that. People that sit around and cry about what this band does and that band does are weak people that use these excuses to obsess over meaningless tripe. What do try to make people understand while reading Kult ov Azazel's lyrics? Tell me about the meaning of Satanism and Misanthrope contained in the lyrics… People can read our lyrics and make out their own conclusions from them. The underlining theme though is total disdain for christianity, but also for all religion that involves belief in a supreme god. We aren't trying to tell people anything so making them understand is not the point. Our lyrics are written beginning from an inner thought or feeling when hearing the music. Lyrics are always the last thing put to a song since they are written around the music and not vice versa. The Satanism and misanthropic content of the lyrics stem from our own personal involvement with the occult and the feelings we harbor towards a filthy, blinded monotheistic society. How are the live cults? Do you use blood, fire and things like that? Do you pretend to tour around other countries? Which ones would be at the top of your preferences? Occasionally we use fire but that's it. Theatrics aren't our bag. I think that the atmosphere should be created by the music not by some wacky stage show. We have not toured other countries, not yet. I personally have toured Europe with another band though and the countries that stick out in my mind are Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. Could you mention some bands, unknown ones, in the American scene that you see a great future inside the Black Metal? Instead I will just tell you the bands from here that I think are ones worthy of being heard. These bands are Inquisition, Krieg, Xasthur, Averse Sefira, Thornspawn, Ibex Throne, Cryptic Winds, Vukodlak, Infernal Hatred, Blood Storm, Von, Profanatica, Havohej, Black Witchery, Abazagorath, Demonic Christ, Weltmacht, Robed in Exile, Sumeria, Gnostic, Kathonik, Demoncy, Shroud of Despondency, Devotee, Grand Belial's Key, Blackreign, Black Funeral, Cult of Daath, Burning Winds, Capra Hircus and The Cold Beyond. How is it to work with Arctic Music? Do they give you total support and promotion? Tell me about the relationship you maintain with them…and if they help you to find gigs to play and things like that… Working with Arctic has been fine. No they do not help us find gigs, that's all up to us, but other than that they have given us much support and promotion. Not much more to be said on this topic. I think that's all for now, Xaphan! We hope to get "Oculus Infernum" as soon as possible and we also deserve you success in the true Black Metal scene! Hails!!!!! Spread your last message! Many thanks for the interview and the support! Any additional intelligence on the band can be obtained from www.kultovazazel.com or Kult ov Azazel, PO Box 23308, Fort Lauderdale Florida, 33307 USA. Destroy all idols!