Interviews - Live 4 Metal

Interview with Xaphan of Kult ov Azazel
By Dave Schalek August 2009

Xaphan, Congratulations on the release of a truly excellent black metal album in “Destroying The Sacred”.

How have fans reacted to the new album? What about the media?
Input from the fans has been positive. As for the media, not a lot of promos were sent out. I have only seen a few reviews we have received from the label but overall it has been positive as well.

Tell us about the differences in sound between “The World, The Flesh, and The Devil” and “Destroying The Sacred”. For example, “Destroying the Sacred” has a much cleaner sound. Was this a deliberate decision on the part of the band going into the recording of the album, or did this just evolve during the recording process?
There was no deliberate decision on the production going in. It just evolved during the process. The only outcome we were looking for was something equal to or better than the production we got on The World, The Flesh & The Devil. That’s why we went back to Mana. In the end I think what we got on the new album is much better production wise.

Why the long hiatus between the two albums?
There were a lot of things happening in everyone’s personal lives. The short version, I got married and Hammer became a father. Also the way we write is the old school way, that being us three getting together in a room and hashing out ideas until we have completed a song. The problem with this is we all live far away from each other. Xul lives an hour north of Ft. Lauderdale and has for some time now and Hammer lives in New York. So with all the things that were happening back in 2005/2006 it made it impossible for us to get together. It wasn’t until 2007 and the beginnings of 2008 that we were able to all hook up for the writing process. These reasons had a lot to do with the hiatus. However, I must point out we really weren’t on a hiatus as Kult ov Azazel was still playing shows in 2006 and 2007.

“Destroying the Sacred” not only criticizes Christianity, but also Judaism and Islam. What motivates your lyrical themes and how are they different from other black metal bands/ projects? Does an American perspective, especially after 9/11, matter in this regard?
Many elements motivated the lyrics on this album. 9/11 had a little to do with it but more so what has followed in the years since. I am a news junkie. I am almost always watching world news on TV or reading it online so the lyrics on this album spawned from my thoughts, opinions and perspective of the world I see around me. I also wanted not to move away from but rather write something other than songs based around the same subjects we have covered in the past. When I was writing lyrics I made sure it had nothing to do with invocations, summoning, demonology, Satanism and so on. The lyrics this time around reflect my personal feelings rather than serving as an homage to the ancient ones.

Media coverage of the USBM scene seems to be enamored with one-man projects. Do you feel that traditional, hardworking bands in the USBM scene with a full lineup are shortchanged by the media?
I could not tell you as I do not read metal media publications. I personally could care less what most bands have to say in interviews, what the reviewers’ opinions on releases are and so forth. What I am beginning to see is that bands such as ourselves are being short changed more so by the bigger labels. Now we are no longer contracted with Arctic I am learning that labels only care about one thing when signing bands and that is Soundscan numbers. It doesn’t matter if you have been prolific in releasing albums, built a fan base from the ground up, and are hard working, highly regarded, etc. as it is all about Soundscan numbers or who you know.

Describe the band’s touring plans to support the album.
There are no touring plans. We are booking though. We just co-headlined the Hostile City Death Fest that was held in Philadelphia, we are headlining the Milwaukee Blackened Festival in October as well as playing Los Angeles on Halloween. In November we headline the East Coast Black Metal Festival in Allentown, PA. There’s also some other offers on the table for the end of the year but nothing I can disclose as of now. Then next year we are confirmed and will be headlining day 2 of the Michigan Deathfest. I’m also in talks right now with a Mexican promoter about a 15 day tour of Mexico and a European booking agency for a European tour in 2010.

How did you hook up with Hate War Productions for your upcoming appearance in Los Angeles?
I have known Chris since the band formed. I consider him a close friend. The thing is we were originally not on the bill. I was asked by Armanen of Tenebrous if I would play session guitar for them in LA on Halloween which is actually the release show for the band Sein und Zeit. I agreed and a few days later Hammer reminded me that we had some offers for October 31st which I had forgotten about. I called to pull out of the Tenebrous show and Armanen suggested that I get Kult ov Azazel on the show so I contacted Chris who got together with the owner of the Black Castle and made it happen. So we are making our way back to Los Angeles again, something I am looking forward to.

Are you ending your professional relationship with Arctic Music? Are you currently seeking a deal with another label? If so, have any labels expressed interest?
No, we aren’t ending the relationship between Arctic, we are more or less looking to expand our horizons. Arctic has been good to us in many ways but has hindered us in other ways as well. We have the option to continue with them on an album to album basis but we need a label that can supply tour support and has worldwide distribution. So yes, we are seeking another label. It’s time to take Kult ov Azazel to the next level.

What led to the inclusion of a cover of “Hang The Pope” by Nuclear Assault on “Destroying The Sacred”?
The song seemed to fit into the concept of the album, both lyrically and musically. We are huge fans of Nuclear Assault. It was homage to a great band!!!

Thanks for your time.