– Hello, thanks for taking your time. What are you guys currently up to?

Practice practice practice. We are preparing for our live assault that will start in Silver Springs Maryland April 7th and returning to Cambridge Massachusetts April 28th with Inquisition, Nachzehrer and Ipsissimus. We will also be playing Brooklyn NY June 2nd With Horna, Kommandant, and WOE and July 28th NYC with Mausoleum, Engorge, Nocturnal Fear and Funerus. Plus we are writing our next full length album and continue label shopping.

– First of all; could you please make some history of ABAZAGORATH

Abazagorath was formed in 1995 …. Our first release was the “Channelling the Ethereal Moons” 3 song MCD which we released ourselves in January 1996. We recorded 2 demos that year as well, leading up to our signing with Elegy Records. The resulting effort, the 13 track “Tenebrarum Cadent Exsurgemus” CD came out in March 1997. In 2001 we recorded 7 tunes that would later appear on “The Spirit of Hate for Mankind” 7″ record (Blood Fire Death Records – July 2002) and the “Enshrined Blasphemer” MCD (Agonia Records – October 2003) We finally got around to recording the second full length, “Sacraments of the Final Atrocity” in February 2004, and it saw the light in late March through Morbid Wrath followed by a European “Satanic Metal Vengeance tour”. In 2005 we recorded a 3 song split with Bloodstorm “Ancient Entities Arise” which was not released until 2008 on Elegy records. .

 

– Around 2007 you took a break for some years, until you reappeared into the Black Metal scene in 2011 due to the work of some of the band’s members in acts as FUNEBRARUM, EVOKEN or IMMOLITH among others. Is now ABAZAGORATH your main priority?

Abazagorath always has and will always be my main priority over any other projects I am involved in. The only side project I have at the moment is Ipsissimus and I also have done some session work for Beltane. Maelstrom and Ciemnosc are involved with Abysmal Gates but we still manage Abazagorath practice once a week and continue to write. Nyarlathotep has always been loyal and dedicated to Abazagorath but has minimal time because of his involvement with Evoken and Fuebrarum. Nihilist is on the other side of the country so we never get any practice with him unless I have a show scheduled and can afford to fly him out.

 

– You have just unleashed the “Abazagorath” EP; how’s its response being so far?

The response has been great so far and people are finally starting to realize why we were one of the first USBM bands. The new material is definitely our best work to date and has put Abazagorath back atop the USBM scene. Haters hate but Fuck you we will always continue to write what we like.

 

– On this EP we can find the usual personality and brilliance in ABAZAGOATH, is like you haven’t age at all. How do you manage to keep your personality without copying yourselves?

Easy. We have gone through numerous guitar players over the years (to many to count) and I believe each ex individual has brought something different to Abazagorath. Our core has always remaind the same (Until the newest release) myself, Nyarlathotep, and Morgul and we have always stuck with our original goal in creating our own style of US BLACK FUCKING METAL

 

– This is your first piece with guitar player Maelstrom; how did he get in the band? And what has he brought to ABAZAGORATH?

Maelstrom has been in the band since 2006 but we have never officially released any material with him prior to the newest EP. But he brings great song ideas and total dedication to Abazagorath something that I respect. We both want this disease known as Abazagorath to continue to grow and get bigger and bigger.

 

– With new blood in the band; has the songwriting process changed at all?

New blood? Not really Ciemnosc has been jamming with us since 2004 and recorded on our Abazagorath\ Bloodstorm “Ancient Entities Arise” split and like I mentioned earlier Maelstrom has been in the band since 2006. Both members are great guitar players and bring a more melodic metal feel and theory-based technique in their guitar and songwriting without loosing that raw Black metal hatered. Plus myself and Nyarlathotep have become better musicians over the years since our first realease Channeling The Ethreal Moons CD 1996.

 

– Production is just what an album like this needs, raw and aggressive. Would you mind to shed some light on the production process?

We recorded at BS1 Studios in Philly with Chris Grigg (Woe). He recorded, mixed and mastered the entire EP. He brought out a much cleaner side of Abazagorath without losing that raw feeling. Chris was real easy to work with and has my respect as an engineer.

 

– And what could you comment on the artwork (the artist, its meaning, etc.)?

The artwork was created by our long time metal brother Worthless Endeavors. We basically told him we wanted a demon like figure that would represent Abazagorath and this is what he came up with. We could not be happier with the final product and can’t thank Worthless enough for his warped mind. Worthless is a great artist and musician you should check out his band Famine (NJ) some Evil shit.

 

– Still leaving behind the musical side of the band; what are some of the lyrical ideas on the EP?

Since Maelstrom wrote the lyrics I will let him answer this question. Maelstrom: They lyrical concepts on the new E.P. stemmed from a desire of Nyarlathotep and myself to have deeper, smarter, more philosophical, more realistic and more original lyrics than what is found in most of black metal.  The result is a lyrical journey that is darker and more haunting in it’s realism but also more epic on the grander scale of things.  For example the lyrics of «The Antigod» explores the frightening possibility of scientific experimentation creating a chemical reaction that not only brings the end of life and existence but that erases and undoes all past occurrences that happened throughout time such as thoughts had and emotions felt.  In «Lapse» we explore the possibility of a ghost being a time lapse, reliving its death over and over and over again throughout the scope of time.  These were concepts much scarier to me than «demons attacking to bring the apocalypse» or whatever the standard black metal lyrics are nowadays.

 

– If I’m not mistaken, this “Abazagorath” has been released via Novisible Scars; how’s everything going with them so far?

NoVisible Scars’s Bill Connolly is a long time metal head and friend so when we talked about releasing the new material it was a no brainer. I got him the artwork and gave him some ideas of what I wanted and within 2 weeks he had the cd layout completed and ready for pressing. Labels usually don’t work like this and this allowed us to bump up the release date. Plus he and Cacophonic PR continue to promote the material. What else can I ask for? All HAIL Bill Connolly and NoVisible Scars

 

– All this being said about the effort, could you describe it in just 3 words?

Tetra hydro cannabinol

 

– You have been around for over 15 years now, and during this time the Black Metal scene has evolved (or changed) a lot. Have your influences being changing throughout the years?

It’s been 17 years but who’s counting. Nah not really I am an old school guy who still enjoys old black metal innovators VENOM hence the name Warhead these guys are why I wanted to start a black metal band. I also enjoy the old 90’s Swedish, French and Norwegian bands as well. I am not a huge fan of to many newer black meal bands since they are a dime a dozen. Some newer bands I do enjoy are Famine (NJ) Nachzehrer (MA) Ipsissimus (CT)

 

– And finally, what are your near-future plans?

Abazagorath will play the upcoming shows we have scheduled and continue writing our next full length album. If you like this newest EP wait until you hear the new material currently being created. We are also shopping for a label so anyone interested contact me through our facebook page www.facebook.com/abazagorth666 . Anyone who wants Shirts and CD’S and wants to book Abazagorath email warhead666@gmail.com

 

– That has been everything from my side, thank you once more. If you now want to add some final words, feel free to do it.

Prepare yourselves as the mighty horns of Abazagorath will once again impale the heavens.

Sergio Fernández

sergio@queensofsteel.com

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