AZRAIL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANA KOERNER
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/azrails11thhour
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Metal / Death Metal / Alternative

GREAT NEWS IS THAT YOU GUYS FINALLY RELEASED YOUR FULL LENGTH TITLED PRIMORDIAL LATE LAST YEAR. HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU SPEND ON THE WRITING PROCESS AND ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY WITH THE END RESULT?

Yeah, of course it is a major milestone for the band musically and personally. Such occasions
give us the oppurtunity to look back on where we started and where we are moving to, going in
to the future. The songs on the album were written over a period of about a year, some of them, like for instance “Tempted”, is probably the oldest song on there, dating from when the band first got together back in 2006.

We were pleasantly surprised by the end result, as any band probably is hearing themselves on a recording for the first time. Soundwise, we wanted to differentiate ourselves from the current sound of metal albums coming out from SA, of which most of them we see as over produced and lacking that raw emotion, which we feel is so inherrently important in metal. Thus from the start we set out with a goal of keeping the sound raw and brutal, yet still modern and heavy as fuck. This is one of the reasons we didn't use triggers on the drums and also ran it through analogue compressors and such in the mastering stage.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CD COVER DESIGN AND WHAT WAS THE IDEA BEHIND IT?

We wanted the cover to reflect our sound and vision as not only a death metal band, but also as fans of death metal. We were always intrigued by the artwork of other bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Death, Slayer and Decapitated, and knew our album also had to have a completely original artwork on it.

We actually had quite some difficulty finding someone to do the artwork we wanted for this album, but after searching high and low, we finally found Stephen from Darkwater, whom we felt confident and happy with. We gave him an outline of the artwork we wanted done and he simply made it happen from scratch. (Although I must say, Oli also gave some contributions here and there, such as the new logo.)

The idea behind the album cover basically links up with the album's title, Primordial, meaning the first or original. The cover's theme is that of the first or primordial man stepping out of a black oozing river, the primordial soup, having no skin he is an abomination in a hostile and violent world, which is not necessarily Earth.

WHERE DID YOU RECORD AND WHO PRODUCED THE ALBUM?

We recorded with Ari Terblanche at his studio on the west coast. It was an amazing experience spending time in his studio, tracking and just focusing on the music every day. We then sent the album to Simon (Fuzzy) Ratcliffe at Sound & Motion studios in Cape Town for mastering and he took out some tricks on it.

When it comes to production and in keeping with how almost everything in Azrail seems to work, we all gave our 2 cents worth here and there. Money wise, Riaan can probably be seen as the producer, seeing as he mostly paid for the thing.

HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC CHANGED FOR THE BETTER WITH THE MEMBER CHANGE AND THE ADDITION OF A “NEW” GUITARIST IN THE BAND LAST YEAR?

Well, I think I was lucky to come in to the band at just the right time, the guys were ready to go bigger and also approached me and later the new material with open minds and an eagerness to try new things.

The music itself has in some ways changed dramatically from what the band did when it first started out. I like to think it has not only become heavier and more brutal, but also more technical and complex, especially as we grow in confidence as musicians and as a band. Technicality and brutality is our greatest focus moving forward.

DID YOU GUYS TRY OUT DIFFERENT GUITAR TUNINGS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS WHILE RECORDING?

Not really, me and Riaan play in different tunings from each other all the time, he's in drop D and I am in D standard, but the songs were written in these, so we didn't see a need to change that. Though we did experiment a bit with different tones and distortions, and Riaan also likes to go acoustic sometimes, as in “Tempted” and on the hidden track.

OF ALL THE NEW SONGS ON THE ALBUM WHICH ONES STAND OUT FOR YOU GUYS AND WHY?

I think each one of us has their favourite, for me the last song, “Stepping through the nether portal”, stands out, because it encompasses everything we've been trying to accomplish musically so far, namely brutality, technicality, speed and groove. It also is an indicator of where we are aiming to take the music of Azrail in the future.

YOUR NEW SONGS ARE ALLOT HEAVIER… AND ONE CAN SEE IT WITH ALLOT OF BANDS THAT START OUT AND THEN JUST GET HEAVIER AND HEAVIER THE LONGER THEY PLAY. DO YOU THINK THE BAND WILL HIT A PLATEAU AT SOME POINT?

As I said earlier, I think this happens with most bands as they inevitably grow in confidence. I don't know how far we will push it, we generally get bored with our own songs very quickly and the next song always has to be more than the previous, I guess we are just weird like that. If one stays true to the vision and musical identity of what you're trying to accomplish, I personally don't believe there are any limits. We are our own worst critics and always see so much more room for improvement and always try to push our musical ability beyond our own comfort zones and expectations.

NOW THAT YOUR ALBUM IS COMPLETE YOU GUYS MUST BE FOCUSING ON MAKING AN IMPACT ON THE LIVE CIRCUIT, ANY SHOWS COMING UP IN THE NEAR FUTURE THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO?

In January we took a gamble and played a few shows around the country, promoting the album, which was an amazing experience. Next we are looking forward to Ramfest in Feb/March as it is our first time playing there and we simply can't wait to tear up the place while also internally decapitating some people in the pit.

IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU THINK THE BAND HAS IMPROVED LIVE OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM PLAYING VENUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY LATELY?

I think we have each grown a lot more confident on stage, I myself used to have a massive problem with stage fright. But now we are confident and energetic on stage, each member knows what is expected of him and then some more.

Azrail live is a well oiled machine of death and slaughter at the moment. We also know our set through and through, good enough even to play around with the songs a bit on stage and just let the brutality flow from us to the crowd.

Lessons we learned from playing around the country is that there are fans of metal, everywhere, and that there is an underlying sense of brotherhood in the community, which I believe is the true strength of the relatively small but vibrant metal scene here.

IN YOUR OPINION WHAT CAN ALREADY EXPERIENCED BANDS DO TO HELP ASPIRING BANDS TO GET OUT OF THE GARAGE AND ONTO A STAGE AND HELP THE SCENE TO GROW?

Well, give them a listen, maybe invite them to share a stage, but most importantly, give constructive criticism and guidance where necessary. For instance, Azrail is most definitely not the first band any of us has played in, and many of the previous projects never made it out of the garage. Sometimes something just clicks and the rest comes together over time. I think this is where the more established bands' guidance and criticism can be invaluable at times.

IT SEEMS LIKE MYSPACE HAS TAKEN A BACK SEAT TO FACEBOOK WHEN IT COMES TO LOCAL BANDS PROMOTING THEIR BAND THESE DAYS. WHY DO YOU THINK
THIS HAS HAPPENED?

It's cheap and efficient, and I think it's just so much easier to attract fans on there, manage you're band's publicity and keep people informed about what's happening. Also, most people seem to have moved their personal profiles to Facebook these days, probably because of the virus trouble Myspace had at some time ago. Although I must say, I don't think a band should be wholly dependent on Facebook or Myspace.

WOULD YOU EVER DRIVE A CAR INTO A SWIMMING POOL?

Hell yeah, not my own car of course, maybe a hearse with a rocket strapped to it, covered in foetuses to give the pool a lasting effect.

ANY LAST COMMENTS/ADVISE OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

Thanks to everyone who supports us in so many ways from all around the country, you are the enriched uranium in our atomic bomb of destruction. Also, our friends and drinking buddies down here in the Cape , and our other Azrailite legionnaires and friends here and all around the country.

And especially, the guys who looked after us on tour, gave us a roof over our heads and beer in our bellies. Cameron and the rest of Reverend Henry Kane, Pledge Defiance and Theatre Runs Red in Durban, and Architecture of Aggression and Deane Crescent in Gauteng. And of course Rehan and Bennie from Bile of Man, for being true to the spirit of death metal and being the most brutal moshing motherfuckers around in Gauteng !

Death metal is alive, wreathing with sores and gushing puss everywhere. Spread the plague and above all, keep it fucking brutal!