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1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
> Since finishing the recording, most of our work has taken place behind the scenes. We signed with Pagan Records, filmed a couple of music videos, and spent some time refining our live aesthetics and stage props.
Once everything surrounding the release was ready, we slowly started working on new material.
2.You have a new album coming out towards the end of June, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
> We feel this album is a more mature record than anything we've released before. After “Wieczny Sen”, we finally managed to establish a stable lineup. Over time we learned how to understand each other musically, which allowed us to reach places we simply couldn't before.
Our goal has never been to make overly complicated music or to show off our technical abilities. That's not what black metal is about for us. What matters is discovering something that feels uniquely ours and continuing to explore it. We also feel that "Echa Krwi" has set the direction we'll continue to follow in the future.
3.This is also going to be your first album since 2019, can you tell us a little bit more about the 7 year wait in between releases?
> It was really a series of unfortunate events spread over several years, with each one pushing the release back by months. It started with the pandemic, followed by lineup changes and the time it took to fully integrate our new guitarist, along with plenty of smaller issues that slowed everything down.
We could probably have released the album earlier, but it wouldn't have been the album we wanted to make. We wanted to enter the studio only when everything was ready - when the material felt complete, substantial, and free of unnecessary filler.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
> With this album, we try to recreate the atmosphere of our homeland during the pre-Christian era. Unfortunately, much of that world has been lost to history, so we allow ourselves a certain degree of artistic interpretation. There are also historical references throughout the lyrics. Some of them are better documented, but we deliberately avoid pointing them out directly, preferring to leave them as hidden details for listeners to discover on their own.
Our writing process has remained largely unchanged over the years. Our vocalist has complete creative freedom when writing the lyrics, and only at the final stage do we occasionally make small adjustments to better fit the vocal arrangements.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Azels Mountain'?
> The founding members of the band grew up at the foot of Mount Ślęża, one of the most important sacred sites of pre-Christian cultures in our region. If you remove the Polish diacritical marks from "Ślęża" and then spell it backwards, you get "Azels". That's where the name comes from.
6.Out of all the shows and tours the band has done so far which one stands out the most?
> One of the festivals that left the strongest impression on us was Black Hole Fest, organized by Reto and Tamara. What makes it special is its strong focus on black metal and the opportunity it gives audiences to experience a wide range of cultural influences, from Germanic, Scandinavian and Slavic traditions to even Native American traditions.
In a sense, we were a bit of a curiosity there as well, as bands drawing so heavily on Slavic heritage are still relatively uncommon in that part of Europe.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
> The first confirmed event is Gothoom Festival, along with a few smaller shows that we'll be announcing soon. We're already in touch with several promoters, and we'd definitely like to put together a tour centered around the new album. We wrote this material with the stage in mind, so we're looking forward to finally bringing it to live audiences.
8.The new album is going to be released on 'Pagan Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
> We've known about each other for many years, so this collaboration came together quite naturally. We had a finished album and were looking for a new label. Pagan Records felt like the perfect match in terms of both aesthetics and subject matter, and fortunately they felt the same way about our music.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
> That's an interesting question. As an underground band, most people discover us through word of mouth, live shows, or by digging quite deep into the underground. In Poland, especially in the western part of the country, things are a bit different because we've been around for many years and our lyrical themes are closely connected to our own cultural heritage.
Abroad, however, we're often something of a curiosity. We believe one of our greatest strengths is our live performance. Whenever people have the chance to see us on stage, they tend to remember us, and that's probably the best compliment we could ask for.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
> While working on this album, we developed a fairly clear vision of the direction we want to follow. Thematically, we'll always stay close to our roots, but musically we'd like to continue exploring unusual harmonies while drawing inspiration from our own cultural heritage - from composers like Chopin to progressive bands such as SBB, without ever losing the essence of black metal. We have no intention of becoming a progressive or neoclassical band; we simply want to keep expanding our own musical language.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
> Our influences come from many different places: European classical music, French, Norwegian and Polish black metal, as well as dark jazz.
As for what we're listening to these days - pretty much everything. On our last mini-tour, when we were finally going home, our drummer finally got tired of listening to Fields of the Nephilim in the van and requested some C.C. Catch instead. Needless to say, he got exactly what he asked for. Along with some laughs.
12.How would you describe your views on Paganism?
> One thing we genuinely envy about the Nordic world is that so much of its pre-Christian culture has survived and found its way into modern culture, for better or worse. In contrast, much of the pagan heritage of our own lands has been lost. What remains is often either a nineteenth-century interpretation or scattered fragments that survived almost by accident.
What has survived, however, is the spirit - and that's what we try to capture in our music and on stage. We rarely focus on specific deities. What interests us far more is the relationship between people and nature, our connection to history and cultural heritage, and the philosophical and artistic inspiration that grows from those roots.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
> First of all, we'd like to thank everyone who keeps supporting metal and the underground scene. We have the privilege of having incredibly dedicated listeners - people who don't just remember your band, but actively search for information, update Metal Archives, and keep this community alive.
It's a real privilege to be able to share our vision with people like that. We hope you'll enjoy the new album, and we'd also like to thank Occult Black Metal Zine for supporting the underground and giving bands like ours a place to be heard.
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063736590794#Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azelsmountain
Bandcamp: https://azelsmountain.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MFJpYAEp8GXg7hO3DG6AZ?si=5TIhIYjKQ2ei_cnddneF7Q
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