Azaghal and the black metal way of life

Greetings brother of the frozen north! Kow you holding up in the brutal Finnish winter?
Well, it hasn't been very brutal so far, only rain and darkness.

How long the winters last in Finland? The winters here in Texas are kinda weird, it's cold one day then it's like 70 degrees the next.
The winter usually begins in October and the spring comes in late April, altough some years it seems more like an eternal autumn more than an actual winter at all.

I was reading the band's stating Azaghal is one of the longest running bands in Finland?
We started in 1995, so of course we are not among the oldests, but considering that we have been active the whole time and not disbanded and then made a comeback later, I'd say that together with maybe Horna and Barathrum we are among the oldest active bands.

Number of line up changes the band been though so far and how this line up differ from the band's past line up?
We've changed drummers a few times and our original vocalist Varjoherra left the band a few years ago, for the past 10 years the nucleus of the band has been me and JL Nokturnal and Niflungr was a great addition as a new vocalist/bass player.

January 31st your new album "Nemesis" will be released in the States. Is this the bands first album on Moribund?
"Nemesis" is our 3rd album on Moribund, they previously released "Omega" and "Teraphim" and things have been working well with them so far.

This being the band's ninth release, how would rate this album to the eight previous releases?
The new album is more varied than atleast the previous two, but beyond that it's hard for me to judge my own work or compare it to our previous stuff.

Name some of things you like about the Moribund Records? For me it's the fact that they are a true cult label that signs true satanic/underground bands whether it's black or death metal.
They are very uncompromising and don't follow any trends, to me it seems that they sign and release bands that they truly enjoy themselves and are not only interested in making profit.

I always admired the Finnish black metal for quite some time even though the Finnish scene don't get the glory like the Norwegian black metal but you guys play true black metal.
I don't think there is that much glory left in the Norwegian scene, in my personal opinion the best black metal nowadays comes from Finland and Sweden, atleast to my taste.

Your opinion on the current state of the Finnish black scene as you see it?
I think it's better than ever. Great new up-coming bands and old bands like Beherit and Archgoat releasing killer new material.

Is there any other Finnish band that really caught your attention and really support?
Anal Blasphemy for the more brutal and perverted type of black metal, or if you are looking for something more obscure I'd recommend Jumalhamara or Circle Of Ouroborous.

What inspired the band to keep going all these years? Is it the true love of making music?
It's impossible to think of an life without creating black metal, I've been doing it since I was a teenager so it is a way of life for me.

Besides playing killer cold and grim black metal what other activities you like to enjoy in your spare time?
Books, movies, drinking, the nature. Nothing special in the ways of hobbies or anything.

Is there any festival or show the band plan on performing in 2012?
For now everything is open, as we are going through some line-up changes, but things will be resolved soon and hopefully we are able to play as many gigs in '12 as possible.

How does it feel when some of the younger bands tell you how you influenced them as musicians and people?
It's of course flattering, altough for me it's hard to realize that we've been around for almost 20 years now. Doesn't feel like it's been such a long time since we still practised in my parents basement hehheh.

Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to do the interview. Is there anything you to add? Last, can you tell the readers how they can purchase Azaghal merch such as CDs and shirts?
Thanks for the interview, for Azaghal merch you should contact Moribund directly.