The dark winds blow with force from the ancient Lusitania.From Aveiro, Portugal, we leave you with Azagatel.
1.Azagatel was born in Aveiro, Portugal in 1995.Tell us a little about the history of the band from then until now.
-Azagatel was formed in October 1995 with the intention of making extreme music, we have recorded our first demo "The Middle Earth" in 1999 and was followed by many gigs, in 2002 we recorded the first full length "Nautilus" that was very well received.
After 2003 and until 2011 we had many changes of line up which caused us enough delays and problems, we practically did not play live and in almost a decade we only recorded the ep´s "Horned God" and "Olokun", both in sub conditions.
In 2011, with only 2 or 3 members, we started to compose songs for what was our 2nd full length "Lux-Citanea" that came out in 2012 and once again changes in line-up.
In 2015 only with 2 acoustic guitars and voice we began to compose the Ep "SOL" that sawn the light in May of 2018.
2.Which records have you released until now? Give us a presentation about your last Ep "Sol" (2018)
-Until now we have released:
The middle Earth (1999); Nautilus (2002);The Horned God (2005); Olokun (2008); XV Years of Pagan Chants (2011); Luxcitanea(2012), and the last was the ep "SOL"(2018)
which is the result of the circumstances of that time, were without our drummer and after a long search for substitute, we finally decided to do something in order to depend only on us.
As we all have a passion for neo-folk /Dark folk music, we decided to try.Of course, our brothers, Árnica, contributed a lot to this change. The SOL is an ep which is lyrically totally dedicated to Iberia and its ancestral peoples, to wars, gods, heroes, love of the land...Musically we tried to create a warlike and pagan environment adjusted to the experiences of the time. Pure folk!!
3.Which are your inspirations to write lyrics and music?
-Lyrically my influences are mainly the pre-Roman times of Iberia, European paganism, nature and values, anti-Christianism...Musically we try to create environments that carry us into this era, without losing the typical aggression and darkness of the black metal.
4.And about the gigs? Tell us a little about your gigs.Which are your favourite places to play?
-Our gigs are very rare now days, we only play punctually, in the past we have countless concerts, such as: Barroselas, Hard Club (old), a mini tour with Agathodaimon, Side B and so on...and most recently with the darkfolk format, Oestrymnis in Lisbon and the Raíz Ibérica in Soria were amazing.
5.Azagatel has participated in the Raíz Ibérica compilation. What can you tell us about this?
-The Raiz Ibérica is something that I followed from the very beginning, it is a genius project that is based on something that I consider of extreme importance, the recovery and maintenance of our Iberian roots and customs. All the bands that participated in the compilation are like a fellowship with a common purpose.
6. Could you give us a explanation about the following songs from your Ep "Sol"?
*Samhain: is a theme that talks about this Celtic ritual and how it was celebrated in Iberia.
*Sol Invictus: portrays the solar cults and Mitra.
*Oestrymnis: It is about the expulsion of the Estrimnios people by the Ophis in the present Lusitanian territory.
*Cariocecus: A theme in honour of this Lusitanian god of war
*Aliança Granitica (Tribos): It is the story about how the betrayal of Galba massacre caused the union of several Iberian tribes to fight against a common enemy, Rome.
*Nostra Terra Pétrea: It´s a song about the importance of our land and the love for her, it was in her that we were born, live and die by.
7.Azagatel is a Metal band and also play Dark Folk music. We believe that in the Iberian Peninsula it´s growing up that good relationship between the world of Metal and Folk Music. What do you think about it?
-Undoubtedly, we have an excellent relationship with the bands of Iberian Neofolk/ Darkfolk, like Árnica, Keltika Hispanna, Urze de Lume, Cuelébre, Sangre de Muerdago, The Wyrm, Falcata de Fogo...
I believe that many bands of the Iberian folk scene came from black metal scene and vice versa, I think this symbiosis is positive for both scenes and in my view, it already gave a very positive result that was a typical and own sound, the "Iberian Neofolk".
8. Could you give us an opinion on the following words?
*Iberia; Ancestral land of the braves and the origin of all things.
*Ancient Lusitania; My ancestors, my gods and my land.
*Metal Music; Metal was something that made me who I am, I consider Black metal one of the purest forms of art.
*Nature; The mother of all things, the goddess, life and death.
9.Recommend us:
*A book: A voz dos deuses de Joao Aguiar
*Typical food and drink: Caldeirada de enguias e cerveja artesanal "Maldita"
*A film: Conan the barbarian / Natural born killers
10.Have you any website for Azagatel info, merchandising, etc?
-Yes, we have the official facebook at: https://m.facebook.com/Azagatel and the bandcamp: http://azagatel.bandcamp.com were you can buy merchandise and our cd´s.
11.Future plans?
-We already started to compose our next work and we hope to play in some European countries soon.
12.Something to add to Metal Music Clan readers or editors?
-First of all, a big thank you to the editors, keep doing the excellent job!
To the readers : Stay true to your identity, praise the old gods and horns up!!
