A few years ago, as my journey into the impenetrable yet majestic wilderness of Finnish black metal began, I came across a highly entertaining interview on YouTube. At the center of this convivial conversation of Finnish gentlemen was a man who was simultaneously fighting three battles: first, against the English tongue; second, against his not inconsiderable blood alcohol level; and third, against the zipper of his pants. The content of the interview then lead me to a legendary performance at Steelfest 2017, which, induced by the consumption of alcoholic beverages by the musicians, culminated in a memorable disaster. The man I'm talking about calls himself Lord Satanachia, also known as the Ozzy Osbourne of Finnish black metal, and most notably, as the lead singer and bandleader of the band Azazel, which failed so gloriously in 2017. At first, I thought they were some kind of joke band. But my opinion quickly changed when I heard their music for the first time. Since they released a new album just in time for the start of the 2025 review challenge, I thought I'd take the opportunity to review it.
One thing should be made very clear from the start. Azazel isn't about innovation and deep intellectualism. They're not avant-garde, and they don't want to be. They don't have any Greek letters in their band name, they don't have any wolves prowling in their throne room, and they don't have pretentious lyrics that nobody understands and they don't want to reinvent black metal in it's entirety, to a point it's basically no black metal anymore. They're playing black metal for the sake of black metal, and I dig it. Azazel have existed since 1992, with Lord Satanachia as their only constant member. So it's no surprise that they play old-school black metal, the Nordic style. Recognizable influences include classic Darkthrone, with the obligatory Celtic Frost and Bathory references. In it's more melodic moments, one occasionally recalls Horna or Satanic Warmaster, full of tragedy and grandeur. In their more raw and primitive moments, they remind one of the old Finnish champions Beherit or Impaled Nazarene, sometimes almost borderline veering into bestial black metal.
The album's sound may be raw and dirty, but it remains crunchy and controlled. I appreciate the tendency of many Finnish bands (just to name the amazing Black Beast as one example) to opt for an organic overall sound, which can also be found here with Azazel. I'd like to highlight two aspects of the album. First, with various intros and outros and also a well-made orchestration (additional percussion, sound effects), Azazel create a dark and gloomy atmosphere. And second, Lord Satanachia's vocal performance, which he celebrates with great devotion and the much-needed touch of madness. Grim croaks, bestial growls, insane giggles and howls, and diabolical proclamations testify to the man's passion for true devil's music.
Visually, they return to their corporate design, which they established with the cover artworks for "Jesus Perversion" and "Witches Deny Holy Trinity": a simple album cover with a medieval-looking depiction (this time, a saint has a unpleasant conversation with a quite diabolical gentleman) and the Sigil of Azazel in the upper left corner. Nothing extraordinary, but this simplicity has its charm for sure.
In conclusion, this is a fine record. A slap of good ol' Nordic black metal, well performed and produced. Nothing fancy, nothing genre-defining or mind-bending, nothing that requires you to read the manual to understand what the fuck is going on. It's a manifesto of passion for metal and the macabre. Why, you might ask? For the glory of Satan of course, others might reply!
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=7kDEmTZdQc4
