Interview with Trey Azagthoth (1990)
By Necrovomit & Necromaniac

from Septicore

It was one dark and evil evening in cordegem, tonight Morbid Angel came to play. After a ultralaceratingripping monumental gig, we descend to the abyssal room of Morbid Angel to do this total apocalyptic interview…

What do you think about the Belgian crowd ?
TREY : Very good bringing crowd, we enjoy playing here. Everybody was very raging, they seem to have a role and the gig.

Is the people different than in the USA ?
I'd say that they are a lot more into the music. They harmonize with the concert. In states, there are lots of bedding, lots or weapons, noilsbats and people get hurt ! It's very ridiculous. I think it's stupid that people get hurt at gigs ! Get the head broken ! There is a wider audience, broader audience here, they are into more kinds of music and I think there are lots of "die hard" death Metal bangers, over here, in the states. In the states, there're people who mostly listen to slayer, Metallica or Exodus. I personally don't think that people can say that the new slayer stuff or Metallica is like thrash Metal and death Metal, there's no comparison. They sound like commercial.

The LP "abominations of desolation" was never released, why ?
Well, basically because there were some weaknesses in the drumming and in the bass playing on this album, the execution was not proper, the drummer we had has not the ability. Basically he was not good enough, was not very able, has not enough experience. The first release was not as important, the first album is not really what represents a band.

So, you have changed the drummer and you took the Terrorizer's drummer. I heard that the old one play now in Nocturnus, is it right ?
Real the drummer who played on "Abomination of Desolation" is in Nocturnus now and his skills have increased greatly and his ability is much bear enough, he is not good in playing fast. He is more enough a fast drummer, not a good death actual drummer. But for the music, in Nocturnus, he plays very well.
And it is his style, thus he plays better. His style is not enough extreme.
For Morbid Angel I want a fast drummer who plays proper, not noise. You can hear his drum beat; you can hear the snare of the bass drums. It's not all simple clinking or a fluctuation of timing. Perfect timing doublebasses is flawless and he's got of lots of abilities for tempo changes. When I listened to all Terrorizer rehearsal tapes, I was shocked, I just believed in the brutality that the guy had when he played. We help him with the technique of the double bass. And he practices, goes through. Basically, we want somebody who has motivations, that can play everything, I can see the part and builds up, learns everything and not to be limited or to say, "I can't do this !" It's not easy to play in this band it needs a lot of energy, a lot of convictions a lot of passions and precisions. That is why we have changed some members in the band, to make the perfect Morbid Angel. We want the best...

Florida seems to be the country where any death Metal band grow, like Terrorizer, Nocturnus, Matricide,…
Yes, it is right, but Terrorizer comes from California and not from Florida !

Immolation seems to be very influenced by Morbid Angel, no ?
Yeah, immolation comes from New York, they have listened to our stuffs. I like their style. I think it starts with the riffing, the riffing is not just banging with the guitar. Very much feeling with the vocals, very classical kind of feeling in the drums. I think it's not to compare with us, another style of tempo changes, different slow and fast parts. I think with a lot more practice, immolation is a growing band. I hate trendy people, bands, people not imaginative. There's no room for bands who now play death Metal because others play it now. I don't like bands who play a conform copy of what has been done.

What do you recommend to new bands who begin to play ?
What I recommend is being imaginative, being different, going in your way to write songs which sound not like the other bands. Basically bands should do what they feel. Not forced style. They should keep their guitars as instrument, should open their minds, being expressive.

What do you explain in your lyrics ?
Our lyrics are like parabols and the message of Morbid Angel in doing these words for people to have no masters, to be individual and not fall in trends, not be like everybody else, not fall into he same kind of government. They should do what they feel as best.

What's the meaning of the artwork on the cover on the album "altars madness" ?
Basically it's what the music should explain, it's just turning, it is the abyss, all the contradictions of the different emotions, feeling from anger, happiness sadness, oppression, torment. It's something always moving.

What are the differences between the new and the old lyrics ?
Well the old lyrics (I wrote 95% of them) were about blasphemies, ghosts, witches ... Basically, my tracks were like parabols, explaining messages deep within, but now, there are also more about horrifying shocking subjects, watch movies like psyche, something very extreme screaming in your face, much more to the darkside into the morbid, the evil, the holiness. I'm myself and I write what I like. The new lyrics are David's writing and have messages of freedom. Everybody has a god, the devil is a sight of the minds, the devil represents a. Force, A nature of your soul, a dark side, and god represents a good holy side. Myself I'm much interested in The dark Side because I'm twisted haha ! David's lyrics are just scorning people, fuckin' organization and oppressive religion it's a weapon against them !

Why have you chosen earache records as record company ?
We chose earache because they accept bands like they are. We never changed our lyrics, our name, our image. We've got in the past, for instance, slow down or basically to weaken our style our violent side. Earache listen to the bands, they are not interested in money ! They, like when we play faster, faster just be ourselves. Fuckin labels like roadracer never touch to bands like carcass. I think the new album of carcass godly it's well sold. The recording session was really deafening we had a killer studio and we had a great man, we spent our main time to have a proper mix, so, every parts of the song were tuned in clear for the drums, the guitars, the vocals. Some people say they don't like the sense very much, like "thy kingdom come" demos. Thy kingdom come demo was noisy, it's a shitty recording. We've very original riffing, complicate riffing, very fast. The album is heavier, more brutal, the leads will be a lot more thicker, the mix will take more time. The second album is gonna unlimited flowless.

What do you know about Belgium ?
It's the first time we are here !

Have you relations with European bands ?
The bands we have written to are bands such as nihilist, pestilence, mutilated.

I like the music of mutilated but their mentality is shit !
I know one thing frown France: the normal people don't like American or English. I've really difficulties with people at hotels, restaurants. They didn't want to speak English, they don't understand what I say and I don't understand what they say ! Fuckin stupids they don't accept our drummer because he's from a centr'America's country, I think people think "they like yanking, they like destroying things !"

Do you think it's easy to organize a gig in USA ?
You have to got albums, to have a manager to have money

What do you think about metallysee ?
The crowd was great, this is our first evening in Belgium, the promotors here is deadly ! London has nothing to compare with here, bad promotion, bad Coach Company. It's far of Europe. I think in Holland they organize better. In France, we didn't play there because we had discussions with the promotors but it was a bullshit, we smash 'on.

So, you haven't play in Paris !
There were problems with our drummer and napalm death's guitarist. They needed visas because they come from countries not legalized freely by France. We had special paper from America napalm death come from England they had no problems only the guitarist needed special papers !

What do you think about of Brazilian bands like Sarcofago?
Yeah, I like Sarcofago, they are cool ! I think Sarcofago is very brutal and extreme to be so heavy, it needs sense of timing on drums, Sepultura got more proper organization in more proper. Are much more technical like the new guitarist Andreas Kisser they sound more like the fucking but there's no brutality! They aren't fasts they sound like the fuckin' Metallica nothing common with Morbid visions". "Morbid visions" had unlimited fast drums, slappy guitars but there is a sense of brutality, I Don't listen to them now, I like the members, I don't dislike their release but I cannot enjoy their last album it's boring. For being technical, Nocturnus knocks all other bands down, it's a more original band, the guitarist can blow fuckin' Andreas kisser if I compare Morbid Angel with Sepultura, M.A. is death Metal, S. is not death Metal, it's heavy power thrash Metal. Nocturnus are not like us. They are unique! Different and very complex but the guitarist is very proper, precise, perfect and he can play everything he invents. We play very different.

The "7 churches" LP from possessed was one of first bands who established the Death Metal convention, no ?
Right, possessed "7 churches" LP in a fuckin monumental death Metal album, the brutality fell down and lacked on their last LP. The material was not brutal. But their first LP is godly, I still love this great LP, we are very into this. First of their LP had an upside down cross second album has no longer the cross, I find that fuckin' trendy. If you don't believe in what you sing about, that is senseless !

Do you like gore movies ?
Yea, but mostly I like movies with an intelligent message.

You don't like the splatter movies !
I find them very boring. Good film is the one where you can see every voin in all parts. Yeah, I like the fuckin' "day of the dead" it's incredible graphic effects, they haven't much splatter but we like so real. I like movies like hellraiser, the tempter, exorcist, stuff beyond the simple mind of killing !

Do you like to go to the cemetery at full moon night ?
That's like everyday.

The fullmoon night is a sign of the rise of the werewolf ?
Well, we believe in this, but it's occult. Anything dealing; with the supernatural, or spiritual expansion, we're very interested in it.

Do you receive mail from other countries than the usual ?
We had one letter from Singapore Australia Canada, Canada, Colombia, china, and Japan. We don't receive anything from Russia and Africa !

Do you know Vader, Imperator, Quo Vadis…from Holland ?
No, we hadn't the chance to listen to new demo bands, because lately we've
Fuckin' work with the album, we were Surtaxes, we had to borrow cars for Tours, full or formalities with the Tour, food,…

Behind the iron curtain, there are lots of changes, what is your opinion about this ?
I'm really happy that this fuckin' government falls down, because in my opinion, nobody should be oppressed, everybody should have freedom. They had lived 20 years with no possibility of going out of the country. I think freedom is impressive to see.

Septicore : It was at this moment that our great friend Azagthoth (and all the others) had to leave us! So, the interview is ended here ! It's sorry, but it 'was really impossible to continue this total brutal and longer interview! Maybe later !

Necrovomit & Necromaniac