Cassiel : Happy New Year to you as well and to everyone out there, thank you.
angelrage.com: OK, everyone wants to know, what happened to Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael? Has the band changed members?
Azrael: Basically, Raphael was responsible for everything, the music, the artwork, the promotion... everything. Fight the Devil was a one man demo tape. When Fight the Devil took off around 2003, Raphael began assembling a band in Los Angeles to play the stuff live. Gabriel (Matt Rutherford) and Uriel (Jonah Lewis) were both from LA. Michael (Steve Braun) was from Nashville and flew in to LA to rehearse with the band. Every one of them incredibly talented musicians. There was a lot of buzz about the band and they had attracted the interest of record labels and investors. There was talk of hiring Ralis Kahn, a Hollywood makeup artist known for his work with Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Danzig, and Murder Dolls, to help create makeup, costuming, and staging and having the biggest show since KISS. Lots of blood and fire. The Book of Revelation live and in your face.The rest of the band weren't really that excited about the theatrical aspect of Angelrage. They were also doing side projects, Steve started singing with Ashent, an Italian progressive metal band; Matt went back to playing with his old bandmates in Lunatics On Parole, and Jonah is filling in with X-Sinner. So Raphael was left with the decision of whether to protect the identities or reveal them and promote the side projects. Ultimately it was decided to do the latter. But the original mystique was gone, so it was decided to retire the names of Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael and return with new and more deadly angels leading the assault, and a return to the original concept.
angelrage.com: You didn't answer my question though...
Azrael: Didn't I?
angelrage.com: OK...Let's talk about Alive and Deadly for a moment.
Azrael: Angelrage played a showcase in Van Nuys, California in May of 2005. It was a disaster. The show started nearly an hour late, with Michael reading the lyrics to the songs. Raphael was clearly upset. This is the performance that is featured on Alive and Deadly. Some of it isn't bad. Anyway, after the show, Michael told Raphael he didn't think he was the right voice for Angelrage, and that was the last time they spoke as far as I know. Raphael was heartbroken, but when he heard the new Ashent CD he said Steve sounds awesome with them, it works out much better for his voice. There is no animosity, they all just got busy doing other things and Raphael did what needed to be done to finish the album. No one quit, and no one was fired. But it was obvious that the time of Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael had passed.
angelrage.com: You're releasing your first new music in 5 years. Tell us about the new CD.
Azrael: Tonight, New Year's Eve, we are releasing 4 songs from the new album; Dysangellion, Slaughter of the Wicked, Angelrage, and Oceans of Sorrow. Limited Edition; 100 autographed and 1000 total copies.
angelrage.com: I wonder if you could walk us through the title track, and the brand new Angelrage single, Dysangellion. A big departure from Fight the Devil.
Azrael: Yes.
angelrage.com: In the first verse we hear a shocking exchange, something being said in a foreign language. What is that?
Azrael: It's a priest praying in Latin, and a demon screaming back obscenities at him. The song is about spiritual warfare, and about hypocricy. On the final day, as strange and terrible creatures descend from the sky, raining terror down upon the cities of man, many who believe they are safe will be shocked to learn they were wrong.
angelrage.com: Heavy stuff. It sounds fantastic. Azrael's voice sounds intense! Is there any truth to the rumor that you are into shapeshifting and believe you turn into a jaguar when you sing?
Azrael: What? Is that a real question?
angelrage.com: Sorry, people want to know... You also have started selling tracks online through Snocap, fans can buy tracks individually for 99 cents a piece...
Sammael: Yes, with a lot more to follow. Another thing the band is excited about is the upcoming free download of the 10th Anniversary Fight the Devil CD. Members can look forward to that sometime very soon.
angelrage.com: Tell us a little about the other songs on the New Year's Eve release.
Sammael: In addition to Dysangellion, we are releasing Slaughter of the Wicked, a seriously brutal song about the end of the world, Angelrage, obviously our theme song, and Oceans of Sorrow, a tribute to a dear friend of the band who passed away a few years back. These are all from the full length album to follow.
angelrage.com: Well, we look forward to hearing it.