Interview with Azken Auzi

Hello! Can you tell us about the origin of the name “Azken Auzi” and how it relates to the band’s sound and image?
We all have Basque and Occitan descendants in our families and Azken Auzi means «The Last Judgement» in Basque (Euskara/Occitania) and not «last lawsuit» like some write it lol. This name was just perfect for this project, our sound is dark and evil, not really positive, like our world and era…

Your music has been described as a blend of doom, sludge, and atmospheric passages. Can you talk about the creative process behind combining these elements and crafting your unique sound?
Ludo is the guitarist/singer and he is the main composer, so it makes sense in a way. He use to bring raw but structured pieces that we refined together. The last phase being also for him, the vocal lines and therefore the writing of the lyrics but also the creation of the samples if the song needs it.

Your demo single “I Hate You” received positive feedback. How did that response influence the recording process for the album, and what can fans expect from it?
When we released this first track “I Hate You”, we had only been around for 4 months, we were taking our first steps in the Doom/Sludge scene despite having some experience in music before Azken Auzi. And in fact, we had good feedback, Ludo made his singing evolve but we had already found our style: heavy, dark and fuzzy.

Your music has been compared to a range of artists, from Electric Wizard to Alice in Chains. Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they inform your sound? Your previous bands were in different genres (death metal and noisy rock). How has your past experience influenced your current sound with Azken Auzi?
We listen to lots of different styles of music, the 90’ Seattle grunge scene, old school death & black metal, Metal HxC, and when it comes to what is called Doom/Sludge/Stoner, we like Electric Wizard, Weedeater, Monolord, Thou, Crowbar… All these different influences and our experience in other styles of music than doom/sludge, make our sound unique I imagine. We’ve incorporated a little bit of all the influences from each era of our past musical careers, we’ve been making music for over 25 years. the most telling example being that Fred is a pure rock drummer while the rest of the band comes from the hardcore and death metal scene, the mix is interesting and even rather cool!

You’ve recently signed with Argonauta Records. How did this partnership come about, and what are your hopes for working with this label?
After recording our first single «I Hate You» we decided to look for a label specializing in the style, we came from the metal scene and were new to doom/sludge. It was a way to quickly be competitive. so we sent our songs to several labels and had a lot of positive responses but it was Argonauta Records that we wanted, they have a very good reputation in the Doom/Sludge scene and work seriously, it was the perfect deal for a first album. We hope to continue to be part of the Argonauta family for a long time to come.

Can you talk about the themes and concepts explored in your album, and how they relate to the overall message and image of the band?
This album was born out of a mutual desire to communicate through text and music the cruelty and perfidy of humankind, the darkness of humanity, its disillusionment in the face of the social, political, religious context in which we live. Reflecting this iniquity the desire was to create dark music inspired by the intense and powerful sound of doom/sludge.

What can fans expect from your live performances, and how do you translate the energy and atmosphere of your recorded music to a live setting?
We make sure on stage to be as faithful as possible to our original songs on the album, that’s why our way of working is the opposite: we record and produce our albums in such a way that it doesn’t there’s not too much constraint to replay them live with the same intensity as in the studio, so very few artifices and “modern” arrangements, no cheating!

Your music is often categorized as “heavy” or “dark.” How do you navigate these genres and incorporate them into your music without becoming too overwhelming or repetitive?
We make music for fun initially. Just passion. We have explored a lot of styles of music by the past: melodic, energetic, fast and even extreme, but now our common desire tends towards slow/heavy and dark music. What we like in the doom/sludge style is the repetitive and hypnotic side, we just add our influences of always.

Can you share any plans or goals for the future of Azken Auzi, such as upcoming tours or collaborations?
Short term we hope to have a bit of success in the world of doom/sludge and that people will like our music. We also hope to release a vinyl version of this album as we particularly like this medium. We also hope to play in as many concerts as possible. We’re actually currently on the lookout for a concert booking agency! Long term, we’ve already started composing new music tracks with a new album in sight which we hope will be promoted with an equal amount of success as the first, with as much, or even more, of a positive response.

Thank You very much!