Born from the shadows of an unlikely collaboration between Portugal, Turkey, and Greece, Azzaya have risen as one of the most promising forces in the Portuguese underground. What began as a remote project in 2021 has evolved into a unified powerhouse of Black/Death Metal, defined by intensity, defiance, and an ever-growing sonic identity.
After I Begin (2022), the album that marked the band’s rebirth under the leadership of Gabriel Warmann, Azzaya returned stronger than ever with Infernal Blasphemy, a dark, ritualistic EP that merges the occult atmosphere of Black Metal with the relentless brutality of Death Metal.
Featuring multiple guest vocalists and musicians, Infernal Blasphemy stands as a testament to unity within the Portuguese underground, a collective outcry against servitude and conformity. This release reinforces Azzaya’s independent spirit, transforming fury, resistance, and spirituality into pure sonic catharsis.
M.I. - Hi! First of all, thank you for your availability, for doing this interview. I’d like to start with your story, because the band originally started in Turkey, back in 2021. How did it end up becoming a project with only Portuguese members?
First of all, thank you as well for having us and for doing the interview. Today it’s just me. Regarding your question, basically, we all met online in 2021. The original lineup of Azzaya was formed by Guilherme, guitarist, and Ozan, who is Turkish. We even released an early demo just between the two of them. Later, Ozan hired a Greek vocalist, Giorgios, and was looking for another guitarist to help write most of the riffs, that’s when I joined. At first, I only joined as a guitarist, but we ended up writing some songs together, and I also did the drums. Interestingly, we tried to get signed by a label that only accepted submissions until a certain date, so the first challenge was to write an entire album in three months! We barely knew each other, but it worked out surprisingly well. I wrote the guitars and drums, Ozan handled the bass and vocals, and he also did the mastering himself. It all came together quickly, we released our first album in no time. But then we weren’t sure which direction to take next, and we eventually split up about a year later. We still released some splits and did collaborations with Turkish bands, but eventually, everyone went their own way.
Before Azzaya, I had already played in several bands in Lisbon, including cover bands. Even though the project was rushed, that first album was the first one I ever managed to release physically, even on vinyl, that was a big milestone for me. When the band broke up, I didn’t want to let die the only project I had actually released something with. So I kept the name. The logo from the first album is different from the second one, that was actually Ozan’s request, to make it clear that it was a new chapter for the band.
At first, the idea was for Azzaya to become a solo project. But, as it happens, through conversations and collaborations with friends, I ended up forming a new band. The second album, I Begin, was mostly written by me, except for two tracks — one co-written with Luís Simão (our bassist) and another with André Marmelo (our current guitarist). That album came out through Prophetical Productions, on CD, with some decent promotion.
Then I thought: “We almost have a full lineup, all we need is a drummer and my best friend happens to be one!” So there was no reason not to play live. That’s how we solidified the current lineup and played our first shows.
M.I. - And for those who are just now discovering you, how would you define Azzaya’s essence? Was there any difference between the early phase with international members and this fully Portuguese lineup? Did your sound change, or does it maintain the same essence?
It has definitely evolved. We try to keep progressing, bringing in new elements, writing riffs differently, but the essence remains the same.
We are a Black/Death Metal band. The idea is to combine the occultism and atmosphere of Black Metal with the aggression of Death Metal. That’s our core, and it has stayed consistent across albums.
We’ve been experimenting with more melodic parts, interludes, and even choral elements to make the sound more dynamic. The first album was very homogeneous, just full aggression from start to finish. Now, we want to create more contrast and keep the listener more engaged, with moments that pull you deeper into the experience. So yes, the sound has evolved but the essence is still the same.
M.I. - And in terms of evolution, where does this new release draw its inspiration from? You have a very technical approach, but there’s also a spiritual and ritualistic side at least that’s what I felt from the I Begin video. So where does Infernal Blasphemy stand in that context?
Interestingly, this EP is kind of the opposite of that progression. As I mentioned earlier, it was mostly written by me. Now that we have a full band, we’re working on a new album where everyone contributes, but of course that process takes longer, we have to meet, share ideas, merge influences. It’s not as immediate as me sitting down and writing everything.
While we’ve been developing that full-length, for about a year now, I kept writing other stuff. Sometimes ideas just come naturally, almost spontaneously, and end up becoming full songs. That’s how this new EP was born. These are songs that I wrote on my own, that I felt fit within Azzaya’s universe, but didn’t belong to the conceptual framework of the next album. So I decided to release them as an EP. The idea actually started as a joke. A friend of mine, Gonçalo, joked that our second album was so political we had “sold out.” So I thought it would be fun to make something sonically between the first and the second albums and that became the initial concept for Infernal Blasphemy.
Of course, as I was writing, the songs started to take on their own life, each going in different directions, but I wanted to keep that collaborative vibe. So I invited different vocalists for almost every track (only one doesn’t have a guest), and even a guest guitarist for additional layers. It also comes from the fact that we’ve played all over the country this past year, north to south, even Madeira and we met a lot of great musicians and bands. I thought it would be beautiful to make this EP a kind of collaborative experience, involving the people we met along the way.
M.I. - That makes sense, and it’s really interesting. It’s quite rare, at least in Portugal, to see a band featuring different vocalists on the same record.
Yeah, it’s true not very common. The only example that comes to mind right now is Shining from Sweden, who have done something similar recently. But overall, it’s not a typical practice.
M.I. - The name Azzaya, did you come up with it? What does it mean?
Curiously, no it wasn’t me. The name was created by the original guitarist, Ozan. The word comes from a story in the Qur’an, and I actually looked up its meaning after he suggested it.
To summarize briefly, it’s a myth about three angels, Asa, Azzaya, and Azazel, who lived in paradise with God and criticized humans for being weak and easily tempted. So God challenged them to descend to Earth and live as humans, to feel temptation firsthand and see if they could resist. Of the three, only Azazel succeeded. The other two fell and were trapped on Earth and according to legend, they were the ones who taught black magic to mankind. So Azzaya comes from that angel who stayed on Earth and became associated with spreading black magic among humans.
M.I. - And does that myth also inspire your lyrics and musical themes?
In part, yes. Our lyrics revolve around topics that are quite common in Black Metal, mainly satanism. The lyrics for the first album were written by the original vocalist, so I wasn’t involved in that process back then.
Personally, I’m not a satanista, I’m an atheist, but I see satanism in Black Metal as a symbol of rebellion, a stand against the system, much like in the first wave of the genre.
With this EP, that concept feels even more relevant. We’re living in a time when authoritarian ideas seem to be gaining ground again, and for me it makes sense to write about resistance and opposition, even if it’s through the symbolic imagery of satanism.
For example, there’s a track on the EP called “Ninguém Tem de Servir” (“No One Has to Serve”), which captures exactly that idea, rejecting blind obedience to power. So yes, we still use satanic imagery, but in a philosophical and rebellious way, rather than religious.
M.I. - Your songs are mostly in English, but you’ve also released some in Portuguese.
Yes, we have one or two songs in Portuguese, but they’re special.
M.I. - Is it easy to write this kind of music, Black or Death Metal in Portuguese?
In my opinion, yes. The two songs we’ve released in Portuguese are “Anticristo” and “Cabritos de Deus” (“God’s Goats”).
Those two tracks are special because they represent a very personal side of the project. As I said earlier, Azzaya is the only project where I’ve actually managed to release something physically, so I’ve carried into it many ideas from older, unfinished bands.
“Anticristo,” for instance, came from a previous project heavily inspired by Portuguese Black Metal, like Filho Ingrato and Infernal Inquisitor, who sang in Portuguese. One day, I’d love for us to make a full-length album entirely in Portuguese, in that same vein — and “Anticristo” would definitely be part of it. The other track, “Cabritos de Deus,” is even more special. It also came from a previous project called Mortandade, which, unfortunately, never got off the ground. Anyone who’s been in a band knows how hard it is to bring a project to life — to coordinate everything until you finally release something. It’s almost an act of endurance.
But “Cabritos de Deus” has a very particular origin, it came from a band concept focused on Alentejo Black Metal, rooted in the traditions and rural life of the Alentejo region. The idea was inspired by a book by Rui Cardoso Martins, called E se Eu Gostasse Muito de Morrer (What If I Really Liked to Die), which takes place in Portalegre and gathers several dark, symbolic folk stories from the region.
One of the chapters mentions a tree behind the author’s house, where shepherds used to hang slaughtered goats before Easter, letting the blood drain to prepare the meat. That image inspired the song “Cabritos de Deus.”
M.I. - Wow, that’s quite a strong image.
Yes, absolutely, but at the same time, it’s part of the tradition. It’s the raw, real side of rural life.
M.I. - Exactly.
That’s just how things were done. There were no industrial slaughterhouses, everything was done locally, by hand. That Easter ritual of sacrificing goats, which today might seem shocking, was perfectly normal back then. That idea became a metaphor for the song and for a future concept I’d love to expand into a full album inspired by Alentejo folklore, focusing on its darker, melancholic, yet beautiful side.
M.I. - That’s a fascinating idea. Portugal is full of weird and haunting legends and there’s such a rich folklore heritage, especially in small rural areas. It’s great that someone is trying to bring those roots back into music.
Exactly! Actually, there’s a dream of mine that I’d love to make happen someday, to play a Black Metal concert with an Alentejo traditional choir.
M.I. - That would be amazing!
I think it would be something truly unique.
M.I. - Yes, definitely! Some bands play with orchestras, you could do it with a choir from Alentejo instead!
Exactly! It would be such a unique mix, Black Metal meets traditional Alentejo polyphonic singing.
M.I. - Changing topics a bit who usually comes up with the album artwork and visual concepts?
Well, that also has to do with the fact that we’ve never worked with a label that had a big budget for that kind of visual production. Even so, we’ve been lucky enough to collaborate frequently with an Australian artist. He’s also a vocalist in a band and actually features on the new EP. On Instagram, you can find him under the name Matt, and he’s an amazing painter a very productive artist within the underground scene.
He’s helped us a lot and he’s honestly a great guy. He really liked our first album and started supporting us, offering some of his artwork for us to use as covers. For example, the cover of I Begin is actually a photograph he edited, taken in a cemetery. I thought it fit the album perfectly. It represented the rebirth of Azzaya in a symbolic way.
Then, for the next EP, he sent us another image in the same aesthetic line and said, “You can use it if you want, no problem.” Since then, we’ve worked with him quite often. He’s an artist we deeply admire and someone who has genuinely supported us.
As for our own visual concepts, we haven’t yet released something entirely built around one. But for the next album, that’s exactly what we want to do something conceptual, with a narrative from start to finish. Our plan is to work with Matt again and create an illustration for each track, making the record visually richer and more immersive.
Unfortunately, we’ve never had the chance to work with a label that invests in that kind of artistic packaging, but that’s something I’ve always admired. When I was a kid buying CDs, I loved opening the booklet, looking through all the artwork, lyrics, and details.
M.I. - Yes, that’s always fun to see.
I remember, for example, an album by Blind Guardian, Beyond the Red Mirror. I bought it when I was about 14. It was a conceptual album, telling a story from track to track, and the artwork was absolutely stunning. I would spend as much time staring at the booklet as I did listening to the music!
That’s the kind of experience we want to create with our next record, a fusion between sound and image, so listeners can completely dive into the album’s universe.
M.I. - Yes, it really helps you get into the spirit of the music, right?
Exactly it helps you get into the mindset, into the world the band wants to transmit.
M.I. - This EP is being released through Maledict Records and Warprod, right? And there’s something interesting about that you’re putting it out on CD and cassette. Nowadays, most young people don’t even know what a cassette is, and we live in such a digital world. I can understand the CD, because I personally like physical formats too, but the cassette surprised me!
Yes, it’s true! In reality, any physical format apart from vinyl has kind of become a collector’s item now.
Vinyl made a comeback because people appreciate its sound and the deliberate act of listening to it. But CDs and cassettes nowadays mainly serve as a way to support the bands. If people just want to listen, they go to Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp but physical releases still have that symbolic and emotional value.
Curiously, we actually had more demand for cassettes than CDs! Friends of ours immediately asked us to reserve one. I think in the underground scene, that makes perfect sense it’s a form of support and collecting. So I see these releases mostly as a way for people to support the band and keep a tangible piece of the music.
M.I. - Yes, that’s true. I actually laughed when I saw that, when I read “cassette,” I thought: “Wow, cassette!” (laughs)
Exactly! And within Black Metal, that’s still very common. The underground scene still loves cassettes, it’s a format with a lot of tradition in the genre. Most Black Metal releases still come out on cassette, it’s almost a symbol of authenticity.
M.I. - I personally like buying CDs when it’s a band I really love, sometimes even those special editions, just for the collection. I mostly listen digitally, of course, but I like having the physical copy too.
Yeah, I totally get that. It’s that feeling of owning something real, something you can hold. And honestly, digital platforms made access to music easier, but there’s a downside: you end up listening to the same things all the time.
When I look at my CD collection, I’m reminded of bands I haven’t listened to in a while, and I rediscover them. There’s something more personal about that experience.
M.I. - Yes, absolutely. I feel the same way. Let’s talk about the Portuguese scene. Extreme metal has been growing stronger and more distinct in recent years. How do you see your place in that movement? And what do you think is still missing for the Portuguese underground to be fully recognized abroad?
Honestly, I think the Portuguese underground is already starting to get recognition abroad. Nowadays, with all the digital tools and the ease of producing and releasing music, there are more and more bands which is great, but it also makes the market more saturated.
Even within Portugal, it’s becoming harder to find places to play and to promote your music. We’ve been lucky and I do believe the quality helps, but a lot of it comes down to persistence and opportunity. We’ve managed to play quite frequently and to carve out our place within the national scene.
As for international recognition, I’ve seen a huge change compared to ten years ago. Back then, the only Portuguese band that really had international visibility was Moonspell. Now we’ve got Gaerea, Analepsy, and others who are touring abroad regularly.
There are Portuguese bands playing at festivals like Vagos, SWR, and even outside the country, for example, Voidwomb recently played at Wacken and did several dates across Europe. So yes, the Portuguese underground is much stronger now and has a real presence internationally. Of course, there’s still saturation but the key is to keep growing and solidifying what we already have.
M.I. - And what are your plans for the future?
Right now, our short-term goal is to keep playing shows and promoting Infernal Blasphemy.
M.I. - And in the long term? Do you imagine yourselves playing festivals like Wacken or Sweden Rock someday?
(laughs) Well, Sweden Rock might still be a distant dream but yeah, of course we’d love that! Playing Wacken or Hellfest would be amazing. But honestly, when I started this Portuguese phase of Azzaya, I never saw us on that kind of international scale.
My goal is a bit more grounded, if everything goes well, I’d love for Azzaya, twenty years from now, to be seen the way we see Corpus Christii today a solid underground band, respected, that plays great shows and stays true to its sound. I don’t expect us to reach the level of Gaerea, for instance, but our focus is more local and community-based, especially here in Portalegre.
The truth is, Portalegre is a bit of a forgotten city and musically, it’s very quiet. We only have one or two events a year, and even those don’t draw much of a crowd. Portuguese bands rarely come here to play. Right now, I think we’re the only active metal band from Portalegre that’s actually playing outside the city. There’s another small band, but they’re not active at the moment. For a long time, Portalegre didn’t have any active metal bands at all.
So what I’d really like our contribution to be is to help rebuild and grow the local scene to bring more Portuguese bands here and create opportunities for the local musicians. There are many people from Portalegre who play in bands all over the country, but they don’t have a place to play in their hometown.
For example, we brought Fonte, whose guitarist, Duarte Freire, is from Portalegre, we brought Dik Demons, whose guitarist, Pedro Correia, is also from here, we want to bring back Destroyers of Old (their guitarist is from Portalegre), the drummer of Oxiimi is from Portalegre and Alba Luna also have a guitarist from here. So there’s a lot of talent from Portalegre spread across Portugal but no venues or events where they can play locally.
Our main goal is to make Portalegre a point on the national circuit a place where bands can come and play, and where local musicians can showcase their work. We also want to support smaller bands from here. If someone starts a new band in Portalegre, we want to help them record, find a label, or even get a gig in Lisbon or Porto.
We want to be that anchor band, that reference point for the next generation of musicians in Portalegre.
So, honestly, I don’t know if we’ll ever become a big European band, but I do believe we can become a stronghold of metal in Portalegre and that, for me, would already be a huge achievement.
M.I. - That makes perfect sense. Focusing on your region and strengthening the local scene is a great goal. Portugal really needs more bands to do that to push their local undergrounds forward. Do you think Portugal today is more open to metal than it used to be?
Yes, definitely. Ten years ago, the scene was much smaller. Twenty years ago, even more so. But right now, we’re in a good phase there are more festivals, more new bands, and even small independent festivals popping up all over the country. That shows that the scene is alive and growing.
M.I. - That’s true. Although the bigger festivals still tend to feature mostly foreign bands.
Yeah, of course. Big festivals need international names to draw crowds, that’s natural. But even so, I see more and more space for Portuguese bands, especially in the smaller and mid-sized events. There are opportunities, and that’s where the underground gets stronger.
M.I. - Now, a question a bit out of the box, if Infernal Blasphemy were a sonic ritual, what forces would it summon, and what do you hope to awaken in those hearing it for the first time?
That’s a great question! (laughs) I don’t know if I’d call them “forces,” exactly, but without a doubt the EP carries a lot of aggression, occultism, and defiance.
What we want listeners to feel is catharsis, that sense of inner release that comes through music. Even though we’re not a satanic band, we believe music has that purifying power: it lets you channel frustration, anger, sadness and release it all in a concert or while listening to an album.
We want people to leave our shows or finish the EP feeling better than before, lighter, freer.
M.I. - Yes, absolutely. And how would you describe an Azzaya live show to someone who’s never seen you on stage?
I’d say it’s an intense and visceral experience. We’re less orthodox than most Black Metal bands — we try to make our shows immersive and emotional. While traditional Black Metal tends to be more distant and ritualistic, we aim for the opposite: to involve the audience, to create a moment of collective liberation. So, in short, an Azzaya concert is aggressive, immersive, and cathartic.
M.I. - Perfect! To wrap things up, would you like to leave a message for your fans?
(laughs) Do we have fans? Just kidding! Yes, I’d just like to thank everyone who continues to support the Portuguese underground.
Keep showing up at shows, supporting the bands, buying merch — that’s what keeps this scene alive. And we hope to see you out there soon!
M.I. - Exactly! Gabriel, thank you so much for your time. We’ll see each other out there at a show.
Thank you — it was a pleasure! Absolutely — see you soon!
For Portuguese version, click here
Listen to Azzaya, on Spotify
Questions by Isabel Martins
