Nazxul

Nazxul
Nazxul performing at the Damnation Festival, Leeds, October 2009
Background information
Origin	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Black metal
Years active	1993 (1993)–present
Labels	Vampire Shock Hekal Xul Decius Eisenwald Moribund Seance
Members	Adrian Henderson Lachlan Mitchell Dalibor Backovic John McLaughlin
Past members	Greg Morelli Daniel Lomas Rev. Kriss Hades Peter Kostic Steve Hughes Morte Tim Yatras Petar Peric Mitch Keepin Luke Mills

Nazxul are an Australian black metal band which formed in 1993. They have issued two studio albums, Totem (March 1995) and Iconoclast (July 2009). Currently the third studio album titled "Sumus Inferno" is in the works with the lineup being Adrian Henderson on guitar, Lachlan Mitchell on keyboards and guitar, John McLaughlin on drums and Dalibor Backovic on vocals and bass guitar.

Nazxul were formed in 1993 by guitarist Adrian Henderson, keyboards player-guitarist Lachlan Mitchell, former Mortal Sin and Slaughter Lord drummer Steve Hughes and Dalibor Backovic on vocals and bass guitar. Originally envisioned as a mysterious studio-bound project, the group only appeared in publicity photos as shadowy figures or draped facelessly in cloaks.

In 1994 a self-titled demo album appeared through Vampire Records. According to Voltage Media's reporter it was "met with a mixture of astonishment and ultimate praise from critics, allegiance and enthusiasm by extreme music disciples, and revulsion by the ignorant and myopic." Soon after guitarist Greg Morelli, from Sydney thrash band Grungeon, joined the fold and work began on the bands first album 'Totem' which went on to become a cult classic. Though reviews were mixed, it was ultimately praised throughout the underground as a unique and powerful debut.

Further material was written, during which time Backovic departed and two new members joined, singer Morte from an avant-garde black metal group called Bestianity and guitarist Rev. Kriss Hades from the notorious Sydney death metal band Sadistik Exekution who were experiencing one of their well-known self-imposed dormant periods. This line-up produced the EP "Black Seed" in 1998 and late in the year played live for the first time at a show in Sydney, with Henderson moving to bass guitar.

Hughes left the group after this to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and soon left Australia to live in the UK. His replacement was Peter Kostic from Sydney rock band Front End Loader. Almost immediately, Nazxul was booked to support Finnish extreme metal group Impaled Nazarene on part of an Australian tour. In a remarkable turn of events, Kostic's other band was then approached to tour with British rock group Skunk Anansie over the same period but declined due to the drummer's commitment to Nazxul; the Skunk Anansie tour was in turn cancelled when the group suddenly split up. Morte was fired after this tour and Backovic returned for Nazxul's appearance at the Metal for the Brain festival. In the meantime, "Black Seed" was re-released with several live tracks recorded during the tour added to the track listing. The cover was slightly amended with the iconography rendered in gold instead of green.