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MERCIFUL NUNS – Interview KVLTAN

“What if life did not originate on earth?” – With this question, the 11th album of the MERCIFUL NUNS, bearing the ominous name KVLTAN, begins. Artaud Seth, the creative mind, mentor, and visionary behind the band, takes us on a journey to the beginnings of our human civilization, to the origin of all earthly existence. Why do we exist? Where did we come from? What was or could be the „Missing Link“ between a simple, native life and the rapidly developing early high cultures in Mesopotamia? Why do nearly all later world religions speak of „gods who came from the sky,“ from space, independently created and without any contact between different cultures? And why are we so fixated on the idea that intelligent life began here on Earth? What makes us so sure? To find answers, one must ask the right questions!

“Shaman elders speak of beings from the stars from the marble towers they sing of lost Kvltan.” – Artaud Seth

An interview by Karin Hook for Sonic Seducer and Vince Stooss, Solar Lodge.

Sarru mass Artaud.

Artaud: Ia sarru mass Karin!

What does „Sarru mass“ mean?
Artaud: That’s how we greet each other within the Lodge. By now, it has taken on a life of its own, and I am even greeted this way on the street. Through all the interviews we’ve done together, you certainly belong to us now.

And what if I don’t want to?
Artaud: Even then.

Artaud, how are you doing in these politically and socially challenging times? Are you frightened by current events? Artaud: I am actually afraid of almost nothing. Of course, things worry me. But they create a feeling of helplessness and anger rather than fear. The current political, economic, and pandemic situation fatally reminds me of the 1920s and 30s. And those were certainly not good years, and we have learned nothing, absolutely nothing, from them. Additionally, we are currently sustainably destroying our foundation of life, nature. Humans are naive, not capable of learning, and simply too stupid to realize that we are slowly but surely wiping ourselves out. Also, I am tired of all the power-obsessed autocrats. Maybe we should put power only in women’s hands. I am sure the world would be significantly more peaceful, lovable, and livable then.

An interesting idea! Is Artaud a feminist? Artaud: I certainly believe women are the better gender. Does that make me a feminist? That’s not feminism, it’s realism. Who are the autocrats of this world? They are all men. Selfish, power-hungry primates who propagate the power of the stronger. And that, without any regard for the well-being of others. Only the preservation of their own power or its expansion drives them.

“somewhere out there we started again to bring a higher life to earth!” – Artaud Seth

But now let’s get to the core of this interview, KVLTAN! I think the album has become a really special one. One that makes you think, and at the same time takes the listener on a journey to a time before time. Who or what is “KVLTAN”? Artaud: History usually begins at the beginning. It has a narrator, a chronicler, a transmitter. But this story has none of that. It lies deeply buried in the forgotten and yet reveals itself so obviously alive right before our eyes. KVLTAN could be a plausible answer to still unresolved questions of humanity. Why do we exist? Where did we come from? And why are we so fixated on the idea that intelligent life began here on Earth? What makes us so sure? The key to the answers lies in asking the right questions!

This fits well with the first sentence that opens KVLTAN: „What if life did not originate on earth?“ A profound question surrounding a thesis that humanity did not originate on Earth but from the depths of space, which could at least frighten deeply religious people. On what do you base this thesis? Artaud: How terrifying was it for humanity when they learned they lived on a small ball in the midst of an endless cosmos? Acceptance follows knowledge. And what do we really know? KVLTAN wants to tell a story. One as it could have been. Maybe even one that actually happened. In any case, one that should make you dream.

Can you tell us something about the concept of the album? What is “KVLTAN” about? Artaud: I think it explains itself best when you listen to the album. Primarily, it tells of the highly developed tribe of the KVLTANIANS, who made their homeland uninhabitable through massive environmental destruction and were forced to find a new settlement space. Their choice fell on Earth, where a naive population was just beginning to spread. These early humans considered the newcomers as gods and called them the Anunnaki. KVLTAN revolves around them and their impact on subsequent religions.

Appropriately, the song KVLTAN – the origin opens the album. Which song on the album holds the greatest significance for you and why is that so? Artaud: The album already demands a certain level of attention from the listener. I am aware of that. From the beginning, it was clear to me that I wanted to write an extraordinary album. One that should sound cohesive, surprising, and somewhat extraterrestrial. So, it was already difficult to choose two songs as video singles, as the album truly only works as a whole. Now highlighting one song is even harder for me. The songs are too different for that. When selecting a single, you at least have the criterion of a song’s accessibility, which can make the choice easier. I can’t even name a favorite song from the album. To explain it better: there wasn’t even a first and last song since we worked on all of them simultaneously. That might also explain why KVLTAN sounds so cohesive.

“A Sermon From Another Dimension” captivated me musically, but also surprised me. I even think I can perceive psychedelic-trance influences. How do you see it? Artaud: I try to align the theme of a song with the music. The contact with the past takes place through meditative dreaming. This is how KVLTAN is visualized and brought back into our consciousness. Between our hidden memories and the ancient gods of KVLTAN lies sleep, guarded by the guardians of the spheres. Traversing them is the goal to bring the forgotten back to the light of remembrance.

“dreaming of great pyramids in a darkly shining world on the other side of the eye we fly… high!” – Artaud Seth

What is the story behind the Sisters of Sleep, Myrrhine, and Inanna? Artaud: The myth of the Sisters of Sleep, Myrrhine and Inanna, comes from the Sumerian-Akkadian legend, in which the leaders of the Mesopotamian city-states of Ur and Uruk try to contact the gods through psychonautics. This state between trance, sleep, and meditation serves to explore one’s own psyche and the unconscious to create a common platform with the “sleeping gods”. Inanna succeeds in awakening Anu (“the one who fell from the sky”) and convincing him to spare the city of Uruk. Her sister Myrrhine does not succeed, and Ur is doomed. This legend, like other Sumerian-Akkadian myths about fallen angels or the Great Flood, later found their way, in altered form, into the Christian Old Testament. Myrrhine is the only one who knows when the gods will awaken on Earth again!

“open the book of entrance turning page after page read from all the arcane knowledge of forgotten days in Ares’ haze” – Artaud Seth

Besides “A Sermon…”, “Down Dark Hallways” is one of my favorite songs. Can you tell us a bit more about the very well-done video for it? Artaud: We shot the video far away from any civilization in the middle of the Thuringian Forest, in a mill from the 17th century, and it shows the coexistence of Neophytes (initiates) and their master (Myrrhine) under the dogma of KVLTAN. For four days, the band and film crew dedicated themselves to asceticism under difficult conditions. Those were quite intense shooting days, and I think the result is really something to behold.

How should I imagine that? Can you describe this asceticism in more detail? Artaud: There was simply nothing within a 30-kilometer radius. Just forest, a stream, and an old mill. We had to make do with what was available on-site or what we brought with us. There was no internet reception, no radio or television… nothing. Just us, nature, and the video.

“she walked down the ancient hall with arcane knowledge to the dawn she passes our ancestors to the origin of all.” – Artaud Seth

What is the Martian Genesis? Artaud: In general, Genesis, the creation story, is associated with Earth. But if you look more closely at the traditions of early advanced civilizations, you can see that the true origin of intelligent terrestrial life was more likely introduced from „outside.“ Mars as the „seat of the gods“ plays a central role in numerous traditions. Mars once had a completely different climate than it does today. It was at least temporarily warm and moist, had liquid water and a protective magnetic field, and lay—in the habitable zone, like its sister planet, Earth—making life possible. It is thus conceivable that the mythical traditions about the origin of the gods have a grain of truth.

“In the name of the Kvltanian angels come and rise up before us I command you in the name of Phobos with the Martian strength of Deimos.” Artaud Seth

How long did you actually work on KVLTAN? Artaud: From the initial idea to the final mixing, it took about a year. And that, almost daily.

How should I imagine that? Like a nine-to-five job? Artaud: You could say that. I hardly use factory sounds but manipulate and process all the sounds, whether from the synthesizer, guitars, drum machines, and plugins, into something unique. I then create soundscapes, comparable perhaps to cinematic soundtracks, which I let work on me and turn into a complete song. It’s all very labor-intensive and takes time. Incidentally, this is in stark contrast to the recording of the debut album LIBER I, which had a completely different approach. The album back then was recorded in just a few weeks.

Would you call that a “normal evolution” within a band’s history? Artaud: Maybe. Writing concept albums is certainly more demanding, and also somehow more satisfying. But you can also write good songs with simpler means. For example, I still really like NUNHOOD or GOD AEON from the debut album.

They sound very 80s, like the whole album LIBER I… Artaud: That was the plan.

Which album do you consider to be your best? Artaud: That’s hard to say. THELEMA, EXOSPHERE, KVLTAN of course. ANOMALY has many well-known songs, METEORA was very successful. It also depends on my mood and the time of day. GOETIA V certainly doesn’t work for breakfast. The album stands out due to its uniqueness. It’s almost meditative.

Can you elaborate on the cover artwork and its meaning? Artaud: As always, the artwork is by me. I tried to visualize KVLTAN and give the tribe of the KVLTANIANS a recognition symbol. This is on the front cover. The inner sleeve features archaic paintings showing the Anunnaki, also called giants.

Who or what are the giants that appear repeatedly on your cover artwork? The accompanying info says they were very tall, well over three meters, had fair skin, blue eyes, and supposedly six fingers. Artaud: They are mythological in nature, and I brought them to life to give them a more complete story than the Sumerians did 5,000 years ago. Their home planet, Kvltan, lived under the rule of a single king, Anu, and suffered from a gradual climate change, which first led to heavy rainfall and later to the slow drying out of the planet. In the end, it lost its atmosphere and became the red planet as we know it today: Mars. The Anunnaki were thus forced early on to look for a new home, and they settled on Earth. Early humans at that time were little more than animal-like beings with not very developed intellect. But they learned over millennia from the astronaut gods and copied their way of life. According to Sumerian tradition, from around the 4th millennium BC, a new line of humanity emerged from the mixing of the Anunnaki with the late Homo sapiens, leading to the humans of today.

There seem to be parallels to the present time: “gradual climate change,” global warming, a planet becoming slowly uninhabitable. Was this intentional? Artaud: Maybe we can learn something from the fictional story of the Kvltanians. We don’t have a second Earth within reach like they did. We have no escape route, no Plan B, no alternative habitat! Our fate is inextricably linked with our planet, Earth. That should be clear to us.

Do you share the assessment of many scientists that the window for action is rapidly closing? Artaud: Yes, that’s true. The solutions have been on the table for a long time. It lacks the political and economic will to implement them. What did the people on Easter Island in the Pacific think 800 years ago when they cut down the last tree on their island, knowing full well that it sealed the end of their civilization?

„Olympus Mons Peak“ is the perfect conclusion: Can you tell me about this meditative, calm song and its meaning, and explain the phrase „we are the last of us“? Who are „the last of their kind“? Artaud: This race of „the last of the seekers“ has accompanied me throughout my musical life. Where they come from or what exactly they are, I don’t know for sure. They are constantly present. Maybe they are just a metaphor for people like me, who are constantly seeking answers. In any case, I would be ready for the ultimate panoramic view from the peak of the symbolic mountain of knowledge; the highest geological point in our solar system: Olympus Mons.

A beautiful metaphor, I think. Knowledge and insights seem important to you. However, we actually know very little about you. Private life seems almost non-existent. Why is that? Artaud: Do you feel that way?

Apparently, otherwise, I wouldn’t ask… Artaud: Apart from the banalities of everyday life, everything is in my music. You just have to be able to filter it if you want to get closer to me.

Do such questions bother you? Artaud: No, I just don’t find the answers very exciting.

How did the bonus CD come about and what is its significance? Artaud: We simply wrote too much material. Moreover, the original version of THE KVLTANIANS was simply too long for the album at 14 minutes. On the other hand, the video single version of KVLTANIANS was too short for me. So, we packed all the material onto the bonus CD and included it in the limited first edition of the album.

When and where can we experience the new work live? Artaud: We will perform in the summer of 2022 at PLAGE NOIRE at Weißenhäuser Strand, SINNERS DAY in Ostend, Stella Nomine in Torgau, and CONVENTION III in Bochum. More information at www.MercifulNuns.com.

What remains? Is it the memory of the forgotten? Are they the dreams of the past, nourished by legends and myths that bring us closer to the truth? Do we really want to know? And can our minds then grasp the complexity of the knowledge about our being, our origin, and the resulting future? Would we be ready for the revelation? Would we be ready for the ultimate panoramic view from the symbolic mountain of knowledge: Olympus Mons Peak? And would we then be ready to be „space-faring“ gods, like our ancestors who came from space? As Artaud aptly said earlier: “KVLTAN wants to tell a story. One that could have been. Maybe even one that actually happened. In any case, one that should make you dream.”

In this sense…

“We can shake the earth and move the sun!” Artaud Seth