Interview from 3/17/97

Artaud vs. Louis Alexandre for Cynfeirdd Magazine (France)

Q: If I defined your music as "melancholic, emotional, romantic, and magical", would you agree or disagree?
Artaud: Well, of course it is very romantic, indeed. Dark and distorted, malicious and foreign, born out of the depths of a sick soul.

Q: Garden of Delight - when we leave only the first letters of the three words we have GOD - was that done on purpose?
Artaud: The initials G.O.D. are accidental. I chose the name Garden of Delight, which refers to the Garden of Eden, as a symbol and vision of the ancient culture called Sumer. I think that everybody knows that the Garden Eden, in the earlt times of humanity, was a part of the sumerian culture in Mesopotamia. Since 1991, I often dealt with the Sumerians. I'm really interested in their magic which every other magical system was based upon. Sumerian people were deeply in touch with the natural sources. And that's where the Ancient Goda came from.They were a sort of superior race of beings hailing from another planet in the solar system. Sumerland is the place where the Sumerian souls lie sleeping, waiting for reincarnation.

Q: What kind of revelation will you have after the release of "Paradise", your seventh and final album?
Artaud: My own revelation is to find a way for the vision of the future to become a thing of the past!

Q: Do you think that this was achieved?
Artaud: Not yet.

Q: Can you explain to us what is the mythology that turns on the image and themes in your songs?
Artaud: The intention was and is to compare mythological thoughts and inspirations of old and new cultures. The connection of the founded source documentations are the key to what I call the pre-mythology, or pre-rite. This shamanical pre-rite is mirrored in my lyrics. Myths, magics, mythology, religions, beliefs and disbeliefs, sects, doctrines - these are allthat I have focused on from the first album up until today. All my lyrics are based on a couple of old and new scripts, writings, and books, like the book of the dead Names(?), "Necronomicon", "The Book of the Storm", and a novel from the 13th century called "Eibon". Lovecraft C'thulhu myth deals with the Gods of Sumer and other cults like Assyr, Babylonia, and Egypt are often themes for my lyrics, too. Further, I prefer and include magical and ritual books like Eliphas Levi's "Transcendental Magic", Aliester Crowley's "Magick", or his translation of "The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King", the Bible, Robert Graves' "The White Goddess", or the owrk of H.P. Blavatsky, Dion Fortune, and of course all of Colin Wilson's work. I dedicated our last album, "Scheoul", to him.

Q: The Anceint Gods can be easily identified as the Lovecraftian "Great Race", that once created human beings. What do you think about that?
Artaud: Lovecraftian writings often dealt with the real "Gods of Sumer", and other cults like Assyr, Babylonia, and Egypt, too. I know that we must be doubted becuase it's almost been proved that Lovecraft seems to have created his own ancient religion. However , he put some authentic Goda and Myths into his stories. An example of this is of course "Necronomicon", which was written by Lovecraft and August Dereleth under the ficticious name, Al Azif. 30% of the "Necronomicon" is real and founded in Ancient Cultures. The rest is invention.

Q: Are you afraid about being misunderstood as a sect? What's the power of sects nowadays?
Artaud: No, I am not afriad of being misunderstood as a sect. There is no reason to do that. We are only a medium of ancient cultures. Some sects are very dangerous indeed: the satanic "Ophitic GnosticCultus", Anton LaVey's "Church of Satan", "Wicca", the devilish "Order of Satanic Templars", or the ultimate evil sect, which has reigned for the past 2000 years: the "christendom". Of course, the definition of "good" and, the whole remedy for occultism, the "evil", always depend on personal views. But this is my subjective view in this case.

Q: What happens with your rotation period of seven...?
Artaud: "7" is considered the magical number by most of the doctrins in the whole world. "Time will change in a circle of seven years" - this line you can find in an oldbook from the 13th century called "Eibon", and that means each magical system is changed in a seven-year term to reach a higher stairway to wisdom. Another example is that you can see how the original habrew 'Bible' can be divided into seven equal parts in every respect! And in the old "Gilgamesh Epos", you can find the invocation of the seven gates. Seven ermethic doors leading to the supreme Revelation.

Q: What is the main reson why you started playing music and telling everyone "we'll finish within seven years?"
Artaud: For me it is the perfect way to mix my favorite passion for esoteric doctrines on one side and this kind of music we've made and prefer on the other side.

Q: It's quite strange to find any kind of classical, material love in your songs - how do you conceive love, if you do at all?
Artaud: Do you think so? Do you think that maybe everything is hidden in fragments and metaphors?! Love is the strength against all the evil influences from the outside, and in depressing times it is what keeps you alive.

Q: Do you like any actual bands? If so, which ones?
Artaud: Not really.

Q: What do you think of Carl McCoy's come-back with the Nefilim? He had also in the past developed a huge interest in past civilizations and sumerian beliefs. Would you please comment on whether "Exodus" is your answer to Carl own "Xodus"?
Artaud: Never. It is my personal view that deals with the 'bleeding to death' of an immemorial credence of time, beyond the explicability, and it has nothing to do with Carl's vision. Regarding the "Nefilim"'s new album, "Zoon", I was a little bit disappointed. I think it includes to many metal-parts to it.

Q: Your opinion on the gothic movement? How can you refuse to be defined as a goth band when you look at your audience? What is your own definition of gothic?
Artaud I don't like that definition - goth rock, whatever you want to call it! Why do we need to think in categories? It comes from everyboyd's heart and their soul and never from a current fashion style. I love every single soul that believes in me.

Q: "Scheoul" is a concept album - could you briefly explain what it is all about? Is this album connected to the previous ones in any way?
Artaud: Yes. In Scheoul (the hebrew term from the underworld), you will find a whole story about the Ancient Gods, called the Old Ones. The history of the gods and demons flows through the Scheoul to the big, black subterranean lake; there it ends in the "Last of the Lost Ones", who is boating over the lake, searching for the nonentity, the Paradise. This story is continued in out last and seventh album.

Q: The last album of G.O.D. - will it be different, some kind of apotheosis, or zenith in your brilliant career, or will it be just a compendium of everything that you have done before?
Artaud: I think our album, Paradise, could be a great final for wehat we have done in the past. The first songs we have written now for this album are definitely the best what we ever done before. The MEGA THERION will wait for you.

Q: You invented through "Heaven and Hell" Box to give you a vision of Good and Evil, could you define it with accuracy? Is it true that you are passioned by magick and estoericism?
Artaud: The whole intention of the "Heaven and Hell" idea was to compare mythological ideas of ancient cultures, sects ritual-cults, religious movements and spiritual communitiesin order to seperate the positive from the negative. Of course, the definiton of 'good' and 'evil' always depend on personal views, but this is my subjective view in this case. You can find Lovecraft's fantastic C'thulhu Myth, Christian transfiguration in a orthodox spanish nunnery in the year 1610 and the shamanical Wicca-Cult on the "evil" side. On the "good" and heavenly side, you may find my personal view of themes like love, sex, melancholy, and the remedy for occultism.

Q: Let's talk for a moment about your relationship with the 'musical business'. What is your judgement on that?
Artaud: I hate it! I am a victim and a martyr between the wheels of injustice.

Q: Now the typical question to end an interview, the question about the band's future projects. What happens after your predicted split?
Artaud: I have no plans for the future. Everything will have been said after the seventh album. Maybe the circle will be closed forever.

Q: Are you going to change your mind about finishing up after your last album if your fans really ask you to?
Artaud: No way.