Introduction
Back
in 2014 I had commenced working on an essay about the MARS album
Blood is the Food of
the Gods to give it
an in-depth and analytical treatment. Interviews were conducted with
Marcus S., Oliver F., and Nadine to form the basis of original
research, while I began to consult textual sources such as René
Girard’s Violence
and the Sacred.
This turned out to be an enormous task that I faltered on completing
in 2015, so it was shelved as other obligations kept popping up.
However,
tabling the original review questions from MARS does not benefit
anyone, and with a looming new album and upcoming concerts, this is
an opportunity time to take the Q/A, edit it into an interview,
compliment it with additional questions and present it. What follows
are questions conducted during 2014 that were originally geared
toward Blood is the
Food of the Gods,
(but are still relevant), combined with recent questions that are
more topical.
A
sincere thanks to Marcus, Oliver and Nadine for their time, and
apologies for the tardiness of this final product.
The
Sacrifice
EP
In
2013 MARS released a vinyl and digital EP called Sacrifice
which
would set the official ground work for what would follow in Blood
is the Food of the Gods.
There
are some connections between Blood
is the Food of The Gods
and Sacrifice.
Firstly, what is the reason that “Icarus” appears on both
releases? Is this an anthem of sorts for MARS
Marcus:
The 12" Sacrifice
is a kind of preface and key to understanding Blood
is the Food of the Gods. It
may be considered our first fully realized release (while Sons
of Cain is more of
a demo). There are two songs present on both releases, which are
“Icarus” and “Sacrifice.” Both are key songs for the
sacrifice-concept.
Both songs will be presented on concerts to come for we feel very
close to their lyrics and the message. Both songs were originally
written by myself. “Icarus” is a special case for it was
initially written for my first band :Golgatha:. It appears as a
version sung by myself and by Patrick Leagas of Sixth Comm. The
Mars-version is the third version of “Icarus,” provided with a
new melody. I consider it the ultimate version of the song so far.
This will not be the last new interpretation of a :Golgatha: song by
Mars. In my opinion Mars is the official follow-up of :Golgatha:.
What
is the difference between “Sacrifice” from Sacrifice
and “Sacrifice 2” from Blood
is the Food of the Gods?
Marcus:
“Sacrifice 2” is mixed on different equipment and has distinct
break towards the end. Check it out.
Blood
is the Food of the Gods
Album
The
first truly realized and fleshed out album proper of MARS, Blood
is the Food of the Gods
was released in the summer of 2014 by Lichterklang in both a standard
and a limited edition version with an extra CD of a live performance.
The
cover of Blood
is the Food of the Gods
is a watercolor painting depicting a nude
woman, bloodied
hands outstretched to the sun.
Can you tell me about the genesis of the cover?
Nadine:
Marcus, Oliver and me, we were talking about the cover and we all
liked the imagination of a naked, female shaman standing with her
back to the beholder. So I've made a (very) small watercolor sketch
which was the origin of the picture. And while I was painting, the
music of MARS inspired me of course.
 |
| Blood is the Food of the Gods album cover |
Why
is everything dead in the piece? The trees hold no leaves and it is a
barren area around the lake.
Nadine:
I don't think it is dead, it is more a landscape in winter, it is
sleeping. In the first place that was an artistic decision in favor
of shape and composition. Nevertheless there was the idea of a
tormented nature somewhere in my mind, indeed. It might be a nature
which needs to be treated with more respect, just like the shaman
does, and which - maybe - demands the one or another "sacrifice".
The
cover depicts the Wolf Queen, the subject of track 10, "Song of
the Wolf Queen.” Can you elaborate on this inspiration?
Marcus:
The idea of the Wolf Witch was derived from the respective scene in
the film Conan the
Barbarian yet I
always was bothered by the connotation of her being “evil.” The
other inspiration was a walk through a wolf areal in a zoo nearby
with Nadine. It is a kind of love song at the same time.
 |
| Oliver F. - photo courtesy of the band |
What
textual insight do you want to share, or did you want to convey with
the songs you wrote? "Blood is the Food of the Gods,"
"Hunters," and "Saviours?” MARS wears inspiration on
its sleeve with lots of literary sources, what where
your
inspirations
for these tracks and what do you want to convey with them?
Oliver:
I'm also an academic (history/culture science) and read a lot in my
life about cultures, history and philosophy and so on. From these
experiences and from life itself I get my inspirations. When I write
a song, it's usually based on a core idea and then I keep it in my
mind for some time. I also try to create a creative environment where
the words can flow. Sometimes I get my inspiration from walking alone
in the nature, visiting old Mehir Stones or Celtic ruins not far from
my hometown. I never know when it is "coming" to me, but I
try to stay prepared.
For
the three songs:
"Blood
is the Food of the Gods" is mainly a song referring to old
hunter
cultures and their involvement with religion. It is a reminder that
man is a predator. The meaning of the phrase "blood is the food
of the gods" should
remind
you that blood is not only a kind of motor oil running through your
veins, and that humans are not only scientific beings. I think we
live in two worlds: the so called rational and science world and in a
spiritual world. In our blood everything that we are and who our
ancestors were comes together. The gods are those who give
and take. That blood is their food refers on one hand to old blood
sacrifices, but also a reminder that the gods (or what else someone
believes) are not here to make it easy for you, they don't prevent
catastrophes or personal tragedy. But in the best way, we live like
those hunters and go out night after night, not knowing, if we will
kill our prey - but nevertheless we praise the spirits/gods and take
life as it is and destiny reveals itself to us. It is hard, but life
is just not meant to be easy.
"Hunters"
as the title says refers also to these traditions. You could call it
"Blood is the Food of the Gods Part II.” Here we are called to
evoke our inner strength. It doesn't matter how hard life is: we are
the hunter and not the hunted. It's a call to be brave in life and
never to forget who we are and that we take the fight against the
hardships of life.
The
part "things differ /not only in the eyes of the gods and live
flow like rivers/ not only in the eyes of the gods" reminds us
that we don't have a guarantee to succeed - but again, we should
accept it and take on the fight.
“We
are on our path to war /Freedom is so glorious /so fine and pure /But
we cannot choose / the destiny that‘s woven / Dreams do never rust/
The Blossoms of a fresh morning /At the day of your death.” That is
what represents the warrior heart.
"Saviors"
is a criticism song. From time to time, one man/woman climbs up from
the masses, someone with an overwhelming charisma. His heart is full
of ideas and he seems to burn for it - the saviors "hearts burn
like fever.” But in the end, we see, that a savior is also only a
human being that was never capable to fulfill what he has promised.
So this savior “leave(s) nothing but questions.” Even Jesus
Christ left his followers before he could answer all questions.
We "wander like blindes"
and "the vastness lies before us” - many people are
(subconsciously) waiting for someone who leads them - the blind
masses- through this vastness of this desert. They are like
"terrified children."
MARS
had mentioned that The
Seeker was
being recorded with 17 mics and there was 32 tracks to be mixed. What
other technical aspects like this can you share about Blood
is the Food of the Gods?
Oliver:
We recorded The
Seeker and “Ravens
Eyes” in a very fine studio with a lot of old-school equipment.
This was a very nice production and for some of the future songs
(especially those with E-Guitars and heavy drumming) we will do it
again.
For
the Blood is the
Food of the Gods
album, this was totally produced and recorded by ourselves. We both
have small studios and the rehearsal room has a very good acoustics.
The process from idea to final recording is like this: first the
idea, then working on it in rehearsals, doing a demo, playing it for
a few weeks and then we do the final recording. All vocals and
instruments are done separately, like in any other studio. As Marcus
has over ten years of experience in producing music he does the final
mix and mastering. He is very accurate and I like the outcome a lot.
 |
| Photo courtesy of the band |
Many
MARS’ songs are textually repetitive, with lines are said over
again. Is this repetition is supposed to evoke a ritualistic quality
to the music? How does the work of René
Girard in regards to ritual violence and sacred tie in?
Marcus:
Yes, ritual IS repetition, yet we try to avoid that neofolk thing to
focus on only very few repeated lines.
The
ideas from Girard I refer to are:
- The
history and use of the blood sacrifice
- The
idea of kydos - the cruelty of the hero
- In
general, the relation of violence, blood letting, sacrifice and
religion
- The
dialectics of mythos and modernity
Also
reflect on the name of your own site: 'heiligetod', which is German
for 'sacred death' - death in a sacred state, the sacred act of
killing, dying for a sacred purpose etc. Here I have to point out
that the German word 'heilig' is also connected to 'heil'
(well-being, sacred state), which is very unpopular due to its use in
the phrase 'Sieg heil' - which also may refer to a 'a sacred
victory.' These concepts are tangled indirectly by Girard. Girard is
catholic by the way. I am not.
In
the photos inside the linear notes/lyrics there is a cool looking
book. One picture has it closed, one has it opened. What is the book
if I may ask?
Marcus:
This is my personal MARS book of lyrics. It was given to me by
Nadine, is bound in buffalo leather, sewn by handmade paper and
imprinted with the 'horned triskele of Odin'. Every finished version
of a song is written down there by hand.
On
Facebook, in the MARS photo albums, there is an album called "Mars
inspiration." In it you have a lot of books - from Jack London
to James Dickey. For
Blood is the Food of the Gods,
what books compliment this album? What are some of the references you
create in the album to these sources?
Marcus:
The big topic of Blood
is the Food of the Gods
is the sacred rite of sacrifice. Of special use were Mircea Eliade's
writings on shamanism, George Bataille's writings on the theory of
religion, and Curzio Malaparte's collection of short stories, Barbara
Ehrenreich's Blood
Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War, and
especially: Rene Girard's Violence
and the Sacred.
Also there are adaptations of Yukio Mishima's Sun
& Steel and
Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood
Meridian on the
album.
The
book that the
song “The Dragon
Seed”
is based on is not out in English. It is an exploration of the
nihilist hero of the early 20th century as featured in German
literature. “Icarus” is closely related to Yukio Mishima’s
writings in Sun &
Steel. But
references are not always in actual quotes, but more in mood and
ideas.
MARS
Presents the Trail
After
Blood is the Food of the Gods, MARS turned their attention to the
ambitious project, MARS Presents the Trail, a soundtrack of sorts
depicting the American west heavily based on the book Blood
Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy.
MARS
Presents the Trail had an almost singular focus on Blood
Meridian, with a few dabs of other western iconography
(Peckinpah, Morricone, etc) thrown in. Since MARS has many literary
inspirations, is there another topic you would love to laser focus on
such as you did with the Trail?
Marcus:
There are always certain things working within me. Blood
Meridian is a novel that left a huge impression on me over ten
years ago. I might go even further back and find Melville's Moby
Dick again. Again a very mythical tale of archaic power. These
kinds of things never cease to inspire me. Also I am planning to
compose a whole album based on the myth of Ragnaroek which
accurately reflects the state of humanity at the moment. We are
literally waiting for the end to come, not knowing what might arise
from the ashes of human civilization. But this would be executed best
as a collaboration of MARS and Vortex. Who knows…
 |
| Marcus S. photo courtesy of the band |
The
Trail had some struggles at getting released in regards to labels
or mail orders not wanting to carry it, or thinking it was outside
the norm for what they thought their customers would want. Can you
elaborate on this ordeal at getting The Trail out there?
Marcus:
Yes, releasing The Trail was a tragedy in itself, which
took several years. First I approached my usual labels but one said
it is “too unspecific” and “not interesting enough,” als “too
American.” The other said “it is just not the direction we are
heading at the moment.” Then we started contacting more metal and
post-rock based labels, but rarely got an answer. You are only
released if you are an actual buddy of the label boss. Otherwise -
rare chances. Oh, and we tried a label for 70s film music and they
said there were too many songs on the album. The thing is: you can
always release music on your own, but who will distribute it? When I
decided to release it on my own :Ikonen: media label, I did it the
way we envisioned it: as a hardbound media book, with high quality
sewn in booklet, full colour etc. No compromise made. It looks
terrific as you have realized yourself. Yet it did never sell out for
the lack of distribution. People who have it, they love it and keep
listening to it as I have heard. But there could be like 500 more.
MARS
Miscellanea
As
a complex and interesting band, there are quite a few general
questions for MARS that do not directly connect with a specific
release but still gain tremendous insight into the project.
MARS
practices ALOT. Not many other bands in the scene do this. Not to
sound disparaging, but many bands now-a-days are "bedroom
musicians," meaning a bulk of the work is simply done in their
private home studios on computers. But I see social media posts all
the time of you and Marcus doing rehearsals. Do you think this is a
lost art? What effect do you think rehearsing has on MARS and your
ritual performances?
Oliver:
From some musicians I heard things like "We don't believe in
rehearsals". But I don't think that there is anything to believe
about it. Rehearsals are a powerful tool, and it is also a lot of
fun.
It's
not only about playing your songs better, but also to develop new
songs and to get even closer with your bandmates. It helps to get in
the "flow" while you’re playing live.
As
you say, many bands are kind of "bedroom projects", some of
them only meet two hours before a concert and only one of them is
writing music and recording for himself. Sure, it is possible to play
a good concert under these conditions, if the musicians are good
enough. But what I love about doing music is to work together with my
bandmates, in this case Marcus, and create something as a team! It is
more like an ongoing process. Sometimes we have a song idea we both
love. If you don't rehearse, that’s it. The creative process ends
with this. But if you do rehearse these new songs, you will discover
only by playing them many times, what else can be add or removed from
it to make it even better and - I would say- authentic/organic.
Our
approach to this is very old-school. Rehearsals and band structure
are a must.
 |
| Photo courtesy of the band |
You
call your live performances rituals. Can you elaborate on this
verbiage? What separates a "performance" from a "ritual"?
Oliver:
For me the aspect of doing a ritual on stage has three important
points. The music builds a closed frame where we lead the audience
through. We don't "pose,” for us this is very serious! And
also the topics of our songs support it, that it's a kind of ritual.
The
MARS logo looks like an altered Mannaz rune. Can you elaborate on the
design of the rune? Who came up with it, and what you'd like to
convey with it?
Marcus:
The Mars band logo is completely based on my personal bind-rune which
I designed around 1999. Mars was initially meant to be a solo-project
by myself and refers to my name MARcuS, which means 'dedicated to the
Roman war god Mars'. The bind rune is constructed of the runes
Mannaz, Ar, Raido and Sowilo, while for me Gebo and Kenaz are also
involved and equally important. Mars is meant to be a 'male
brotherhood', thus Mannaz is very important as well. Oliver and I
decided to keep it as the band logo for our joined band Mars.
What
do you think separates MARS from other neofolk/dark folk/etc. acts?
Marcus:
A lot. First we do not consider Mars a neofolk band. Our music is
very far from the typology of (German) neofolk bands. We sing in
English to reach an international audience - we have no interest in
the 'national identity' thing that most neofolk bands are into. We
will include even more electric guitars in future. Our music is based
on rhythm, not on melody - like most of the well-known neofolk bands.
We have no keyboards e.g. and use stings very rarely and only from
guest musicians. Concerning our song writing we seem closer to punk
or black metal than to neofolk, which is often heading towards pop
and catchiness. Mars' music is more raw and archaic. We work on the
basis of rituals rather than classical song writing. - Saying all
this it seems to me that our music is much closer some acoustic
elements of bands like Neurosis, Wovenhand, Young and in the Way, or
Swans. On the stylistic level we are very different to most neofolk
bands. First of all we love leather jackets, especially the Perfecto
jacket from Schott NYC. We use a lot of shamanistic imagery like
animal skulls and bones, wood carvings, natural objects etc. I
personally feel closer to rock bands like Fields of the Nephilim or
Wolvserpent.
MARS
has only appeared on one compilation, Au
Bout Du Monde: the Jules Verne Compilation,
that was released via Bandcamp in 2013.
A
lot of bands of the subaltern scene try to appear on many as
compilations
(digital and physical) as possible.
Any particular reason why MARS doesn't appear on a lot of
compilations?
Marcus:
There are bands who seem to be keen on being on every compilation
suitable, while others (Rome, King Dude e.g.) avoid appearing outside
their own context. We do not “boycott” compilations, but we will
carefully chose into which context we might fit. The Jules
Verne-compilation is a very mixed bag and in my opinion we do not
even fit into it very well. The respective song “Mobilis in Mobile”
works much better on our album. Compilations were a very important
promotion means in the 1990s, and the neofolk scene still keeps this
tradition from time to time. But honestly the time for this format
seems over. In any case we are mainly interested in concept
compilations, but it seems ages ago that such an opportunity was
given (I remember the Arthanor compilation Lucifer
Rising...).
MARS
uses Bandcamp to proliferate their releases, digitally and
physically. How successful has this platform been for you? Do you
feel a listener may miss out on a "full experience" by only
having a digital edition of one of your albums rather than the
physical version?
Marcus:
This is due to listeners' demand. We know that people in Latin
America have a hard time buying CDs, so it is a good chance for them
to download our music. But they definitely miss out the whole
experience, yes.
Original
artwork by Nadine and luxurious digipack treatments grace the MARS
releases. How important is the physical presentation of MARS music to
go the extra mile? As a high quality band, does MARS seek to be
associated with high quality releases?
Marcus:
Yes, we want people to realize that MARS is a Gesamtkunstwerk,
a total piece of art, including layout, material, bonus etc. To
understand what we want demands the whole thing. And the Sacrifice
EP on 12" or The Trail CD turned out exactly as we
wanted. The inclusion of download codes is just a concession to our
listeners. Ideally you should concentrate on the music and get
inspired by the artwork. Thus we are very happy that we found David
of La Esencia (Spain) who was totally enthusiastic to release the new
MARS 7" in an appropriate way: as a gatefold cover with
postcards, including the option of a bonus CD 6 months later with
exclusive songs and mixes all focussing on the two solstices.
The
Seeker – MARS on the Horizon
The
next album MARS intends to realize on their journey is the
appropriately named album The Seeker. As a preview of things
to come, MARS released a digital only release of Whispers/The
Pyres to test the waters with and satiate fans until the album
release proper.
What
has been the responses and feedback so far from Whispers /The
Pyres?
Marcus:
A digital single does not really work as a commercial outing. But
it was important to mark a new level by MARS. Both songs represent
different aspects of our brotherhood, as different as they are
complementary. Caught between gothic melancholy and pagan awareness.
So reactions have been nice, especially considering the video clips
that the German film artist Danilo Vogt did for us. But I expect the
7" Farewell to the Sun to create much more attention. The
best one can do to promote a band is play live. And we even managed
to play the legendary Slimelight at London which might be closed
soon. This was a great event for sure. Next up will be the Sabbat
Bloody Sabbat festival at Vienna (Austria).
 |
| Searching - photo courtesy of the band |
What
has been the production story behind The Seeker so far? Places
recorded, equipment used, lyrics revised - etc. What has been on this
creative journey so far?
Marcus:
Some songs on The Seeker date back several years and
existed at the time of Blood is the Food of the Gods yet they
did not fit in then. We like to see our activities as a constant work
in progress and allow changes to the material all the time. We also
have started collaboration with the apocalyptic folk band Solitude
Ravencrow from East Germany who share the same spiritual view of the
world. They added subtle strings, bass guitar and a certain droning
male voice to our sound. Oliver has bought several new instruments,
mainly effects and guitars, which enable him to create a much richer
and more atmospheric sound than before. Some tracks we recorded in
the legendary Rama studio at Mannheim with producer Christian Bethge,
who also produces the doom act Ahab. This changed our sound towards a
more Swans-like edge.
What
do you hope to accomplish with The Seeker?
Marcus:
The Seeker will be the essence of our work and it will
take more time to complete it. It is meant as a complete piece of
spiritual art, enabling the audience to reflect on the downfall of
human societies and to re-capture the nearly forgotten spirit of the
ancient gods. The Seeker is a quest for the essence of the
human soul to be found within ecstasy and ritual.
Finally,
what will listeners and fans see or hear in regards to the MARS sound
with The Seeker? What will you be doing differently, and what
will you be honing?
Marcus:
The Seeker is not finished by now, but this might be due
to the title, hehe. This will be an epic album on the process of
seeking spiritual truth and finally becoming “god.” The Odinic
search if you like. We have over 70 minutes of material finished and
will eventually aim for a double album: on disc with the acoustic
songs, one with more atmospheric post-black-metal as on some tracks
before. But now on a much grander scale. We have better technical
possibilities now, new collaborators, and our sound will be much more
diverse and soundtrack-like. This said, The Seeker will be a
huge piece of audiovisual art, probably suitable for a vinyl version.
Sound-wise I am heading for a more ritualistic approach, more
drumming, more chanting, but there will also be classical songs. True
apocalyptic pagan doom folk.
Links
