ALONE IN HEAVEN & MAGMA TRAKT: "ZARDOZ"
limited edition tape [80 copies] & digital release on SEASTATE label in germany.
collaborative album between ALONE IN HEAVEN [music] and MAGMA TRAKT [words]. 44+ minutes long synthetic sci fi symphony with a pseudo scientific lecture / sermon about the entity and cult of ZARDOZ. inspired by a vague, sketchy memory of a few scenes from a movie of the same name i saw decades ago as a child. tape edition contains a 31+ minutes long bonus track. i consider this to be my chef-d'œuvre and surely one of the biggest milestones in my discography.
promo video is here.
stream the album and get your copy here.

'Iako vec sa poprilicnim brojem izdanja, cini se da je ovo Vitkovicev kreativno najkompletniji album.'
[- popscotch]



original lyrics in serbian

english translation

~~~

Daleko povrh ovih strmih klisura, na nepristupačnim visoravnima, prostiru se pašnjaci planinske divljači. Zelenilo pod direktnim pritiskom sivih oblaka. Na nekim od najisturenijih zelenih terasa, gotovo uronjenim u oblake, uočljiva su kružna područja žute trave. Veliki žuti krugovi označavaju mesto poslednjeg zabeleženog pojavljivanja moćnog ZARDOZA.

ZARDOZ: gigantske lebdeće kamene glave koje se pojavljuju niotkuda, seju strah i ludilo, okamenjenog izraza lica, svaka od njih spomenik sopstvenom užasu.

Postoji svega par prostih činjenica o ZARDOZUu koje možemo sa sigurnošću da tvrdimo. Na primer, činjenica da je ZARDOZ uvek praćen jakim vetrom. Nema nikakvog pravila kada će se i gde ZARDOZ pojaviti, osim što nikada nije uočen u toplim sezonama i predelima. Vekovima nije uočeno jato ZARDOZa, već samo pojavljivanje pojedinačnih glava.

Sam pomen ZARDOZa asocira na njegova usta, a usta, kao pojam, pozivaju arhetipsku sliku organa koji je otvoren. Pritom se ta otvorenost doživljava kao promena u odnosu na njihovo osnovno stanje, a to su zatvorena usta. Međutim prva, arhi usta su nastala tako što je otvoreni trakt naučio da se zatvori. Otvorenost je osnova, a promena nastupa tek sa zatvaranjem, sa sticanjem veštine isključivanja pojedinačnog iz protoka celine. Zamrznuti krik ZARDOZa predstavlja pravi osnovni oblik usta, pre zatvaranja trakta, neprekinuti protok kosmičke tvari. Zato se o ZARDOZu ne može govoriti u množini; on se ne sastoji iz jedinki. Svaka njegova glava deo je jedinstvenog ZARDOZa.

Usne čoveka, gornja i donja, organ su binarnosti, prekidač sa buleanskom funkcijom. Čas otvorene čas zatvorene, one svojevoljno uključuju ili isključuju čoveka iz sredine. Setimo se pak da i gornju i donju usnu čini jedan isti kružni mišić. Zanimljivo je da je od jednog jedinstvenog elementa nastao instrument bivalentnosti, odvajanja, prekidanja, deljenja. ZARDOZova usta pak nemaju usne, a nemaju ni vilicu. Ona su večito otvorena, okamenjena, a glas koji iz njih čujemo nastaje duboko u zardozu, prenoseći se celim njegovim licem i glavom.

Glave ZARDOZa su uvek okrenute poput čovekovih, bradom ka tlu, temenom ka nebu. To je neobično obzirom da na ZARDOZa gravitacija ne utiče, pre bi se moglo pretpostaviti da on utiče na gravitaciju. ZARDOZ je leteo ovim prostorima i pre postanka Zemlje. Glave ZARDOZa su bile usmerene svojim dnom ka centru buduće planete, koja je bila tek nešto gušći oblak. ZARDOZ je još jedan oblik magma trakta, možda prirodan, možda neprirodan. Svakako, ZARDOZ nije predak organskog života.

Iako je prezirao svako seme i sav biološki život kao račvanje i sužavanje magma trakta, ZARDOZ se često obraćao čoveku. Katkad govorom, češće urlanjem, a ponekad i užasnim dubokim ćutanjem zjapećih čeljusti. Od mudrih reči ZARDOZa, čovek bi gubio um. Zapravo bilo koja reč, pa i najgluplja, mogla bi da bude sredstvo pomračenja uma, ako bi se izgovorila tako glasno, takvim kamenim glasom i sa tolike visine. Primljenu mudrost čovek je plaćao svojim razumom, prema tome mudrost je bila beskorisna, gubljena u pomračenim umovima. Pa ipak, jedan nauk nam ostaje: koliko su male sve čovečije reči. Male i bezazlene spram nedokučive mudrosti, veličine i sile ZARDOZa.

Oni koji su čuli reči ZARDOZa govorili su da je njegov glas bio toliko glasan da su ga osećali u svojim plućima i ustima kao da njihov vlastiti jezik, zubi i dah izgovaraju reči ZARDOZa. Duhovnom i fizičkom traumom, skrhali su granicu između svog uma i ZARDOZovog, zamenili sebe i ne-sebe, ne-zardoza i ZARDOZa, i osetili kao da je nedokučiva mudrost njihova. Razum su izgubili, ali su stekli povratak u neprekinuti protok, povratak u trakt, izvan biološke evolucije, natrag u ZARDOZa. Njihovo se seme možda zatrlo. Ali su utoliko usta ZARDOZa bila otvorenija, a glave brojnije.

Boje ZARDOZa su žuta i zelena. Sam ZARDOZ je od bezbojnog, sivog kamena. Ali njegova hladna bezbojnost za sobom u pejsažu i u očima posmatrača ostavlja žutilo, presušenost svih životnijih boja. Zelena koja za ZARDOZom ostaje je zelena mrtvih, suvih šuma. Fizičke manifestacije ZARDOZa su uvek vezane za hladnije delove zvučnog i svetlosnog spektra. Na primer, Island bi, sudeći po njegovom kamenom ništavilu, mogao biti postojbina ZARDOZa, kada bi ZARDOZ imao postojbinu. Gigantske kamene glave bi nad takvim hladnim pejsažem mogle da lebde neprimećene. Ipak, češće su zabeležena pojavljivanja ZARDOZa na mestima bujne vegetacije, kao da ZARDOZ traži život kako bi imao šta da uguši. Doduše, nije zabeleženo ni jedno pojavljivanje ZARDOZa u urbanim sredinama. Iako se pojavljivao tokom industrijskog i postindustrijskog doba, odsustvo iz urbanih sredina je samo dodalo na mitologizaciji ZARDOZa kao nečeg davnašnjeg, natprirodnog i verovatno izmišljenog. Delimičan razlog za mitologizaciju jeste i u narastajućem strahu modernog čoveka od ZARDOZa.

Čovekov strah od ZARDOZa nije strah od samog ZARDOZa već od užasne tajne koju on krije. To je strah od zaleđine koja ZARDOZu omogućava postojanje. Strah od nepoznatog, strah od epifanije koja uništitava. Nikada taj strah nije bio tako izražen kao u savremenom dobu, dobu kada čovek sa samopouzdanjem materijaliste tvrdi da razume svet i svoje mesto u njemu. Zapravo, ZARDOZ ne čuva nikakvu tajnu. Njegova suština jeste užasna ali nije skrivena. Ona je ispoljena na način koji je čoveku nedokučiv, nematerijalan. Zato, razloga za strah od tog suštog užasa nema. Užas ZARDOZa mogu sagledati samo oči kosmičkije od ljudskih.

Obzirom da čovek o ZARDOZu ne zna gotovo ništa, odakle potiče ovoliki strah? Taj strah govori o čovekovoj skrivenoj sumnji u sebe i postojanost svojih temelja, govori nam koliko duboko u svojim kostima čovek zna da je kao biće, kao koncept bića, krhak, relativan, pa i neosnovan. Kosmički kultovi ZARDOZa su ovaj besmisao prigrlili kao jedan superkosmički nihilizam. Oni ne veruju samo u besmisao čoveka već i u besmisao ZARDOZa, odnosno besmisao smisla. Kroz rituale i mitove kulta ZARDOZa naziremo sliku ZARDOZa kakav zaista jeste: bez porekla i odredišta, čista snaga bez volje, mudrost bez cilja, sila bez i iznad smisla. To je ZARDOZ.

Motiv letećih kamenih glava je odvajkada element folklora, ali je ovaj motiv uvek iskorišten površno, bez naučnog znanja o ZARDOZu. Najpoznatiji primer je film Džona Burmana ZARDOZ, sa svojom naivnom antropocentričnom predstavom ZARDOZa sa očima. Katkad ZARDOZ i jeste imao oči, ali češće je to bila glava bez nosa i očiju, samo ždrelo i nedokučivi um. Katkad je folklor davao druge oblike i imena ZARDOZovom ždrelu. Nirdala, zmija apokalipse, je samo jedan primer entiteta kojeg znamo kao ZARDOZ, Zahardoz, Saradosa, Zaad.

“Šta će mi bogatstvo, svetska slava sva, želim žrtva postati moćnog ZARDOZa”

Najveći deo informacija o ZARDOZu pronađen je u spisima crkve magma trakta. Crkva magma trakta je bila sekta koja je od petog do trećeg veka pre nove ere svoj život posvećivala hodočasnom lutanju u potrazi za ZARDOZom. Hodočasnici su putovali u grupama i ako bi im se ZARDOZ ukazao, cela grupa hodočasnika bi momentalno sebi odsecala glave koje su, po predanju, odletale u usta ZARDOZa. Grb ove sekte prikazivao je karakterističnu stilizovanu glavu ZARDOZa kako počiva na planini lobanja koje bljuje iz usta. Sekta je verovala da se metodom ritualne dekapitacije stiče besmrtnost u ZARDOZu.

Poslednji put je ZARDOZ viđen u ovom veku, 2017 godine, na zapadu Mongolije. Gde se potom uputio? To niko ne zna. Najverovatnije ZARDOZ obitava daleko u stratosferi ili unutar planete u koju ne ulazi putem otvora, već uranja u čvrsto tlo kao u prazan prostor, ne ostavljajući nikakav trag.

~~~

Far above these steep gorges, on unreachable plateaus, there are pastures of mountain’s wild life. A verdure under direct pressure of gray clouds. On those furthermost protruding green terraces, almost bathing in clouds, there are noticeable circular areas of yellow grass. Big yellow circles mark the spot of the last known appearance of mighty ZARDOZ.

ZARDOZ: gigantic levitating stone heads which appear out of nowhere, sowing fear and insanity, their expressions turned to stone; each a monument to its own horror.

There are only few simple facts about ZARDOZ we can confirm with certainty. For instance the fact that ZARDOZ is always accompanied by a strong wind. There isn’t any principle by which one might determine when or where will ZARDOZ appear, except that he has never been noticed in warm seasons or areas. A flock of ZARDOZ hasn’t been noticed for centuries, but only appearances of his single heads.

The very utterance of word ZARDOZ brings up a direct mental image of his mouth, and as an idea, ‘a mouth’ brings up archetypical image of an open organ. That state of openness is perceived as a transition from its primal state - a closed mouth. But the first archi-mouth were created when the open tract learned how to close itself. Openness is fundamental, and change only begins with closing, with developing the ability to disconnect a singular from the flow of universal. The frozen scream of ZARDOZ represents the first basic form of a mouth, before closing of the tract, an uninterrupted flow of cosmic matter. That is why we cannot speak about ZARDOZ in plural; he is not a multitude of units. His each head is a part of the universal ZARDOZ.

Lips of man, upper and lower, are an instrument of binarity, a switch with boolean function. At one moment open, next moment closed, they willingly connect or disconnect man from surrounding environment. Let us remember that both upper and lower lip are the same one circular muscle. It’s curious that such singular element became an instrument of bivalence, separation, disconnection, division. On the other hand, mouths of ZARDOZ neither have lips nor a jaw. They are permanently open, turned to stone, and the voice we hear from them comes from deep within ZARDOZ, emitted through his whole face and head.

Heads of ZARDOZ are always turned like man’s: chin towards the ground, scalp towards the sky. That’s strange because gravity has no effect on ZARDOZ; we could rather suspect it’s actually him who affects gravity. ZARDOZ used to fly these spaces even before birth of earth. Heads of ZARDOZ pointed their necks towards the center of the future planet that was just a slightly dense cloud. ZARDOZ is another form of magma tract - perhaps a natural one, perhaps unnatural... In any case, ZARDOZ is not the originator of organic life.

Although he despised all seeds and biological life as branching and narrowing of magma tract, ZARDOZ often addressed man. At times by speech, more often by roaring, and sometimes by dreadful deep silence from gaping mouth. Wise words of ZARDOZ would make man lose his mind; in fact any word, even the most banal one, might become the instrument of mind’s destruction, just if it were pronounced so loud, with such stone voice and from such heights. Man paid for the wisdom received with his own sanity, thus the wisdom was useless, wasted in darkened minds. And yet, one lesson remains: how small are all man’s words; small and harmless against the unfathomable wisdom, immensity and force of ZARDOZ.

Those who had heard words of ZARDOZ said his voice has been so loud that they had felt it in their own lungs and mouth as if their own tongue, teeth and breath were saying words of ZARDOZ. By spiritual and physical trauma, they crushed the border between their own and ZARDOZ’s mind, replaced their selves with other-selves, non-ZARDOZ and ZARDOZ, and finally felt that unfathomable wisdom was their own. They had lost sanity, but gained the return to uninterrupted flow, return into tract, out of biological evolution, back into ZARDOZ. Their seed may have been extinct. But the mouth of ZARDOZ were all the more open, and number of his heads more plentiful.

Colours of ZARDOZ are yellow and green. ZARDOZ himself is made of colourless, gray stone, but his cold lack of colour leaves yellowness behind in a landscape and in the eyes of observer, barrenness of any living colours. Green which stays behind ZARDOZ is a green of dead, dry forests. Physically, ZARDOZ has always manifested himself within colder regions of aural and optical spectrum. For instance, judging by it’s desolate rocky deserts, IZARDOZ had a habitat at all. Gigantic stone heads could float above such cold landscape unnoticed. And yet, appearances of ZARDOZ were more often noted in places of plentiful vegetation, as if ZARDOZ seeks life, in order to have something to deaden. On the other hand, not a single appearance of ZARDOZ has been
noted in urban regions. Although he did appear during industrial and post industrial age, his absence from urban areas only added to the myth of ZARDOZ as something old, supernatural and probably fictional. Partial reason for this mythologization is also in modern man’s increasing fear of ZARDOZ.

Man’s fear of ZARDOZ is not fear of ZARDOZ himself, but of the horrifying secret he keeps. It’s a fear of a metaphysical background which permits the existence of ZARDOZ. Fear of the unknown, fear of an annihilating epiphany. That fear has never been so excessive as in modern age, when man with confidence of a materialist claims he understands the world and his position in it. As a matter of fact, ZARDOZ holds no secret at all. His essence is horrible, but it’s not hidden. It’s expressed in a way which is intangible and incomprehensible to man. Therefore, there are no reasons to fear this essential horror. The horror of ZARDOZ can be perceived only by eyes more cosmical than those of man are.

Given that man knows almost nothing about ZARDOZ, where does such strong fear come from? That fear exposes man’s hidden uncertainty about himself and firmness of his roots, it tells us how deep in his bones man knows he as a being, as a concept of being, is fragile, relative, even baseless. Cosmic cults of ZARDOZ embraced this meaninglessness as one supercosmic nihilism. Not only do they believe in meaninglessness of man, but they also cherish the meaninglessness of ZARDOZ, or meaninglessness of meaning. Through rituals and myths of cults of ZARDOZ, we grasp a vision of ZARDOZ such as he really is: with no origin nor destination, pure force without will, wisdom without goal, force without and above all sense. That is ZARDOZ.

The motif of flying stone heads has been present in folklore since ages, but it has always been used insubstantially, with no scientific knowledge about ZARDOZ. The best known example for this is the movie by John Boorman 'ZARDOZ' with its naive anthropocentric image of ZARDOZ with eyes. In reality, on few occasions, ZARDOZ indeed possessed eyes, but usually it would appear as a head without nose and eyes - only a mouth, and unfathomable mind. Sometimes folklore gave different shapes and names to ZARDOZ’s mouth. Nyrdala, the serpent of the apocalypse, is just another form of an entity we know as ZARDOZ, Zahardoz, Saradosa, Zaad.

[‘why should I need wealth and glory, I want to become the victim of ZARDOZ’]

Most information about ZARDOZ was found in scriptures of Church of Magma Trakt. Church of Magma Trakt was a sect between 5th and 3rd century bc whose believers dedicated their lives to the pilgrimage or wandering in quest for ZARDOZ. Pilgrims would travel in groups and if ZARDOZ would present itself to them, the whole group of pilgrims would momentarily cut off their heads which, according to the legend, would fly up into the mouth of ZARDOZ. This sect’s coat of arms presented a characteristic stylized head of ZARDOZ vomiting a mountain of skulls and resting on its top. The sect believed that, by the method of ritual decapitation, one can acquire immortality in ZARDOZ.

The last time ZARDOZ was seen in this century, in year 2017 on west of Mongolia. Where did he go? No one knows. Most probably ZARDOZ dwells far above in the stratosphere or within the planet in which he doesn’t enter through any open entrance, but dives into the solid ground as if it were empty space, and leaves no trace behind.