ANZV - “Kur” is a ritual in sound, vision, and intent''

Epic and grandiose, aggressive, and uncompromising are mere words when describing the second album from ANZV (Portugal). ‘’Kur’’ is a masterwork, a superbly executed piece of extreme modern black metal art that uses majestic Sumerian melodies to create music that is mesmerizing and searing in its intensity. It is not just an album but an experience. On its creation did you realize you had something truly special as a musical force of nature?

M (Guitars): ‘’Thank you. From the very beginning, “Kur” felt different. It wasn't planned as a follow-up to "Gallas", but as a deliberate deepening of our identity. As the material started to come together, layer by layer, song by song, it became clear we were channelling something more immersive, more cohesive, more confrontational. “Kur” wasn't an album, it felt like a descent, a ritual, and we approached it as such in every detail, from production to artwork. The moment "Shamash" was finished, with its dire invocation: "Let your eyes behold death / Let your eyes glimpse the breast of Aruru, your creator", we knew that we were tapping into something greater than ourselves.

So much more than modern black metal. Was there a musical inspiration for it that tied into the concept of KUR?

‘’There wasn't a conscious attempt to mirror any specific musical reference. Instead, “Kur” grew of an emotional and existential need. Musically, songs like "Shamash" and "Edimmu" gave place to dissonance, chaos, atmosphere, embracing forms that reflected the psychological and spiritual disintegration within the lyrics not just blackened extremes. That dissonance, the sudden shifts, the unsettling silence, each was shaped to reflect the psychological descent. We were not trying to conform to be part of a genre. We were trying to become Kur itself. “Kur” wasn't formed in the image of other music; it was forged in confrontation with the void.

Kur is not just an album but a ritual. An inherently powerful one that encompasses all aspects of ANZV through all forms of media?

‘’Exactly. “Kur” is a ritual in sound, vision, and intent. “Kur” isn't just to be heard; it is to be felt. Every picture, every artwork, video, and performance, was crafted to reflect the spiritual descent at the heart of the album. Every visual and auditory decision was made with the intent of creating a multi-sensory descent into the underworld. The live shows aren't concerts, they're gateways. The videos aren't promotional, they're invocations. The cover art, lyrics, body language, and stage visuals, are part of the same invocation. This is what ANZV is today, a synthesised ritual space where artistic, spiritual, and existential converge.

The Sumerian that runs throughout Kur? That there is only consequence and the requirement to confront our own mortality and nothingness?

‘’That's the essence. There is no comfort in this afterlife in Sumerian cosmology. "Dust is their food and clay is their bread." There's no salvation in this afterlife. Only consequence. No judgment, no salvation. Death is not an end or a beginning. It is just another entrance into absence. Kur, is the constant thread of that absence. That vision was important to us, not as myth but as metaphor. Kur resonates with that confrontation with nothingness, the stripping away of illusion, the silence beneath all noise.

Is it a contradiction? The energy presented on the music and its intensity with confronting the end?

‘’Yes, but it is precisely that contradiction which makes “Kur” so interesting. The intensity is not a rejection of the end, it's an affirmation. Energy doesn’t cancel void; it collides with it. The ferocity of the music is the expression of existential terror and the struggle to find significance in the void. It’s not about overcoming death. It’s about descending into the void and emerging transformed if one returns at all. "Alû" embodies this with "The draining of your consciousness / Your dormant body staring into the void." The rage, the violence, the collapse, they are part of the confrontation. The more honest we can be with death, the more alive the music will become.

Challenging the foundation of existence and the axiom of the void? Does everything begin and end in Zero?

‘’Precisely. That's why “Kur” begins not with a statement, but a descent. There is a line in "Namtaru", "Take away my finity." That is what Kur is: an erasure of the finite. Not out of despair, but out of clarity. Everything begins in the void and is pulled into it. Kur is the zero point, the abyss into which all is drawn back.

In the circular nature of the universe that light must return to the darkness?

‘’Yes, and that cycle defines “Kur.” "Etemenanki" is the rise to divinity: "Let your power onto me / Let me grow, let me rise", but it comes while surrounded by a void. The light is real, but transient. Darkness is inherent. Kur reflects this balance, where descent is not a fall, but a necessary step toward rebirth.

The declaration of being none in nowhere? Is the individual unimportant to the message?

‘’The self dissolves in “Kur,” but its dissolution is the path. ANZV is not ego-personal, but archetypal. "ANZÛ" is both an individual and universal embodiment: "I am the creature, born of Abzû's waters… I am the wind, the thunder, the southern gale." The message transcends us. Our personal selves are there to serve the myth, not the other way around. The 'I' is required, but only so that it can be sacrificed.

 Your music and theology challenges society at large. Was it conscious to do so or more from a personal exploration?

‘’ANZV was never about a manifesto or a rebellion. ANZV began as individual exploration. Today’s culture fears silence, death, darkness. We live there. Not to offend, but to explore and understand.

The importance of presenting a true expression of oneself through your music?

‘’It’s essential. Anything less than honesty would make “Kur” meaningless. We pour ourselves into this, emotionally, spiritually, physically. That’s what gives it power. The sound, the visuals, the lyrics, that’s what makes “Kur” more than just music. It’s lived truth.

Do you define extreme as how much one puts themselves into their art honestly and fearlessly?

‘’Yes. To us, extremity isn't about volume or speed, but spiritual. It's being vulnerable. To be extreme is to have the courage to confront what most avoid, to strip away artifice and dive into the abyss. That's the essence of Kur.

Where does ANZV progress from here? Will the concepts from Kur continue?

‘’We're still fully immersed in “Kur.” Its echoes are not done with us yet, much remains unanswered. Whether we continue its mythos or find new symbols, the next chapter will come out of emotional and existential impulse, not planning. We already stirrings, but Kur is still speaking, and we are still hearing.

The chance of your live ritual coming to the southern hemisphere?

We hope so. The live experience is at the centre of all that ANZV has become. Our shows are full-sensory invocations, and the idea of bringing that descent to new audiences excites us. We're actively looking to expand and would be honoured to bring the ritual of “Kur” to the southern hemisphere. It's really a matter of the right invite since we are currently looking for bookings/promotors worldwide. We're ready when you are. If the path opens, we will walk it.

Top 6 albums of all time?

Over the years, I have come to accept that our tastes are fluid. What touched me deeply ten years back may now no longer stir me the same way, and vice versa. For this reason, I find it difficult to point six albums without feeling like I’m betraying my own honesty.

Of course, there are still records in me that are anchored, works from vastly different spectrums of sound, some even decidedly polarizing or controversial. But those records were turning points, and to reduce it to six is limiting. What doesn't vary is my quest for music that challenges, that transforms, that provides more than music, something spiritually moving, conceptually satisfying, and emotionally raw. Cohesion between music, aesthetics, concept, and conviction. I no longer look for names or genres. I look for truth, and sometimes that comes from the most unexpected sources.

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