Mortiis Interview

As a part of this fall's "Blackest Of The Black" tour as a support act for Danzig, Mortiis has gained the broadest exposure of his mystifyingly compelling career. Fans across the US were exposed to the group's extremely visual stage performance and harshly mechanical sound, many of whom were immediately enthralled with this Norwegian act's blend of extremity blended with industrial elements. With a commanding stage presence resembling that of a disgusted, pissed-off elf, Mortiis brings all of the cold aural sensations to life with an-all new concert DVD, "Soul In A Hole." Those that caught the former Emperor member's group's abbreviated stage act on the "Blackest Of The Black" tour can witness the band's full headlining performance on this video, which is in stores now.


The Gauntlet: The band had a wonderful response at the Detroit stop of the "Blackest Of The Black" tour, how do you feel this tour is turning out for you overall?

Mortiis: Yes, I thought it was good. I think the whole tour has gone really well. There might have been one night where it was obvious that everybody was there for Danzig, but opposed to that, it's been really good.


The Gauntlet: What type of an experience is it for you to be sharing the stage with Danzig? Is he an artist that you have looked up to in the past?

Mortiis: Ah, that's a very direct question. I have been a fan of his music for a long time, let's put it that way. Our genres are really very different. So it's not really been an inspiration as such, but I have always respected his work in every respect, and that's very obvious. There's being the tour, it's very educational. It's the first tour of this size that we've ever gotten to do, where we get to see a lot of people, do a lot of things for a change. Its cool man, I'm loving it. It's rough, the band is touring and you've gotta keep costs down, you do what you gotta do, you know?


The Gauntlet: Is this a situation where you feel like you're setting yourselves up to be on a US headlining tour in the near future?

Mortiis: I'd like to do that. But to be honest, I'm not sure if we are really ready for that, maybe we would be ready to do another support thing. I guess that we'll just have to see how this thing unfolds.


The Gauntlet: Obviously your sound has been through some changes since you began a solo career. Why is it that you have taken this type of a direction with your music?

Mortiis: First of all, I got really tired of the old stuff that I was doing. I didn't feel like it was taking me anywhere, personally. At the time, I had gotten into a lot of the electronic stuff, like synthesizer-based music, and at the same time, being into more guitar-based stuff and then I discovered that a band that is actually combining those elements and I just thought that would be cool, combining these elements. I sort of naturally bled into that kind of genre.


The Gauntlet: Can we expect further albums to continue on in this style?

Mortiis: I think definitely that this something that I would like to stay with, yeah.


The Gauntlet: Is a follow-up to "Stargate" pretty much out of the question at this point?

Mortiis: No, it's not. It's not going to happen in the immediate future. I always had a part two in mind, but it's not like it's there, waiting to be released. It doesn't exist at the moment, but it is something that is certainly in mind.


The Gauntlet: I know that a lot of the fans of your work enjoy the direction that you've taken, but they still have a love for those earlier albums.

Mortiis: Yeah, that's kind of cool, don't you think? It's weird, because it's so different, but then a lot of kids seem to still like both worlds.


The Gauntlet: Can we expect you to be touring further in support of "The Grudge" after "Blackest Of The Black" is over?

Mortiis: I'm not sure right now. If something comes up, I'll definitely be willing to hear it. I would love to continue to tour.


The Gauntlet: What have been some of the highlights of this tour for you thus far?

Mortiis: I think every gig has gone well. I think that New York last night, that went over great. There were a lot of kids turned out to hear the songs. We've been playing to a thousand people every night and when you do, it's like a highlight every day.


The Gauntlet: As a Norwegian artist, what is it like for you to be a part of such a prolific US tour? You are one of the first from your scene or circle to be a part of such a tour in the US�

Mortiis: In the beginning, I was like "Wow, I can't believe that I am on a tour like this" and now, now, it's just like any tour. I don't want to sound like a rock star, but, it's a tour. Again, I'm really happy to be on this tour and I hope that it leads to larger tours on down the line in terms of radio attention, media attention and whatever.


The Gauntlet: You have a new DVD that is being released. What can fans expect from "Soul In A Hole?"

Mortiis: It is our whole show. On the tour, we only get to play twenty minutes a night, originally we were told half an hour, but whatever. Here, it's our full show, we have videos and interviews, all of that stuff that comes with a DVD. It's a cool package and people that are into Mortiis, you might want to go and check that out.


The Gauntlet: Do you still have a love for black metal?

Mortiis: Not really, I respect what's going on, Behemoth is on the tour, those guys are great guys, I see the show almost every day they have done a great job on this tour. But musically, I am not in that scene anymore. I got into it quickly and I got out of it quickly.


The Gauntlet: Do you still feel a connection to that old Norwegian scene?

Mortiis: I feel there's a connection because I had a background there. I had that past, and you can't take that away but apart from that I don't feel like I am a part of it.


The Gauntlet: What type of an impact do you intend to impart upon the listener with your music?

Mortiis: I don't know if I actually think in those terms, but I just want to concentrate on the songs, so that people come and say, "Those are great songs", I think that's my goal.


The Gauntlet: Are you planning to be with Earache Records for some time to come? Do you see Earache as being a major factor in your success?

Mortiis: The deal with them was a disgrace. They were horrible. They made another offer and I told them that they can stuff it. Never say never, but treating us the way that they've treated us, and are still treating us, I mean, they didn't support the tour. They said it was a bad tour. Can you believe that? Isn't that fucking unbelievable? I had to get the money for the tour on my own. We've never received tour support except once, so fuck them. They're doing the DVD which is only due to contractual complications, or we would have taken it somewhere else. We're talking about re-issues and stuff. I'm not going to slag them off more than I have to, but I'm gonna tell the truth, you know? They were not into us. So we'll see what happens down the line. If they decide to get their fucking shit together and act like a real label and behave like a real label, maybe we'll do something.

Earache Records: "Mortiis is wrong to 'blame' Earache for no tour support. We were his label from 1999-2005 and he is undertaking this current Danzig tour while label-less. He is wrong to assume he's entitled to any 'tour support' when he is not actually signed to us! Tho' we aim to continue working with Mortiis in
the future, we currently have no obligations
to him, because he has no obligations to us."


The Gauntlet: Do you anticipate releasing a new record in 2006?

Mortiis: I would certainly hope so. We're definitely going to make one in 2006. Right now, I am in no big rush to sign anything, we're on this tour so anything can happen. We'll just see how this progresses.




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Tags:  Mortiis  , Mortiis, interviews

EF    October 22, 2005