Mortification
Mortification represents for one of us a cult Death Metal band, an Orthodox one if you could believe it; and after more than 20 years in this extreme Metal business it seems that nothing could stop the war machine! I remember that I discovered this Aussie band many years ago, when their "Primitive Rhythm Machine" was released and received very good comments! Now, Mortification is back with a collector of its most important songs ever, with some surprises too, called "Twenty Years In The Underground" through Nuclear Blast Records which shows its unconditioned love and support for this king of kings! Being an all time supporter of this combo I decided to get in touch with band leader and mastermind, Steve Rowe, and look what I got for you fans, listeners and readers!
Arcana Noctis: Hello Master Rowe! Litocranius here, wishing you a Happy New Year! In the beginning of this interview could you please reveal to all your fans and listeners, and for our readers too, what interesting news do you have these days regarding mighty Mortification?
Steve: We had a busy year in 2009 recording our latest Album "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" and at the same time re-recording the 5 Classics for "Twenty Years In The Underground". "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" is available from the stores at www.nuclearblast.de & www.soundmass.com!
Arcana Noctis: Right now Nuclear Blast Records from Germany is in a full promotional campaign of your last opus called extremely suggestive "Twenty Years In The Underground"; a double CD with 36 tracks! What can you tell us about the feedback that you received until now on this last material and what exactly do you expect from it in the near future? Are you pleased with Nuclear Blast's work regarding "Twenty Years In The Underground"?
Steve: Nuclear Blast's work with "Twenty Years In The Underground" has been tremendous. They have a great promotions and production team! I have a close friendship with the owner of Nuclear Blast and the head of production also. It is great that they are still releasing fan based releases from bands like ourselves who have stayed underground but very active in touring. At their heart Nuclear Blast are fans of the music they release. This is the number 1 reason that they are the best & most successful Metal label in the world.
Arcana Noctis: The title that you decided to give to your last release is quite interesting, because it hides, besides your activity inside the extreme Metal scene, another celebration date to come in less than 2 years; 20 years under Nuclear Blast Records banner! Did you ever think that we could make a link between "Twenty Years In The Underground" and the whole Mortification activity through Nuclear Blast?
Steve: We were officially signed by Nuclear Blast in 1992 and so we were one of the quite early bands just 5 years in. The only bands that were signed back then and are still on the label are Benediction and Gorefest. Kataklysm came soon after that time. I loved the label back in the late 80s when they released real underground almost Punk Metal bands like Chronicle Diarrhea, Impulse Manslaughter and then great bands like Benediction, Master and Abomination.
Arcana Noctis: This material follows to a live DVD released 2 years ago via Nuclear Blast; this one featuring an entire concert and lots of specials! What can you tell us about this DVD, about the feedback that you received from media and fans side and don't forget to add a few words regarding the differences between a material in a format DVD and the same thing in VHS, knowing that Mortification has quite a few such things?
Steve: "Live Humanitarian" was an idea to present some of the best songs from the 2nd decade at our own show rather than a festival like the "Live Planetarium" concert in 1993 that was initially a VHS release in the early days, now available on DVD at www.soundmass.com. The "Live Humanitarian" DVD is also available from www.soundmass.com and www.nuclearblast.de stores. We had the time and access to present a special stage with a huge cross of light that was built by a top lighting engineer that brought the whole stage to life. You can see 3 of the clips from the concert on Mortification's YouTube site. With 7 cameras and digital sound this DVD "Live Humanitarian" has been something special for the fans. It was fantastic to once again release this through Nuclear Blast.
Arcana Noctis: "Twenty Years In The Underground" is a collector which contains band best tracks ever, but you re-recorded some tracks especially for this impressive material! What all is about and how you present "Twenty Years In The Underground" to your fans?
Steve: "Twenty Years In The Underground" is again a special release for the fans. Rather than release a 20 years of songs from albums we re-recorded 5 Songs from the 90s: "Nocturnal", "Grind Planetarium", "Impulsation", "Hammer Of God" and "The Majestic Infiltration Of Order". It has been the request of many fans for us to re-record some of our early material. Plus we present the full "Live Planetarium" pro live concert from 1993 in audio form. The VHS/DVD do not have the full concert. Also included is some rare and raw live footage from some very important Mortification concerts from the past 20 Years. The very first show (June 1990), Lincoln & Keith's first show in 1995, "Busking On The Street - May 3rd 1996" - haha! that was fun - Revolution Metal Fest, Mexico 2004 and Nordic Fest, Oslo/Norway 2007. Plus we added some acoustic live from 2001 to show our versatility! Check the 36 songs on iTunes. A double CD for the price of 1 album! True value from Nuclear Blast once again!! This is a great release for the fans and now mastered the entire 36 Songs sound fantastic and it is a tremendous overview of 20 years Mortification.
Arcana Noctis: I also remarked that you decided to add a few live titles, although your fans had the occasion to listen to this tracks, thanks to that DVD that we mentioned above? What will be the main purpose of such an idea and what will be your view point about the whole musical content of this double album?
Steve: This is the most original and creative way that any Metal band I know of has celebrated 20 years and I thought very long about the content and I think the result is killer! It will receive great reviews because the concept of presenting an album this way is so original and creative!!
Arcana Noctis: The cover artwork that you used for "Twenty Years In The Underground" is quite an aggressive one, with a tank as a personification of what Mortification was all this years; an image used by Marduk or Legion, both from Sweden, a few years ago! What this war machine means for you and how do you think it represents the whole content of this CD?
Steve: The tank is a sign of war. But we are never at war with people, just against evil and against bad life choices. We are at war with these things. The 3 sword loaded tank simply shows that we are armed and ready to stand up for the good faith!
Arcana Noctis: Unfortunately these 5 tracks re-recorded for "Twenty Years In The Underground" seems to be the last songs recorded since "Erasing The Goblin", material released 4 years ago through MCM Music/Rowe Productions! Besides your live rituals that took part meanwhile, one of these gigs was immortalized for that DVD material, what band activity was and how you spent all this years passed since 2006?
Steve: Well, as I said, the new Album "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" is now available from the online stores at Nuclear Blast and Soundmass and also on iTunes and all legitimate pay download sites!
Arcana Noctis: Because this record seems to be for me a collector, what will be in your view point the main differences between this one called "Twenty Years In The Underground" and the one released in 2002 under "Power, Pain & Passion - Ten Years 1990 - 2000" name?
Steve: "Power, Pain & Passion" is a best of the first 10 years. "Twenty Years In The Underground" is an overview of the most important songs and concerts from all 20 years!
Arcana Noctis: Besides all their musical contents I remarked, again, a strange coincidence if I could say so! "Twenty Years In The Underground" follows to a "hiatus" period just like "Power, Pain & Passion"! Being one of the most important Christian Metal bands, do you believe in such coincidence? Is here God's hand?
Steve: We have never had time off. In the past 10 years since 2000 we recorded "The Silver Cord Is Severed" in 2000, "Relentless" in 2002, "Brain Cleaner" in 2004, "Erasing The Goblin" in 2006, "Live Humanitarian in 2007" and "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" in 2009 plus the 5 re-recorded classics on "Twenty Years In The Underground". Both "Relentless" and "Brain Cleaner" will be available in Europe later this year and "Erasing The Goblin" again mid next year.
Arcana Noctis: "Erasing The Goblin" is Mortification's last release to date! What do you plan regarding its promotional campaign and what interesting live dates do you have to announce for the near future?
Steve: Hopefully we will play the 3 major German Metal festivals mid next year 2011 to celebrate 20 years. We hope also to do 10 Mortification shows in other places. This year Mick Jelinic and I are recording and releasing solo band albums. My solo Classic Rock band is called Wonrowe Vision. We are playing live and have an album coming called "Mission Invincible". Actually we are playing here in Melbourne/Australia tonight at a club in 2 hours time. Mick Jelinic has a solo Melodic Death Metal band called Terraphobia. We are concentrating on these releases and shows this year and then the Mortification 20th tour next year!
Arcana Noctis: Right now you just signed a booking deal with Armada Agency for Benelux and Germany! What do you expect from this new collaboration and the exactly terms in such a deal is?
Steve: Yeah, I sure hope so, we're attending to the Firebox Festival in Finland, at the end of April, which will be awesome, but at this point that's just about it for the fests. However, keep your eyes out for more, as said we're always wanting to play live in greater extent, and working to do so.
Arcana Noctis: By the way, because we were talking about future plans and such things, when a new official opus will be record and what will be its musical line? If this material will be ready, it will be a normal continuation of your last materials ("Erasing The Goblin", "Brain Cleaner" or "Conquer The World") or you want to go back to the roots ("Scrolls Of The Megilloth", "Post Momentary Affliction", "Primitive Rhythm Machine" or "EnVision EvAngelene")?
Steve: "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" is a natural progression from "Relentless" to "Brain Cleaner" to "Erasing The Goblin". But now we are doing the solo stuff as well, the next Mortification album will be a brutal Death/Thrash recording. I have some ideas, but with "Brain Cleaner" and "Relentless" coming on re-issue, "Twenty Years In The Underground" just out on Nuclear Blast and "Break The Curse 1990" re-issue also just out on Roxx Records - You can buy that from www.roxxproductions.com - we will not recording Mortification again until late 2012 which means 2013 release! But we will go in a brutal direction! Kind of in the vein of the 1991 self titled album, I am thinking at this point. The "Break The Curse 1990" 20th Anniversary Gold Edition has very rare bonus tracks dating back to 1987 and the very first Mortification concert ever from June 1990 on DVD as a bonus disc.
Arcana Noctis: Evidently that if you will release a new material it will have the same lyrical content that you imagined since the very beginning! Could you tell us what made you to have such lyrical themes? Because we all know that a lot of important combos have something against Christianity? Perhaps that illness that you passed through many years ago made you to have quite a different look towards religion?!
Steve: My time with cancer just made my Christian beliefs and approach stronger. It is the true and the strong who stand for what they believe. I respect this is all bands that are true to their message. Like Manowar and Napalm Death. The message is as important as the music. If this is not the way then it is just some fantasy! We should all speak what is true to our heart and never change and never be ashamed of what we believe!
Arcana Noctis: Besides the usual work with Mortification you have a home recordings established in 1994! Do you have some future plans regarding this subject? And why don't you release materials from some other bands until now? Is this album "Twenty Years In The Underground" going to be released through Rowe Productions too?
Steve: No, "Twenty Years In The Underground" is just a Nuclear Blast release. But in 16 years I have had 50 releases on Rowe Productions. I am now concentrating on Mortification and Wonrowe Vision but help out bands here and there with releases. I released the first Grave Forsaken album in 2007 and the first Scourged Flesh album in 2008 on Rowe Productions to help get them started. Both bands available from www.soundmass.com!
Arcana Noctis: Steve, that will be all for now! Thanks again for your kindness and let me wish you all the best and good luck in the future 20 years! Greetings!
Steve: Thank You! It was a tremendous privilege to do an interview in your country. Somewhere I have never had an interview before! Blessings to all Romanian metalheadz!!! Stay True!!!!!!!
Arcana Noctis: Hello Master Rowe! Litocranius here, wishing you a Happy New Year! In the beginning of this interview could you please reveal to all your fans and listeners, and for our readers too, what interesting news do you have these days regarding mighty Mortification?
Steve: We had a busy year in 2009 recording our latest Album "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" and at the same time re-recording the 5 Classics for "Twenty Years In The Underground". "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" is available from the stores at www.nuclearblast.de & www.soundmass.com!Arcana Noctis: Right now Nuclear Blast Records from Germany is in a full promotional campaign of your last opus called extremely suggestive "Twenty Years In The Underground"; a double CD with 36 tracks! What can you tell us about the feedback that you received until now on this last material and what exactly do you expect from it in the near future? Are you pleased with Nuclear Blast's work regarding "Twenty Years In The Underground"?
Steve: Nuclear Blast's work with "Twenty Years In The Underground" has been tremendous. They have a great promotions and production team! I have a close friendship with the owner of Nuclear Blast and the head of production also. It is great that they are still releasing fan based releases from bands like ourselves who have stayed underground but very active in touring. At their heart Nuclear Blast are fans of the music they release. This is the number 1 reason that they are the best & most successful Metal label in the world.
Arcana Noctis: The title that you decided to give to your last release is quite interesting, because it hides, besides your activity inside the extreme Metal scene, another celebration date to come in less than 2 years; 20 years under Nuclear Blast Records banner! Did you ever think that we could make a link between "Twenty Years In The Underground" and the whole Mortification activity through Nuclear Blast?
Steve: We were officially signed by Nuclear Blast in 1992 and so we were one of the quite early bands just 5 years in. The only bands that were signed back then and are still on the label are Benediction and Gorefest. Kataklysm came soon after that time. I loved the label back in the late 80s when they released real underground almost Punk Metal bands like Chronicle Diarrhea, Impulse Manslaughter and then great bands like Benediction, Master and Abomination.
Arcana Noctis: This material follows to a live DVD released 2 years ago via Nuclear Blast; this one featuring an entire concert and lots of specials! What can you tell us about this DVD, about the feedback that you received from media and fans side and don't forget to add a few words regarding the differences between a material in a format DVD and the same thing in VHS, knowing that Mortification has quite a few such things?
Steve: "Live Humanitarian" was an idea to present some of the best songs from the 2nd decade at our own show rather than a festival like the "Live Planetarium" concert in 1993 that was initially a VHS release in the early days, now available on DVD at www.soundmass.com. The "Live Humanitarian" DVD is also available from www.soundmass.com and www.nuclearblast.de stores. We had the time and access to present a special stage with a huge cross of light that was built by a top lighting engineer that brought the whole stage to life. You can see 3 of the clips from the concert on Mortification's YouTube site. With 7 cameras and digital sound this DVD "Live Humanitarian" has been something special for the fans. It was fantastic to once again release this through Nuclear Blast.
Arcana Noctis: "Twenty Years In The Underground" is a collector which contains band best tracks ever, but you re-recorded some tracks especially for this impressive material! What all is about and how you present "Twenty Years In The Underground" to your fans?
Steve: "Twenty Years In The Underground" is again a special release for the fans. Rather than release a 20 years of songs from albums we re-recorded 5 Songs from the 90s: "Nocturnal", "Grind Planetarium", "Impulsation", "Hammer Of God" and "The Majestic Infiltration Of Order". It has been the request of many fans for us to re-record some of our early material. Plus we present the full "Live Planetarium" pro live concert from 1993 in audio form. The VHS/DVD do not have the full concert. Also included is some rare and raw live footage from some very important Mortification concerts from the past 20 Years. The very first show (June 1990), Lincoln & Keith's first show in 1995, "Busking On The Street - May 3rd 1996" - haha! that was fun - Revolution Metal Fest, Mexico 2004 and Nordic Fest, Oslo/Norway 2007. Plus we added some acoustic live from 2001 to show our versatility! Check the 36 songs on iTunes. A double CD for the price of 1 album! True value from Nuclear Blast once again!! This is a great release for the fans and now mastered the entire 36 Songs sound fantastic and it is a tremendous overview of 20 years Mortification.
Arcana Noctis: I also remarked that you decided to add a few live titles, although your fans had the occasion to listen to this tracks, thanks to that DVD that we mentioned above? What will be the main purpose of such an idea and what will be your view point about the whole musical content of this double album?
Steve: This is the most original and creative way that any Metal band I know of has celebrated 20 years and I thought very long about the content and I think the result is killer! It will receive great reviews because the concept of presenting an album this way is so original and creative!!
Arcana Noctis: The cover artwork that you used for "Twenty Years In The Underground" is quite an aggressive one, with a tank as a personification of what Mortification was all this years; an image used by Marduk or Legion, both from Sweden, a few years ago! What this war machine means for you and how do you think it represents the whole content of this CD?
Steve: The tank is a sign of war. But we are never at war with people, just against evil and against bad life choices. We are at war with these things. The 3 sword loaded tank simply shows that we are armed and ready to stand up for the good faith!
Arcana Noctis: Unfortunately these 5 tracks re-recorded for "Twenty Years In The Underground" seems to be the last songs recorded since "Erasing The Goblin", material released 4 years ago through MCM Music/Rowe Productions! Besides your live rituals that took part meanwhile, one of these gigs was immortalized for that DVD material, what band activity was and how you spent all this years passed since 2006?
Steve: Well, as I said, the new Album "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" is now available from the online stores at Nuclear Blast and Soundmass and also on iTunes and all legitimate pay download sites!
Arcana Noctis: Because this record seems to be for me a collector, what will be in your view point the main differences between this one called "Twenty Years In The Underground" and the one released in 2002 under "Power, Pain & Passion - Ten Years 1990 - 2000" name?
Steve: "Power, Pain & Passion" is a best of the first 10 years. "Twenty Years In The Underground" is an overview of the most important songs and concerts from all 20 years!
Arcana Noctis: Besides all their musical contents I remarked, again, a strange coincidence if I could say so! "Twenty Years In The Underground" follows to a "hiatus" period just like "Power, Pain & Passion"! Being one of the most important Christian Metal bands, do you believe in such coincidence? Is here God's hand?
Steve: We have never had time off. In the past 10 years since 2000 we recorded "The Silver Cord Is Severed" in 2000, "Relentless" in 2002, "Brain Cleaner" in 2004, "Erasing The Goblin" in 2006, "Live Humanitarian in 2007" and "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" in 2009 plus the 5 re-recorded classics on "Twenty Years In The Underground". Both "Relentless" and "Brain Cleaner" will be available in Europe later this year and "Erasing The Goblin" again mid next year.
Arcana Noctis: "Erasing The Goblin" is Mortification's last release to date! What do you plan regarding its promotional campaign and what interesting live dates do you have to announce for the near future?
Steve: Hopefully we will play the 3 major German Metal festivals mid next year 2011 to celebrate 20 years. We hope also to do 10 Mortification shows in other places. This year Mick Jelinic and I are recording and releasing solo band albums. My solo Classic Rock band is called Wonrowe Vision. We are playing live and have an album coming called "Mission Invincible". Actually we are playing here in Melbourne/Australia tonight at a club in 2 hours time. Mick Jelinic has a solo Melodic Death Metal band called Terraphobia. We are concentrating on these releases and shows this year and then the Mortification 20th tour next year!
Arcana Noctis: Right now you just signed a booking deal with Armada Agency for Benelux and Germany! What do you expect from this new collaboration and the exactly terms in such a deal is?
Steve: Yeah, I sure hope so, we're attending to the Firebox Festival in Finland, at the end of April, which will be awesome, but at this point that's just about it for the fests. However, keep your eyes out for more, as said we're always wanting to play live in greater extent, and working to do so.Arcana Noctis: By the way, because we were talking about future plans and such things, when a new official opus will be record and what will be its musical line? If this material will be ready, it will be a normal continuation of your last materials ("Erasing The Goblin", "Brain Cleaner" or "Conquer The World") or you want to go back to the roots ("Scrolls Of The Megilloth", "Post Momentary Affliction", "Primitive Rhythm Machine" or "EnVision EvAngelene")?
Steve: "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" is a natural progression from "Relentless" to "Brain Cleaner" to "Erasing The Goblin". But now we are doing the solo stuff as well, the next Mortification album will be a brutal Death/Thrash recording. I have some ideas, but with "Brain Cleaner" and "Relentless" coming on re-issue, "Twenty Years In The Underground" just out on Nuclear Blast and "Break The Curse 1990" re-issue also just out on Roxx Records - You can buy that from www.roxxproductions.com - we will not recording Mortification again until late 2012 which means 2013 release! But we will go in a brutal direction! Kind of in the vein of the 1991 self titled album, I am thinking at this point. The "Break The Curse 1990" 20th Anniversary Gold Edition has very rare bonus tracks dating back to 1987 and the very first Mortification concert ever from June 1990 on DVD as a bonus disc.
Arcana Noctis: Evidently that if you will release a new material it will have the same lyrical content that you imagined since the very beginning! Could you tell us what made you to have such lyrical themes? Because we all know that a lot of important combos have something against Christianity? Perhaps that illness that you passed through many years ago made you to have quite a different look towards religion?!
Steve: My time with cancer just made my Christian beliefs and approach stronger. It is the true and the strong who stand for what they believe. I respect this is all bands that are true to their message. Like Manowar and Napalm Death. The message is as important as the music. If this is not the way then it is just some fantasy! We should all speak what is true to our heart and never change and never be ashamed of what we believe!
Arcana Noctis: Besides the usual work with Mortification you have a home recordings established in 1994! Do you have some future plans regarding this subject? And why don't you release materials from some other bands until now? Is this album "Twenty Years In The Underground" going to be released through Rowe Productions too?
Steve: No, "Twenty Years In The Underground" is just a Nuclear Blast release. But in 16 years I have had 50 releases on Rowe Productions. I am now concentrating on Mortification and Wonrowe Vision but help out bands here and there with releases. I released the first Grave Forsaken album in 2007 and the first Scourged Flesh album in 2008 on Rowe Productions to help get them started. Both bands available from www.soundmass.com!
Arcana Noctis: Steve, that will be all for now! Thanks again for your kindness and let me wish you all the best and good luck in the future 20 years! Greetings!
Steve: Thank You! It was a tremendous privilege to do an interview in your country. Somewhere I have never had an interview before! Blessings to all Romanian metalheadz!!! Stay True!!!!!!!