Mortiis' New Album & Tour Leads Listeners Back to the Dungeon

Håvard Ellefsen creation Mortiis, back in the mask

For some music artists, trying to pigeon-hole their sound, style and genre is an extreme effort in futility. To extract this info, sometimes the artist themselves can’t really convey what their music is, leaving it up to the listener to draw from it what they will. When dealing with the Norwegian music act Mortiis, that’s just what happens. “I honestly don’t know. It’s one of those questions you can’t really answer,” Håvard Ellefsen tells us when we met with him. “I’ve gone through so many different styles of music. I’ve through the whole industrial rock phase and the sort of gothic thing. In the early days, which I’ve kind of returned to, it was simply called dark ambient. We didn’t have any other term for it. In recent times, someone came up with the expression dungeon synth about five years ago, which I kind of balked at. It sounded weird, but I’ve gotten used to it. I don’t know really how to describe it beyond that. It’s really about atmospheres and creating vibes. Beyond that, it’s up to the individual to make it out.”

After a brief stint playing bass with the black metal band, Emperor, Ellefson forged a new and very different path musically. He turned for inspiration to acts like KISS, Alice Cooper & W.A.S.P. to create a stage persona a kin to the goblin character Blix from Ridley Scott’s film Legend. Some call it a troll, others call it a goblin, some even still call it a twisted, dark elf. Whatever the character is, it certainly evokes imagery of dark high fantasy, fitting for the Norwegian lore of Håvard’s homeland. It wasn’t just the stage theatrics that drew listeners in. Mortiis cultivated his tracks as mostly synth based, creating a sound that feels completely comfortable in any medieval fantasy kingdom. Definitely dark atmospherics.

Era II beginnings with his album The Smell of Rain. — Era II beginnings with his album *The Smell of Rain*.

Much has happened for Mortiis and the music world since it’s beginnings in the early 90’s. Throughout that time period, Mortiis built up his fanbase and pioneered this new ‘dungeon synth’ genre. Beginning as purely a solo act, as his sound expanded and evolved, he found the need to add in acoustic guitars, background vocal melodies, cellos, violins and flutes. During this time period, he released at least five studio albums and multiple EPs. As the 90’s came to a close, so it was time to change directions as a band, with this time period being labelled as Era I.

Breaking into the turn of the century, Mortiis changed direction. The 2001 release of The Smell of Rain brought dungeon synth into the new millennium. It can be tricky to categorize it, but there is a definite dark electro synth feel. Mortiis sings front and center here as well, incorporates female background vocal harmonies, cellos, violins, heavier guitars and of course a large portion of synth. It’s also the album that most I’ve encountered are familiar with, offering several club-friendly dance tracks on it. The mask remains, but this change becomes known as Era II. The next several years, what becomes known as Era III, Mortiis descends further into heavier industrial rock. Crunchy guitar sounds and heavy programming took hold on albums such as The Grudge & Perfectly Defect. Eventually the prosthetic mask is dropped as well when Era 0 launches and an even harder industrial-metal sound is unveiled in 2015 with the album The Great Deceiver.

Mortiis performing live at The Orpheum in Tampa, FL on January 28, 2020.

Then came 2019, in which Mortiis hinted, promised and announced a return to his Era I sound. Throughout all the artist had gone through creatively, it was time to put the mask back on, go back into those creepy forests of yore and drag fans & music listeners back into the dungeon. Appropriately titled, his new album and tour, The Spirit of Rebellion, a re-interpretation of of his Era I album Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør. While it may leave some fans confused on the shift of music style, it will still leave many others wanting much more. Dungeon synth has returned and its goblin keyboard overlord with it.

Mortiis has just completed his North American tour for Spirit of Rebellion.

Official Site: https://mortiiswebstore.com/