MORTIIS checks in from the road
With nearly four weeks of their European tour under their collective belt, Mortiis is primed and ready to take on the next three weeks of the trek.
Fans are reacting enthusiastically to Mortiis' latest incarnation - one which differs greatly from the Mortiis of the past. "It's nothing like what Mortiis used to be a couple of years ago," says band namesake Mortiis. "We pulled back and totally reinvented our sound, both off and on stage. Even the old er stuff we play sounds new and fresh."
The metamorphosis of Mortiis has been continual throughout Mortiis (the artist) and Mortiis (the band)'s careers. In its current form, Mortiis shows a more aggressive side that still works cohesively with the likes of electro-evil tour-mates Combichrist. "I really think the fans are picking up on the common energy between the two bands," Mortiis adds.
Mortiis' set focuses material from their latest release, "Perfectly Defect," and their upcoming release, "The Great Deceiver," two sonically diverse records that work in unison live. "We open and close the set with 'TGD' songs," Mortiis explains. "The 'PD' songs are in the middle of the set and, I think, visually as well as sonically, it works very well. The 'PD' stuff has some really dynamic moments that I know work very well visually. The 'TGD' songs we play are just hard and in-your-face, so there's a lot of energy to feed from there."
The tour has also already had the requisite mishaps that make a tour memorable.
"I think I broke (guitarist) Levi's rib on the first show," Mortiis says. "He slipped and went down and I stomped him pretty good. Didn't really mean to but sometimes the adrenaline gets the better of me and it just happened. I also knocked chip out of my tooth a few days ago, which kinda sucks, but what can you do? It's just all part of the game, I guess."
