As arguably the first band in Australia to play purely thrash metal, Mortal Sin quickly developed a solid following and only seven months after their first live show the band recorded an album-length demo in a mere three days in July 1986. The eight track recording was eventually released in late 1986 as Mayhemic Destruction and released as an album on the band's own label Mega Metal Productions. Reaction to the album was immediate and the band was snapped up for an international album deal by Phonogram Records UK, who then re-released Mayhemic Destruction worldwide in 1987. In the meantime, Krstin was replaced by Mick Burke from fellow Sydney thrash act Slaughter Lord. Mortal Sin spent much of 1988 recording a second album with producer Randy Burns, who had previously worked with Kreator & Megadeth. The release of Face of Despair was held over until early 1989; shortly afterward the band gained further prominence with an Australian tour with Metallica in May but Campbell was sacked shortly after. Another former Slaughter Lord member in Steve Hughes replaced him. In January 1990, Mortal Sin toured Europe and the UK then played some shows in the US but after their final show there Maurer quit the band.
On its return to Australia, the band split, only to reform a short time later with Steve Sly replacing Maurer, however by the end of the year Hughes, Burke and Carwana had also been replaced. The line-up of Eftichiou and Sly plus Alex Hardy (guitar), Dave DeFrancesco (guitar, ex-Enticer) and drummer Nash Hall toured briefly and recorded a third album entitled Every Dog Has Its Day (released as Rebellious Youth in some markets) that showcased a more traditional metal style than previously but the new combination and sound ultimately failed and by late 1991 Mortal Sin split up.
For the next few years Wayne Campbell featured in bands such as White Trash and Grungeon and also worked as a promoter and Steve Hughes played in Presto and Nazxul. Andy Eftichiou formed Who's Guilty, a heavy rock band that achieved minor significance with an EP and ironically also included two former members of Wizzard. Mick Burke moved into the area of sound engineering. Mat Maurer formed his own band Omega which supported Scatterbrain, but the band did not progress into a writing stage.
It was not until 1996, when Campbell and Maurer then reformed Mortal Sin with Eftichiou and Carwana, plus Anthony Hoffman from Campbell's band Grungeon. Carwana departed almost immediately and was replaced by Troy Scerri, who had previously played alongside Campbell in White Trash. This version of the band released an EP - Revolution of the Mind independently and launched the first full-scale Australian tour that Mortal Sin had ever undertaken. The tour wasn't particularly successful and eventually Eftichiou was sacked, replaced briefly by the bassist from Sydney death metal band Tscabeze for the group's only appearance at the annual Metal For The Brain festival in Canberra. Jason Thorncraft of Sydney's Headlifter took Eftichiou's place after this but Mortal Sin split up once more in September 1998. The original Australian thrash metal band's reformation had lasted less than two years.
However, the band still wasn't finished, and in February 2004 Mortal Sin returned once more, this time as Campbell, Maurer, Eftichou and former Addictive guitarists Joe Buttigieg and Mick Sultana. A year later, Mortal Sin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the inaugural Australian Heavy Metal Music Awards but within a month the line-up changed again when Campbell and Buttigieg were replaced by Luke Cook and Nathan Shea. In April 2005, Mortal Sin toured Australia with Anthrax and a comeback album is being recorded. On February 4, 2006, the band played a show in Sydney that featured them performing the Mayhemic Destruction album live in its entirety for the first time; this performance was filmed for a proprosed DVD release, however Mortal Sin announced in late June 2006 that the project was abandoned due to poor audio quality.
In August 2006, the band returned to European stages to play some shows in Germany, firstly with Rock over Hamburg alongside Michael Schenker Group, Rose Tattoo, Metal Church, Victory, Gorilla Monsoon and Tourettes Syndrome. The band also performed at the Wacken Open Air Festival. Mortal Sin's fourth full-length album An Absence of Faith was recorded in February 2007 at The Basement Studios in Sydney with producer Phil McKellar. It is due for released in July 2007 in Australia through Riot Entertainment and in Europe in September through Germany's Armageddon Music.
Mortal Sin will return to Europe in March 2008 as support to Overkill to tour and promote the new album.
Eye In The Sky
Mortal Sin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fear in your eyes
Your retina scans have been recognised
Your running for miles
They're running your files
Your DNA has been analysed
[Pre-Chorus:]
Mass surveillance they all know who we are
You can't pretend anymore
Keep your mouth shut you know you've broken the law
[Chorus:]
Eye in the sky
Eye in the sky
Big brother big brother discovers your lie
Eye in the sky
Eye in the sky
The political machine has recorded your lie
Blood on the streets
A young girl cries
No one is safe unless a minster dies
The governments rules
The governments fools
The CIA has you terrorised
[Pre-Chorus:]
Can we trust politicians won't misuse their trust
Mass surveillance they all know who we are
You can't pretend anymore
Keep your mouth shut you know you've broken the law
[Chorus:]
Eye in the sky
Eye in the sky
Big brother big brother discovers your lie
Eye in the sky
Eye in the sky
The political machine has recorded your lie
Hey you! On camera two!
Why do you think the camera's pointed at you?
Can't you see on camera three
A dirty politician doesn't matter to me
[Chorus:]
Eye in the sky
Eye in the sky
Big brother big brother discovers your lie
Eye in the sky
Eye in the sky
The political machine has recorded your lie
The lyrics to Mortal Sin's song Eye In The Sky present a haunting and dystopian vision of a society in which privacy does not exist and everyone is under constant surveillance. The song describes a world in which governments and intelligence agencies can track and monitor the movements, thoughts, and feelings of citizens at all times. The singer of the song is pursued relentlessly by these forces, who have access to his DNA, retina scans, and other sensitive information.
The song's pre-chorus raises the question of whether politicians can be trusted not to abuse their power and violate citizens' privacy, suggesting that mass surveillance is fundamentally incompatible with democracy. The chorus repeats the refrain "eye in the sky," emphasizing the omnipresence of surveillance and the powerlessness of those being watched. The final verse takes a more accusatory tone, singling out specific individuals (a young girl and a dirty politician) who suffer due to the machinations of government.
Overall, the lyrics paint a disturbing and unsettling picture of a society in which individual freedom and privacy have been sacrificed in the name of security and control.
Line by Line Meaning
Blood on your hands
You are guilty of something grave, and possibly violent.
Fear in your eyes
You are afraid for your safety because you know you have been caught doing something wrong.
Your retina scans have been recognised
Your identity has been verified through biometric identification technology.
Your running for miles
You are trying to escape, possibly from the authorities or someone you fear.
They're running your files
The people pursuing you have access to your personal records, history, and behavior pattern.
Your DNA has been analysed
Your biological material has been extracted and examined for identifying markers or evidence of wrongdoing.
Can we trust politicians won't misuse their trust
The artists are questioning the integrity of politicians and their ability to use powerful tools like mass surveillance ethically.
Mass surveillance they all know who we are
The government or big corporations are collecting information on everyone's actions, location, and associations.
You can't pretend anymore
You can no longer hide your secrets or actions when everything is tracked and monitored without consent.
Keep your mouth shut you know you've broken the law
If you talk about your wrongdoings, you might incriminate yourself, and with out constant surveillance, it is almost impossible not to break the law.
Big brother big brother discovers your lie
A reference to George Orwell's 1984, the government is always watching and is aware of everyone's actions and intentions.
The political machine has recorded your lie
Political institutions are cataloging your movements and actions so they can incriminate you, even if it wasn't illegal, they can use it against you.
Blood on the streets
There is violent conflict or social unrest happening, and people have been hurt.
A young girl cries
A young victim of the violence is expressing sadness and pain from the situation around her.
No one is safe unless a minister dies
The situation is desperate, and people feel oppressed by their leaders, sometimes violence is the only solution.
The governments rules
The authorities have imposed their regulations and policies, which are mostly not in the interests of the people.
The governments fools
The government is foolish and shortsighted in how they carry out their plans.
The CIA has you terrorised
CIA, the U.S. intelligence agency, has instilled fear and anxiety in you.
Hey you! On camera two!
Addressing someone who is on camera, they are being monitored without their knowledge.
Why do you think the camera's pointed at you?
The person being addressed might have to question whether they did anything wrong, or perhaps the system is flawed.
Can't you see on camera three
There is a bigger picture at play that is much more important than individual surveillance footage, maybe something governments are hiding.
A dirty politician doesn't matter to me
The problems run much deeper than individual politicians, more about the systemic issue of power imbalances rather than individual culpability.
Contributed by Hunter F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CujoTheBeagle
Some of the cameras might not just be telling on you.......... They might just be telling you off, ....... . .