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.
From The Gutter To The Grave
Mortal Sin Lyrics
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Spare a thought for the children
From the gutter to the grave
No, that's not what we taught them
Fifty thousand kids out on the streets of the Lucky Country
From the gutter to the grave ain't a long way to fall
Responsibilities breakdown, no real fault of their own
From the gutter to the grave, nowhere to run
Nobodies daughter, nobodies son
Time stands still, nowhere to run, no sanctuary
A desperate time
A desperate measure
All lost children
In the arms of the world
Misbegotten old and young, yesterday's deception
Forgive them our sins, deliver us right from wrong
Open up your eyes to the real world
And don't let crime become their only saviour
From the gutter to the grave, nowhere to run
Nobodies daughter, nobodies son
Time stands still, nowhere to run, no sanctuary, no
Screaming in silence
Reaching out, no one there to catch their fall
Running through madness
Alienated by society that they call
Socially outcast
No prison cell should hold disgarded youth
Living on a daydream
Is this the end of honesty and truth?
Playing with fire
Always guilty 'till proven innocent
Living in darkness
Now they live survival of the fit
Millions of people on the streets, could be your country
From the gutter to the grave ain't a long way, long way to fall
Open up your eyes, open up
From the gutter to the grave ain't a long way to fall
Open up your eyes
Don't let crime become their only saviour
(Ain't a long way to fall)
The song "From The Gutter To The Grave" by Mortal Sin is a passionate commentary on the plight of homeless children who are forced to live on the streets without any support from society. The opening lines of the song encourage listeners to open their eyes and pay attention to the children who are suffering. The lyrics describe how over fifty thousand children in the "Lucky Country" are living on the streets, with nowhere to call their own. The chorus repeats the phrase "From the gutter to the grave" to emphasize the idea that these children have no hope for a better life, and nowhere to turn for help.
The song goes on to describe how these homeless children are socially outcast and alienated from society. They are forced to live in a world of darkness and crime, with no one to turn to for help. The song urges listeners to open their eyes and not let crime become the only option for these children. The final lines of the song call for action, encouraging listeners to take a stand and make a difference in the lives of these children.
Overall, "From The Gutter To The Grave" is a powerful song that shines a light on the struggles of homeless children. It is a call to action for listeners to become more aware of the issue and to take steps to help those in need.
Line by Line Meaning
Open up your eyes
Take a good look at what is happening around you.
Spare a thought for the children
Think about the situation of the children who are suffering.
From the gutter to the grave
The path taken by those who have nothing to lose.
No, that's not what we taught them
This is not what we wanted their future to be like.
Fifty thousand kids out on the streets of the Lucky Country
There are thousands of homeless children in the so-called 'Lucky Country'.
Responsibilities breakdown, no real fault of their own
They suffer due to circumstances beyond their control.
No one to cling to, and no place to call their own
They have no one to rely on, and nowhere to go.
From the gutter to the grave, nowhere to run
They are trapped in poverty with no escape.
Nobodies daughter, nobodies son
They are forgotten by society.
Time stands still, nowhere to run, no sanctuary
Their situation is desperate, and they have no safe place to go.
A desperate time
This is a dire situation.
A desperate measure
Drastic action may be necessary.
All lost children
These children have been abandoned and forgotten.
In the arms of the world
They are left to the mercy of the world.
Misbegotten old and young, yesterday's deception
Old and young alike who have been cheated by the system.
Forgive them our sins, deliver us right from wrong
We must seek forgiveness for our mistakes and make things right.
Open up your eyes to the real world
We need to acknowledge the reality of the situation.
And don't let crime become their only saviour
We must make sure that these children are not pushed towards a life of crime.
Screaming in silence
Their pain goes unheard.
Reaching out, no one there to catch their fall
They have no one to help them when they are in trouble.
Running through madness
Their lives are chaotic and confusing.
Alienated by society that they call
They are isolated by the society that should be supporting them.
Socially outcast
They are rejected and ignored by society.
No prison cell should hold disgarded youth
We should not be punishing these children for their circumstances.
Living on a daydream
They have little hope for the future.
Is this the end of honesty and truth?
Have we lost our way as a society?
Playing with fire
We are taking a dangerous risk.
Always guilty 'till proven innocent
These children are often treated as criminals before they have even done anything wrong.
Living in darkness
Their lives are bleak and hopeless.
Now they live survival of the fit
They are forced to fight for their survival.
Millions of people on the streets, could be your country
This problem could happen in any country, including yours.
Open up your eyes, open up
We must take action now.
Don't let crime become their only saviour
We cannot abandon these children to a life of crime.
(Ain't a long way to fall)
Their dire situation is just one step away from total disaster.
Contributed by Adeline Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.