After their fourth album, Mortification changed styles from death metal to thrash, and even took on power metal and traditional metal influences in their later days. The band has recently returned to their thrash/death metal roots from their "glory" days. The line-up has also changed many times, but bassist and vocalist SMortification is an Australian Christian extreme metal band. As one of the first and most successful Christian extreme metal bands in the world, they serve as inspiration for many of today's Christian metal bands. The group was formed in 1990 from the ashes of Christian power metal band Lightforce by Steve Rowe, Cameron Hall and Jayson Sherlock. Over the years Mortification has released over twenty records and several videos on major record labels such as Nuclear Blast.
During the early 1990s Mortification "belonged to the elite of the death metal movement," especially with their widely praised album Scrolls of the Megilloth. After the departure of their original drummer Mortification began experimenting with groove metal, hardcore punk and power metal. They achieved notable commercial success with Blood World, though the critics have not been interested in the band after the 1996's critically acclaimed EnVision EvAngelene. Despite critical backlash, the band has maintained its status as "some kind of superstars in the Christian metal scene," and have been called in the mainstream media as "a legend in the death metal scene." They returned to their deathrash roots on the 2004's Brain Cleaner album.
Original line-up
In the late-eighties, bassist Steve Rowe played in the Australian power metal band LightForce, a group which saw moderate success in its homeland. Around 1990, the band broke up. Steve, still determined to play heavy music with a Christian message, soon joined with drummer Jayson Sherlock and guitarist Cameron Hall under the LightForce name to release the 1990 demo, Break the Curse. With this release, the band changed musically towards thrash metal with a death metal influence. Feeling that their new musical direction merited a new name, the band retitled itself Mortification.The album's music garnered the band some attention from the heavy metal underground and, according to Allmusic, contains some of the most frightening vocals ever recorded.
In 1991, they released their self-titled debut album Mortification on the American Christian label Intense Records. Michael Carlisle replaced guitarist Cameron Hall, and the direction of the music changed once again. A lot of the songs were taken from their demo Break the Curse, but the band tuned their guitars down, and the feel to the songs was a lot more heavy and doomy than on previous material. Also, Steve proved to be an excellent death metal vocalist, presenting his "Grind Baritone vocals of extreme reality" throughout the album. According to Allmusic, the band "sought to provide a positive alternative to traditional death metal acts such as Carcass, Death, and Obituary. On the strength of their self-titled 1990 debut, Mortification quickly gained a reputation in their native Australia for being one of the loudest and fastest bands around."
In 1992, the band had signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records in Germany, who had the biggest death metal names on their roster. Mortification released their second album, Scrolls of the Megilloth, which had great success, and in the Christian metal scene is considered a classic as well as a piece of Australian metal history. The line-up had outdone themselves, playing some fast death metal with a few doom metal influences on a couple of tracks. According to Allmusic, the album contains "some of the most frightening vocals ever recorded." A video-compilation titled Grind Planets which featured eight Mortification music-videos shot by film maker Neil Johnson was also released. Grind Planets, a word play of the term "Rock Star" presented a more humorous side of Mortification on the "On the Road" material in contrast with their serious message about spiritual warfare - a common theme among Christian extreme metal bands during early 1990s when anti-Christian bands such as Deicide and Morbid Angel gained popularity.
The band conquered new ground with their 1993 release Post Momentary Affliction. Most notably, the vocal style shifted, adding some thrash-like screams to the already-familiar metal growls. The band also experimented with the industrial style. The album also featured one of Mortification's most popular songs, "Grind Planetarium". Jayson Sherlock had his last concert with the band at the Blackstump Festival '93, and the concert was released both on CD and also VHS under the name Live Planetarium. A big US major magazine cited the Live Planetarium video as the best live album and video they have ever seen and heard. Jayson joined Paramæcium, and Phil Gibson replaced him as Mortification's drummer.
Commercial Success
The band released a new album in 1994 called Blood World. They leaned more towards modern groove/thrash with classic metal and hardcore punk influence, rather than death metal, and Steve mainly used his shouts rather than growling. Phil and Michael left the band, and Steve stood by himself. The strange combination of extreme styles began setting Mortification apart from the crowd of same sounding bands and widened the band's audience as they became quickly recognised as innovators and not imitators. Blood World received rave reviews in America and Europe. Horror Infernal Magazine gave the album 13 out of 13 points. Blood World eventually became their best selling album.
1994 also saw the birth of Steve's own record label, "Rowe Productions." Also, Break the Curse was remixed and re-released by Nuclear Blast Records with a bonus track called "Butchered Mutilation".
Together with numerous friends, Steve recorded the album Primitive Rhythm Machine which was released in 1995. The sound of the album is really nasty and messy with a tribal-percussion to it. Musically, Steve mixed all the styles Mortification had played in the past, death metal, thrash metal and groove metal.
Also, Mortification's The Best of Five Years were released. A compilation album of older material. 2 songs from each previous release made a good introduction to new fans, and showed the bands innovation. This was the last album to be released by Mortification through Intense Records.
In 1996, Steve Rowe started his search for a new drummer and guitarist. The drum position was filled by long time roadie Keith Bannister, who had become a Christian during the first Mortification tour back in 1990. He learned how to play the drums while Mortification was on tour, and when they came back, Steve saw that he had been practicing, and was amazed at his progress, and instantly chose him to fill the spot as the drummer of the band. The guitar position was filled by guitarist Lincoln Bowen. Together, they recorded the album EnVision EvAngelene. This disc mixed elements of classic metal, thrash metal and added a punk feel to some of the songs. The first cut is an epic 18+ minute about Christ's crucifixion from the angels point of view.
Two live EPs were also released, Noah Sat Down and Listened to the Mortification Live EP While Having a Coffee and Live without Fear. Unlike their first live album Live Planetarium from the Black Stump Music and Arts Festival, this was recorded at a small club, with a raw sound.
A video compilation called EnVidion was released, containing numerous music-videos and interviews. Also released this year was a novel by Steve Rowe titled "Minstrel."
In 2006, their song "Livin like a Zombie" was played in the background of the BME Pain Olympics: Final Round.
Mortification recorded and released Triumph of Mercy in 1998, which was released by Rowe Productions in the US and Nuclear Blast Germany in Europe. Lyrically, the album focused on the experiences of Steve and the band during Steve's two-year trial. The style of the album was a mixture of groove and thrash.
1999 saw the release of Hammer of God, also a mix of thrash and groove. The death metal elements had vanished, but the religious message of the lyrics remained.
In 2000, Mortification released another live album, recorded at Blackstump Festival in 1999, called 10 Years Live Not Dead, which mainly featured material from their newer albums plus a new song called "Dead Man Walking". Keith Bannister left the band, and a replacement was found in the very young drummer Adam Zaffarese.
The new line-up released the album The Silver Cord is Severed in 2000 and the band went on its first world tour. The music continued to be thrash and groove. While many fans thought the album was the weakest effort in the band's career, The Silver Cord is Severed sold well like its precessors. This was due to the fact that - like Nuclear Blast founder Markus Staiger stated in a newsletter - had become "some kind of superstars in the Christian metal scene". At the end of 2000 Lincoln Bowen left, and the band was split, which seemed like it was the end of Mortification. However, things changed when the guitarists Jeff Lewis and Mick Jelinic joined the band, and in 2002 they released Relentless. The band went in a slightly more heavy direction with a good dose of thrash and classic metal. The band played live as a 4-piece only a couple of times, as Jeff Lewis left the band.
Return to death/thrash roots
2004 saw the released of Brain Cleaner, now with ex-Cybergrind and current Martyrs Shrine drummer Mike Forsberg. This was the heaviest release from the band in 10 years, and fast thrash dominates the album with lots of groove and death metal influences.
In 2006, Mortification released a new album. It was originally titled Impaling the Goblin, but after many complaints that in some cultures this term had a sexual connotation to it, they changed the name to Erasing the Goblin. The album, with a cover which features a warrior throwing a sword into a goblin sitting on a rocking chair in a cave, is said to be a take on their older death/thrash sound around the time of their first 2-3 albums.
In early 2008, the band's nine early records were re-released by Polish Metal Mind Productions. In July 2008 Steve Rowe announced on his website that drummer Damien Percy was leaving after 3 years in the band and has been replaced by Dave Kilgallon, who is also the drummer for Australian Christian metal bands Grave Forsaken and Scourged Flesh.
On June 6, it was announced that Mortification will record a new album in 2009 On August 5, the band stated that they would record a demo for the new album. On February 4, Rowe announced that the album titled The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine was partially completed, and it was released early June. Confusing many fans, Steve Rowe has reportedly called the new musical direction "easy-listening thrash." Rowe noted in a message for The Metal Resource about the reception of The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine: "With all new Mort releases there have been mixed response; pretty black and white. Some Really Like It and some really Don't Like It. But I knew with presenting the band in a reinvented way it was an excitingly dangerous move!"
Reception and Legacy
According to Australian writers Gary Garson and Peter Schultz, Mortification is the world's most successful Christian extreme metal band. Their first three albums are respected efforts of death metal. Blood World was a commercial hit and EnVision EvAngelene gained some respect for its music. During the tour for Blood World they played with Napalm Death, Sick of it All and Entombed for audiences consisting of thousands of people, and sold more merchandise than the other bands in the venues.Several Mortification tribute albums have been released by Christian metal bands that have been influenced by Mortification.
Records released after Steve Rowe's leukemia have received poor reviews from critics, though they kept selling well. A critic wrote that "The weakest link of current Mortification are the lyrics. They are just somewhat naive and cheesy. On the old albums sinners screamed in pain in the fiery pits of hell, Satan was slaughtered; the rhetorics fit the spirit of the brutal music better. Apparently the fatherhood and going through the disease has calmed Rowe down too much, although on the early records the previous members Jayson Sherlock and Mick Carlisle wrote a lot of the lyrics." The different singing style Rowe did for many years after Post Momentary Affliction was another target for criticism, being called "poor screaming".
Band members
Current members
Steve Rowe - (Vocals & Bass) (1990–present)
Mick Jelinic - (Rhythm Guitar) (2002–present)
From The Valley Of Shadows
Mortification Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All religions boast absolute truth
But temptation is all that I find
As flesh craves overshadows the emptiness
On through the valley of blindness I roam
As voices whisper in the wind around
Calling me into the darkness beyond
Like the sound of sirens in the distance
From the valley of the shadows
Into the darkness beyond
Feel the calling of pleasures
Overshadow man's emptiness
My guiltiness bleeds internally
Inside tunnels of blocked emotions
The silent screams within my inner being
Bursting forth in desperation
From the valley of the shadows
Into the darkness beyond
Feel the calling of pleasures
Overshadow man's emptiness
Disillusionment fades
As I change my course
Rejection of pride through repentance
The answer revealed, messianic deity
The judge paid the sinners debt
From the valley of the shadows
Into the light of Christ
I follow the calling if righteousness
As shadows cringe from the brightness
Peace engulfs me
As I surrender my life
The entwining of guilt is lifted away
Shadows are scattered by
The Lamb of God
Delivered from the
Abuse of substances
The lyrics to Mortification's "From The Valley Of Shadows" explore the quest for truth in the context of various religions and the temptation of fleshly desires. The singer acknowledges the many claimants to absolute truth, but finds that his personal experiences are empty, and his desires for pleasure overshadow him. The valley of blindness is the metaphorical landscape in which he is wandering, as voices whisper to lure him further into the darkness beyond. The chorus reinforces the idea that the singer is not alone in this struggle and that there is a collective craving for something that can fill the void.
In the second verse, the intensity of the singer's inner turmoil becomes apparent. He is drowning in guilt and silenced by blocked emotions. Nowhere to turn and no one to save him, he screams out in desperation, compelled to find a way out. However, the following verse points to hope and a way of escape. As he changes course, confessing his pride and repenting, he discovers the complete answer that he has been searching for, Jesus Christ, the messianic deity. He finds peace and freedom from shame as he surrenders his life to His light.
Line by Line Meaning
What is truth?, I ask myself
I wonder what true righteousness is
All religions boast absolute truth
Every faith claims to have the ultimate truth
But temptation is all that I find
However, I am only tempted by earthly pleasures
As flesh craves overshadows the emptiness
My physical desires overwhelm my spiritual emptiness
On through the valley of blindness I roam
I wander aimlessly through life, spiritually blind
As voices whisper in the wind around
I hear voices in the wind, tempting me to the darkness
Calling me into the darkness beyond
The voices call me to follow them into the depths of sin
Like the sound of sirens in the distance
The voices lure me with a seductive call, like the song of sirens
From the valley of the shadows
I am in a dark and hopeless place
Into the darkness beyond
I am drawn even further towards sin
Feel the calling of pleasures
I feel an irresistible pull to indulge in sinful pleasures
Overshadow man's emptiness
These pleasures only serve to temporarily distract me from my spiritual emptiness
My guiltiness bleeds internally
I am wracked with guilt and shame internally
Inside tunnels of blocked emotions
My emotions are buried deep within me and difficult to access
The silent screams within my inner being
I am screaming on the inside, but no one can hear me
Bursting forth in desperation
My emotions are overwhelming and I can no longer keep them inside
Disillusionment fades
My disillusionment with sin and worldly pleasures begins to dissipate
As I change my course
I alter my path and strive towards righteousness
Rejection of pride through repentance
I reject my pride and turn towards repentance
The answer revealed - messeanic deity
I discover the answer to life's questions in the messianic deity
The judge paid the sinners debt
Through the messianic deity, my debts and sins have been paid for
From the valley of the shadows
I emerge from the darkness and hopelessness
Into the light of Crist
I am now in the light of Christ and walk the path of righteousness
I follow the calling if righteousness
I am drawn towards righteousness and follow its path
As shadows cringe from the brightness
The shadows of sin are repelled by the brightness of righteousness
Peace engulfs me
I feel a sense of inner peace and contentment
As I surrender my life
I give up my old way of life and fully embrace righteousness
The entwinning of guilt is lifted away
My sense of guilt and shame is lifted and fades away
Shadows are scattered by
The shadows of sin are banished by
The Lamb of God
The messianic deity, who sacrificed himself for the sins of the world
Delivered from the abuse of substances
I am freed from the clutches of addiction and substance abuse
Scripure references: John 3:16, 18:37,38, Romans 8:23, John 3:20,21
These lyrics are influenced and inspired by several Biblical verses, including John 3:16, 18:37,38, Romans 8:23, and John 3:20,21
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Steve Rowe, Lincoln Bowen, Andrew Esnouf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind