After a six year absence, the industrial ghoul Mortiis is back with his merry menaces with brand new album The Great Deceiver. And Metal Hammer is premiering it exclusively right now!
To dig a little deeper into The Great Deceiver and find out what’s really going on inside Mortiis’ psyche, we have the essential track by track guide from the man himself.
The Great Leap
“In the words that aren´t necessarily there, I am facing/embracing a great change. A feeling of transition. I don’t care any longer how wrong and messed up things were. You killed me. So what? I am still here. It´s not going to be that easy, I will fucking haunt you. While the song feels hateful, I see hope and a future in it. I’m angrier than ever here, but that energy might be channelled into something useful, or destructive – the future is wide open, who knows where it ends.”
The Ugly Truth
“This is pretty much focused at one person in my life that literally sickens me to this day. These lyrics will more than likely be accurate and heartfelt on my part until the day I die. I used a lot of biblical metaphors, I think if I hadn’t, this song would just be hateful gibberish. It seemed fitting to take inspiration from the seven deadly sins here – this person’s massive greed, selfism and utter disregard for other people’s well-being, truly goes hand in hand with that. If there is a hell, if against all odds, common sense and logic, the seven deadly sins truly carries any real meaning and weight in the afterlife, this person is in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
Doppelganger
“If any song of mine was touching upon the schizophrenic, I guess this would be the one. The absolute death of my self esteem, at the time anyway. This one is low, an ode to the sinking sense of self worth at the time. Again, it’s very conflicted lyrically, to the point of confusion almost. Judgemental as hell, I criticise the person I am, have become, and will always remain. I’m screaming at myself to get my shit together here.”
Demons Are Back
“Anger, resentment… I hate everyone. These feelings are like waves. During the ‘good times’ they are far away, in the distance, occasionally they come washing ashore in huge waves of ‘I hate everyone’. It’s a thin line between being in sync with the world, and wanting to annihilate everyone you see. Demons Are Back is a conflicting song, in the sense that I let both sides in, or out – both voices are heard. Therapeutic in a sense, in another sense it is chaotic and confusing, but again I try to create some sort of positivity in the harangue of spitefulness. Like with some other songs, it’s really down to the logical, sensible me, telling the disturbed, pessimistic me to chill out.”
Hard To Believe
“A low place, admitting possible wrong, holding on to the notion I may have been right too. An attempt at exorcising past demons. I think there´s a realisation process here, I was not wrong, not this time, these memories justify me. The demons of deceit, the demons of lies and the angels of awakening come together to chase away the clouds of confusion.”
Road To Ruin
“Perhaps this is the closest I have gotten to admitting some sort of defeat, yet not really giving up. Perhaps the desire to begin again, as a better person. A new beginning, a new world. But of course, impossible. So here we are, stuck in a tainted reality, alone, unable to halt the descent into hell.”
Bleed Like You
“I have thoughts of repairing myself, not that hurting myself to feel someone else’s pain could do that. Thoughts of a life that was, how certain things will never change. Trying to understand, refusing to become like the past. The meaning is shadowy and symbolical. I left a past behind, but like a ghost it is still there. I’m trying to relate to it while also trying to escape from it and forget it.”
Scalding The Burnt
“An assault on the sort of greed that blinds a man, the ‘self self self’ mentality that holds no regard as to the suffering that it causes. In their gold fever, some people will climb a mountain of dead, bleeding and hurting bodies if it means greater gain.”
The Shining Lamp Of God
“Trying to cope with the selfishness of others. A lot of symbolism, again using metaphors and ideas inspired by religion. There’s a desperation, a need to lift the veils of anger and confusion. Of course, another example of being too angered by other people´s selfism, too see my own.”
Sins Of Mine
“This is about self doubt and the consequent guilt trip. Looking back, as I often do, at my wrongdoings, my past lies, my mindfucks. Not everyone deserved to have their heads fucked with by me, but I learned from some of the best.”
Feed The Greed
”‘You can´t kill me, I´m already dead,’ this line from the song, that means a lot to me. As negative as it sounds at first, to me it represents strength and positivity. The time when you could hurt me, rob me, and damage me, is over. Done with. Dead. So you brought me down here, you’re not strong enough to bring me further down. It’s my turn now. Fuck you. I’m fighting back. Your greed has made you fat and lazy. Your way of hurting me no longer carries a sting.”
Too Little Too Late
“Lyrically one of my darker moments. It’s about faith slipping away – faith in myself, that is. I always try to be honest in my lyrics, so it rarely touches upon the darkness that is suicidal (‘no sleep too deep’), that ultimate escape, it is scary in hindsight. I also question the authority bestowed upon non-existing deities and bloated figureheads by a long line of liars, sadists and thieves, whose authority in turn we should question.”
The Great Deceiver is out March 4, via Omnipresence Productions.
Mortiis heads out on tour across the UK in May at the following dates:
May 23: Cluny, Newcastle
May 24: Audio, Glasgow
May 25: Ruby, Manchester
May 26: O2 Institute, Birmingham
May 27: Haunt, Brighton
May 28: Garage, London
May 29: Fleece, Bristol
