Mortiis
Spirit Of Rebellion

THE REVIEW

The legendary Mortiis (Håvard Ellefsen) returns, one of the cornerstones of the dark ambient sound from the early '90s Cold Meat Industry school.

At the time, his sound was labeled "Dungeon Synth" by some critic in a mood for imaginative tags. In reality, it's Mortiis himself (a former member of a Norwegian black metal icon like the Emperor) who explains, speaking about his legendary debut "Ånden som Gjorde Opprør", how he was heavily influenced at the time by the German Cosmic Music of Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Conrad Schnitzler. Of course, everything was filtered through his dark sensibility, with the fantasy themes of Tolkien and updated with what an artist like Lustmord was doing at the time. The sound, very minimal and evocative (Mortiis created a sort of orchestral cacophony through the synth), definitely had its reason to exist and created a niche that many have capitalized on. Subsequently, Mortiis dedicated himself to more neoclassical sounds and, lately, to music more oriented towards electro-dark with the use of heavy metal guitar riffs.

Recently, the Norwegian artist played the new work in its entirety on an international tour. The times were ripe to revisit a milestone like "Ånden som Gjorde Opprør". The new work "Spirit Of Rebellion" features two long tracks: these are the updated versions, titled in English "A Dark Horizon" and "Visions Of An Ancient Future", present in his first record. However, it is not just a simple "remake" but a new album in every sense: the sound is martial, symphonic, and more airy. There is the same tendency towards repetition of the '70s German sound. Personally, this is the Mortiis I have always loved: it is a pleasant return to the atmospheres of the past: the settings are dark, gothic, and neoclassical and very minimal. It feels like listening to a symphony of horror.

A truly great album that will take you straight to the gates of Mordor! Available on Bandcamp.