Mortification is a Christian metal band from Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia. The band was started when primus motor Steve Rowe laid to rest LightForce in 1990, to start a more brutal band. He told the record company that his new band was going to make Vengeance Rising sound like a church choir! After releasing some great death metal records, Rowe & co. changed into a more classic heavy metal sound. This band has survived numerous line-up changes, cancer and style changes, but always come out alive!

MORTIFICATION (1991) INTENSE MORTIFICATION (2007) SOUNDMASS (Digipak)

I looked FOREVER for a copy of this album. I even started to doubt it's existence, because I could never find it anywhere. Then internet entered my house, and the chase was on. Finally I found a copy for sale in Mexico, and my collection's big hole was filled. This debut is a death metal frenzy, but with clear thrash metal influences! It has everything a death metal album should have, and then some. It's not about playing as fast as possible all the time. Nor is it about growling something not understandable, just to sound as brutal as possible. It's about performing killer songs, with diversity enough to keep it interesting. Steve's vocals are so awesome; brutal, yet understandable. And the songs come off as one pearl after another. This is a classic! Roger Martinez, from Vengeance Rising, produced this album, as well as doing some background vocals. Andrew Tompkins, from Paramæcium, also does some background vocals here.

In 2007 Soundmass remastered and re-released this classic album. This new version sounds great, and gives those old songs a fresh sound. Complete with the original "gnarly" cover art, made by Jayson Sherlock, the 1000x limited reissue comes in a digipak format. The only thing missing are some bonus tracks. I've heard that once this limited edition sells out, a regular jewel case version will be released, with bonus tracks! Talk about ripping off the fans. I'd never bought this one if I knew a version with extra tracks would surface later!

This album was released with 2 different covers. One, contains the Mortification logo on a black background only, released for the Christian market (click here for a picture of it), and the one I have, released for the secular market.

Killer tracks: Brutal Warfare, Bathed In Blood, Satan's Doom, Break The Curse, The Destroyer Beholds

SCROLLS OF THE MEGILLOTH (1992) NUCLEAR BLAST

Mortification goes even further in their death metal quest here. Almost every song slows down the pace, compared to the previous record. This is hailed by most fans as Mortification's best release, but I tend to change favorites every now and then. I love this album, and hail it as one of the finest death metal albums around. The lyrics are clever, and all around Christian. Songs like "Nocturnal" just stick to your mind like glue. "Lymphosarcoma" is a song about a friend of Steve, who God healed from cancer. An unpleasant experience (the cancer being unpleasant, not the healing) Steve himself had to go through some years later.

Killer tracks: All of them RULE!

POST MOMENTARY AFFLICTION (1993) INTENSE

This is the first Mortification album I heard, and bought. They return more to the sound of their first effort here, but with more technical tunes. It's an excellent album as well, and 'Post Momentary Affliction' was long my favorite album, by ANY band! The perfect blend of death and thrash just grabs me. If I had to complain about something, it may be that it is a tad too long, because of all the short intro's in between the songs. But that is just quibbling. Listen to "Grind Planetarium", and you'll see what Mortification is all about. Another MUST!

This album has also been released with two different covers. One for Intense Records, and one for Nuclear Blast. Click here to see both versions. 

Killer tracks: From The Valley Of The Shadows, Distarnished Priest, Grind Planetarium, Impulsation, Vital Fluids

LIVE PLANETARIUM (1993) INTENSE

Wow! Mortification sound GREAT live, and this is the record to prove it! The production holds water, making this a live album well worth getting. The 2 new tracks are also cool, and "Time Crusaders" never made it to any of the studio-albums either (it only appear in a studio-recording on a compilation disc). "Black Snake" is a raw Bloodgood cover, with a bad guitar-solo (no overdubs here!). But it's the Mortification songs that really does the trick. Listening to "Distarnished Priest" and "Brutal Warfare" actually sounding more brutal live, I get the urge to see this band in concert.

BLOOD WORLD (1994) NUCLEAR BLAST

'Blood World' was the 4th album from Mortification. It marks the first line-up change for the band, as drummer Jayson Sherlock left to concentrate on Paramæcium. Much later it was also made known that Jayson was the man behind the Anonymous pseudonym, the brainchild of first Christian black metal project, named Horde. His replacement in Mortification was to be Phil Gibson.

The sound of the band also changed a little on 'Blood World'. The death metal was toned down a bit, perhaps most noticeably in Steve's voice. While the use of his extreme grind baritone is heard every now and then throughout the record, here he mostly uses a guttural shouting approach. This would become Steve's preferred way of singing from here on. I remember being disappointed with the changes in the bands sound when 'Blood World' was a new release. However, listening back at the album in hindsight there are still plenty of strong songs on here. The music has Mortification written all over it, and the album holds some of their best songs ever. "Monks Of The High Lord" and "Symbiosis" are longer, epic songs. While longer songs were nothing new for Mortification, these 2 are still a bit different, almost progressive in nature. This was something Steve would elaborate even further, songwriting wise, on 'EnVisioned EvAngelene'. "Symbiosis" was already premiered on 'Live Planetarium' a year earlier, but this studio version is even better!

'Blood World' was, just like the band's last albums, released in 2 different versions; 1 for the Christian market, released via Intense Records, and 1 for the secular market, released via Nuclear Blast. This time, however, the artwork didn't differ much between the 2 versions. Mine is the Nuclear Blast version. Click here to see the Intense version, with different logo and layout.

Killer tracks: Blood World, Monks Of The High Lord, Symbiosis

BREAK THE CURSE 1990 (1994) NUCLEAR BLAST

'Break The Curse' was actually never a Mortification-album, until 1994. The 6 first songs on this CD are from the 'Break The Curse' demo-tape, recorded back in 1990, when the band was still called LightForce. This Nuclear Blast reissue from 1994 also includes the rest of the songs recorded during the same sessions, as well as a new track called "Butchered Mutilation" (originally featured on a Nuclear Blast sampler). This is one of the most brutal Mortification-tracks ever! The original material is also cool, but with a thin demo quality production. The songs have been remastered. It's not the death metal sound that is presented, but more the thrash-metal sound. This CD was worth quite some money, before Rowe Productions re-released it in 2001. Many of the songs also showed up on later Mortification albums.

Killer tracks: Brutal Warfare, Impulsation, Break The Curse, Butchered Mutilation

THE BEST OF LIGHTFORCE, MORTIFICATION'S BEGINNING (1994) ROWE

LightForce eventually evolved into Mortification. So when chief Steve Rowe got asked tons of questions about his former band, and confronted with the fact that their 2 records were long out of print, he decided to release this 'Best of' thing. The songs have been remastered, and the album also contain some previously unreleased live tracks. These really show what direction the band was heading for. I didn't even know that LightForce released a first album, called 'Battlezone', until this disc landed in my player. A cool collectors item.

PRIMITIVE RHYTHM MACHINE (1995) NUCLEAR BLAST

In my opinion, this is a better record than 'Blood World'. Looking down the track list, there are quite a few gems here. It's a further venture down the strife to classical heavy metal, but still a semi-brutal effort. The title track somehow reminds me of Sepultura. Maybe it's the producer George Ochoa (ex-Deliverance, Recon), who also plays on the record, that can be credited for that. Steve (this time stated as the only member, the rest being additional musicians) is really on to something here. Sadly this was to be the last really good Mortification album. Vett Roberts (Recon) also guests with his awesome voice on "Providence".

Killer tracks: Primitive Rhythm Machine, Mephibosheth, 40:31, Providence, Killing Evil

In 1995 Nuclear Blast also re-released 'Scrolls Of The Megilloth' and 'Post Momentary Affliction' as a double disc, with some bonus-material. A used CD store had this one for sale for the longest time, but I never picked it up. I was not aware of the additional tracks. When I found out about them, I went to pick it up, but then it was of course gone. Click here to see a picture of the cover.

THE BEST OF... FIVE YEARS (1995) INTENSE

I never cared for buying this best-of release, until I had all the regular releases. But when I had all the other albums, and read that this featured 2 previously unreleased tracks, it became a must. Well, it turned out that the 2 tracks were already available on the 'Break The Curse 1990' release, and was previously unreleased in the US only. But that said, this is still a good compilation. The cover art is very cool, and contains images from all the albums. The songs are in chronological order, and there is 2 tracks from each album, even the live-album. A devoted fans gem, but not a must for new listeners.

ENVISION EVANGELENE (#417/2000) (1996, 2008) METAL MIND PRODUCTIONS

1995's 'Primitive Rhythm Machine' saw Mortification reduced to only 1 member, plus a lot of studio contributors. A year later and Steve Rowe has gathered a new crew, so Mortification is once again a band, a trio as it were. Mortification's sixth album is labeled 'EnVision EvAngelene'.

With the new line-up comes a somewhat new sound. Gone are the grind baritone vocals, and the death metal sound. Left is a heavy metal platter, with some thrash metal leanings. Steve's vision for a band was always to combine everything he loved with metal. Here he shows his admiration for classic metal bands, like Iron Maiden, and maybe even more so, Manowar. Not that he sounds like a clone of either, far from it, but this is his take on the true heavy metal sound. The first track here is an epic number, clocking in at over 18 minutes, and is very inspired by Manowar's "Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts"

My initial reaction to 'EnVision EvAngelen' was not positive at all. I felt that one of my favorite bands had become unrecognizable. I also had a hard time enjoying Steve's "clean" vocal style. But over time I've learned to appreciate the album more and more. Today it stands as the best of the non-death metal era Mortification disc. The opening track is really good, taking you as a listener on a musical journey. Other favorites include the more thrashy numbers, "Northern Storm" and "Buried Into Obscurity". "Jehovah Nissi" is also cool in all it's simplicity. "Noah Was A Knower" shows off Steve's crazy humor, and the song's title also spawned an even crazier title for the band's next EP.

When I was in the process of ripping my entire CD collection to my hard drive I found that my original Nuclear blast copy of 'Envision EvAngelene' had become unplayable! The print side of the CD had "bled through" to the playable side, and only 4 songs would play, but with digital noises heard more and more throughout. So I replaced the bad copy with the 2008 Metal Mind Productions reissue. This is limited to 2000 copies. The disc is supposedly digitally remastered, printed on a golden disc. But I can hear no difference from the new disc and the working songs on my original disc. The reissue also comes with 4 live tracks. 1 of them is from the 'Noah Sat Down And Listened To The Mortification Live E.P. While Having A Coffee'  live EP, and the remaining three are from the 'Ten Years Live Not Dead' live album.

Killer tracks: EnVision EvAngelene, Northern Storm, Jehovah Nissi, Noah Was A Knower, Crusade For The King

LIVE WITHOUT FEAR (1996) ROWE (EP)

Another live album (or EP) from Australia's best band! And this time it's as RAW as it gets. If you ever wonder what this band sound like in concert, this is probably a good way to find out. I tend to prefer 'Live Planetarium' though, but that is mainly because of the set list. And the fact that Steve still used his grinding voice back then.

NOAH SAT DOWN AND LISTENED TO THE MORTIFICATION LIVE E.P. WHILE HAVING A COFFEE (1996) ROWE (EP)

This is part II of the live EP collection. They were released simultaneously, but for some reason, it took me forever to find a copy of this, part II. The purveyors of Truth Metal give the fans little to write home about, on this one. If you are a die-hard fan, you will enjoy it, and I personally like the interview with Steve. Other than that, it doesn't justify a separate release. Really cool artwork, though!!

TRIUMPH OF MERCY (1998) RADIATION/NUCLEAR BLAST

After struggling the battle with leukemia, and with the help of God, winning the battle, Steve returns with this album. The lyrics reflects Steve's past trauma, and the title track really goes in depth. Unfortunately for me, musically this relates much to the previous disc. Straight metal, with hints of thrash, and even lesser hints of death metal. After listening to this record over and over again, my perspective on this album changed a bit away from my initial thoughts. This is not a bad album. And it actually hold more good than bad songs. So I have added some more songs to the killer tracks. Also discovered some great guitar-playing here. The album reminded me a bit of 'Blood World'.

Killer tracks: Triumph Of Mercy, Visited By An Angel, Welcome To The Palodrome, Influence, Raw Is The Stonewood Temple

HAMMER OF GOD (1999) NUCLEAR BLAST

And the bottom is reached, or is it? The best thing I can say about this album, is that the line-up is still the same! Well, "Metal Crusade" is a cool thrash-metal tune. But with keyboards??? And what's up with the so-called bonus-tracks? Were there ever released a version without these tracks? The medley is just ruining some great songs, with Steve new vocal-style. "God Rulz" is a modified version of "The Majestic Infiltration Of Order". The rest are, as you can see, demo-takes of songs from 'Triumph Of Mercy'. "D.W.A.M", or "Daniel Was A Mosher" is a spin-off of "Noah Was A Knower".

Killer tracks: Metal Crusade, Martyrs, A Pearl

10 YEARS LIVE NOT DEAD (2000) METAL BLADE

Dead Man Walking (new song) Buried Into Obscurity Medley Martyrs Peace In The Galaxy Hammer Of God Influence Steve Thanks Mephibosheth Chapel Of Hope God Rulz King Of Kings

Line-up: Steve Rowe - Bass Guitar, Vocals Lincoln Bowen - Guitar Keith Bannister - Drums   Recorded live, October 1st 1999, at the Blackstump Festival Appin, N.S.W. Australia

I postponed getting this CD for the longest time, because I already have the songs on my version of 'The Silver Cord Is Severed'. And also, what do I need another live Mortification disc for? Honestly, aren't there enough live albums & compilation-discs out by now? (Apparently not, because already 2 years later another one appeared!!) Well, there isn't much more on this that surprises me. The new track is probably the only reason for owning it, besides the fact that I'm a maniac collector. Mortification sounds a bit tired, or bored, on this one.

THE SILVER CORD IS SEVERED (2001) NUCLEAR BLAST (2CD)

The latest offering from Steve & co. Mort had lost so much credibility to me when this album was released I didn't even bother to buy it at first. Then I came across a promo-disc for 7$, and snagged that. Later I saw that it was released as a double disc, with the live-album '10 Years Live Not Dead' as a bonus-disc. So I sold the promo (a lame cardboard-thing, without cover-art), and bought this version. The cover-art sucks, and even the logo has been modified. The music was not any better. This is the worst Mort-album to date! I believe I have only listened through it once, and I'm not planning to blow the dust from it yet.

Killer tracks: NONE!

POWER, PAIN & PASSION - TEN YEARS 1990 - 2000 (2002) ROWE PRODUCTIONS

'Power, Pain & Passion - Ten Years 1990-2000' is the full title of this compilation album. It was released to celebrate the ten first years of the band, and was initially intended as a goodbye of sorts, as Steve Rowe intention was to lay Mortification to rest due to lack of record label support and members leaving. In hindsight we know this never happened, thankfully.

Even though the title of the compilation is said to commemorate the first 10 years of the band, the content is not as career spanning as one might think. I guess this was done on purpose, as Mortification already released a best-of in 1995, so there is little need to repeat most of the songs from the first 5 years. One can also question the songs picked to be included, because the first glance of the track list didn't exactly scream Mortification classics! I also despise using live tracks tacked in-between studio recordings.

The only reason real for owning this CD are the 4 so-called bonus-tracks (again, was here ever a version omitting them?). These 4 songs were recorded live and acoustic in Holland and Norway. And let me just say: DEATH/THRASH METAL IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED UNPLUGGED!!!!!! These songs are a novelty at best, and frankly they sound as bad as you'd think they do, save for "Grind Planetarium", which actually sort of works!

'Power, Passion & Pain' is by no means a necessity in your collection, unless you're as obsessive in your collecting ways as me. The cover art unveils yet another short-lived version of the Mortification logo. In the end I'm glad this was not the last CD from Australia's finest.

RELENTLESS (2002) ROWE

As usual, I was very excited to get a new Mortification release. Although most of this bands releases after 'Primitive Rhythm Machine' have disappointed me more and more, I've never given up on the band. And pretty much all of the albums have grown on me in hindsight. But this time around, something is different. I'm very pleased to say that I liked 'Relentless'  already from the first spin! Man, this was a good feeling. After hearing the whole album quite a few times, I think it's their best record since 'EnVision EvAngelene'. They have still a long way to go to release an album with only good songs again. And some of the songs are really stinkers. "The Other Side Of The Coin" and "3 Of A Kind" have so repetitive choruses, they get boring real quick. There is also a diversity in styles on 'Relentless'. Most of the tracks are just plain heavy metal. But a song like "Priests Of The Underground" has a thrash feeling, "Sorrow" is almost doom and "Apocalyptic Terror" sees the band return to their death metal roots, with grind vocals and all! The addition of 2 new guitarists also brings new blood to Mortification. A nice and welcomed album to the collection, and next time around, I hope we get lesser but even better songs.

Killer tracks: Web Of Fire, God Shape Void, Priests Of The Underground, Apocalyptic Terror

BRAIN CLEANER (2004) ROWE

Despite the goofy artwork, and the wacky title, this album delivers! It's more of a return towards the death metal they started out with. But they have also kept the straight metal sound from their later albums. This combination works fine with me, as long as the songs sounds good. And most of them do just that on this album. Mick Jelinic is the perfect guitar-player for Mortification these days, as he fits all the styles very well. Steve's voice goes from the gritty style from his recent work to the death metal grind voice he used on his older albums. Lyrically there's not much of a difference. He does seem to sing his mind of some of the criticism towards his music on a couple of the songs, like "Pure Intent" and "I'm Not Your Commodity". But I'm not sure if it is the fans or the industry he's lashing out against. Other than that, his good old humor and straightforwardness is indeed intact.

"12 Men" is actually a reworked LightForce tune. It was originally called "Fisher Of Men", an appeared on the band's second demo, released in January of 1987. The original version included a female singer, and can be heard on the 'LightForce 1986-1989' compilation CD.

Killer tracks: Boaconstrictor, Purest Intent, I'm Not Your Commodity, Livin' Like A Zombie

GRIND PLANETS (1992, 2005) ROWE (DVD)

Re-releasing the old VHS tapes on DVD has become a welcome "tradition" from Mortification. 'Grind Planets' was originally released back in 1992, just after the release of their second album. And this was also the bands second home video release. Here we get 8 professionally filmed music videos, all songs taken from the bands first 2 albums. And in between songs we get the usual Steve Rowe humor! They are goofing off, making a tribute/parody of Stryper's 'In The Beginning' home video. The title points to the fact that Mortification aren't Rock Stars, but Grind Planets! This is a fine document from the early era of the band. And it is easy to see why so many fans regards this period in time the bands golden years, and this line-up the ultimate constellation of the band. They really did create Christian metal history with their brutal death/thrash hybrid. As a bonus we also get a live show from 1992, filmed by someone in the audience (or at least it appears to be so).

ERASING THE GOBLIN (2006) ROWE (Limited Edition #61/500)

For years and years Steve has been claiming that the next Mortification album will be a return to the roots. But not until I heard a clip of the opening track here, entitled "Razorback", have I ever bought into the hype. This song could just as well have been recorded for one of the first 3 albums. And luckily, most of the other tracks on this album sees Steve really trying to sound like the Mortification I learned to love again! Don't get me wrong though, we still get treated to the many faces of Steve here also. Already in the second track I get reminded of albums like 'Blood World' and 'Primitive Rhythm Machine'. Other songs have a thrashier approach. And so on goes the entire album, mixing it up, but always staying heavy. The strength of the songs is a big plus, but what I find most satisfying is Steve's vocals. He has finally found a way to sing that doesn't sound strained, and will most likely not affect his vocals chords as much as the growling. This is simply a fine album by a band that has grown tighter. Mick and Steve have worked together for some years already. And in Damien Percy they've found yet another member that brings something cool to the band. 'Erasing The Goblin' is a welcomed addition to the collection. The Rowe Productions version of the album is a special numbered edition of this album, signed by the band, and limited to 500 copies only! Later in 2006 MCM will release the final version, with different artwork, and a new track in stead of the studio version of "Dead Man Walking".

Killer tracks: Razorback, Escape The Blasphemous Tabernacle, Forged In Stone, Short Curcuit

LIVE PLANETARIUM (2006) ROWE (DVD)

This is a re-release of the VHS concert tape from 1993. But to make it worth the fans money, Steve has added some bonus footage, most of which comes from another old VHS release, entitled 'The History of Mortification'. 'Live Planetarium' show us a very tight band, and it is really a shame this was one of the very last concerts Jayson did with Mortification. Now Phil is one heck of a drummer too, just check out the bonus footage with him, but there was just something with the line-up of Steve, Michael and Jayson that created magic. What you also see here is that the band seems to really enjoy being on that stage, giving the fans a taste of the music how it should be heard. This DVD is a great testimony from a band that really was ground-breaking at the time. I also like the inclusion of all the short interview clips. Some of them really gives us some insight to why the band changed styles, and why Jayson decided to leave etc.

LIVE HUMANITARIAN (2007) ROWE PRODUCTIONS

Recorded live in Perth during the tour for 'Erasing The Goblin', 'Live Humanitarian' is Mortification's 3rd proper live album (5th if you count the 2 live EP's). The CD version was released through Rowe Productions in 2007, while a DVD version was issued a year later.

'Live Humanitarian' is a live album that focuses mostly on newer songs from Mortification. It makes sense not to include too many of the songs already on the earlier live albums they have released. Still, it's kind of sad for a long time fan to not be able to hear ones favorites from the earliest records. The medley is the only song featuring parts of songs from the first 4 albums. Add to that the fact that I have not exactly been overtly enthusiastic about the latest Mortification albums, and you have a live album that doesn't do much for this fan. The sound quality is good here though, and the bands sounds tight enough, I guess. The spoken parts are interesting... once or twice. After that they also become kinds unnecessary.

Here's to hoping for a career spanning live album, with the older material sung like they were recorded! In the meantime I think I'll put on 'Live Planetarium' instead when I want my live Mortification fix. Rowe Productions also released a DVD version of this live concert.

THE EVIL ADDICTION DESTROYING MACHINE (2009) ROWE (Digipak)

The last 3 Mortification albums have seen the band return to their death metal and thrash metal roots. And that has been an improvement towards the better, in my opinion. And since those albums were much to my liking, I was eagerly anticipating 'The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine' as well. The clips that were put on their MySpace page prior to it's release certainly had my interest piqued. Therefore I pre-ordered the CD. Imagine my surprise when the CD finally landed, and I discovered that Mortification had once more abandoned the thrash and death metal, and went for the more groove oriented, punk infused metal of releases such as 'The Silver Chord Is Severed' and 'Hammer Of God'. It's not that this automatically makes for a bad album. It's just that this is not my preferred style of the band. After many spins I can truly say that I enjoy most of what is on 'The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine'. That is much thanks to the 3 competent players in Mortification. Steve comes from the school of bass-playing, in which big names such as Lemmy, Steve Harris and Joey DeMaio belong. His up-front rhythm has always been a joy to listen to. Mick Jelinic has now been in the band for 8 years. And I really love the melody his guitar-playing is adding to the otherwise rather monotonous songs. And returning drummer, Adam Zaffarese, is a monster player too! He is fast, accurate, and brings so much diversity within each song. Again, he prevents what could have come across as stale from becoming boring. Steve is once again using his gravely shouted vocals, that doesn't offer much variety. And that is perhaps my main complaint with this CD. Steve has always written fairly samey vocal lines. And when he is using his voice in a samey manner too, it just easily becomes too much. 'The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine' is a 100% Mortification album though, and if you're a long time fan of the band, you'll find much to rejoice over here. In fact, "A Sense Of Eternity" is one of the bands better songs, ever. Just let the songs grow on you. And if not for nothing else, at least you'll recognize Steve's sense of humor on this CD. Just check out the song titles, let alone the album title!

Since I pre-ordered this album, I am one of the Im-Mort-Alized Supporters that got our names written inside the digipak foldout.

Killer tracks: The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine, The Master Of Reinvention, A Sense Of Eternity, One Man With Courage Makes A Majority

Mortification also appear on:

V/A - 'Hot Metal V - Screaming Truth'

V/A - 'An Intense History Of Christian Metal'

V/A - 'Rock On - Christian Loud'

Steve Rowe guest appearances:  

Tourniquet - 'Microscopic View Of A Telescopic Realm'

Vengeance Rising - 'Released Upon The Earth'

Grave Forsaken - 'Destined For Ascension'

Related artists:

LightForce, Vonrowe Vision, Paramæcium, Horde, Recon, Deliverance, Vengeance Rising, Terraphobia