From "Secrets of My Kingdom," by "Mortiis"

My assignment was a tough one: Find all I could find about the man who would be "Mortiis" with the sketchy information I originally had on him. The press kit, though helpful, provided little background information on this unique individual. It did however, provide some visuals, calling him elfin and demonic, and speaking of his stage shows which feature, among other things, scantily clad women and lots of blood.

Armed with the press kit, and with the help of the Internet, I have managed to piece together the history of this prolific artist and rather colorful individual.

My story of "Mortiis" begins in the summer of 1991. It was at this time that he joined the Norwegian black metal band, "Emperor." The band was inspired by the sounds of Celtic Frost and Bathory and wanted to create a similar sound. "Mortiis" played bass for the band on their demo, and on a mini-album released by Candlelight Records, before branching off on his own.

As a solo artist, his albums have chronicled a dimension where (as he terms it) imagination is King and the mind is God. He abandoned the black metal sound and replaced it with lush keyboard orchestrations that seek to produce visions of other worlds in listener's minds. He released three albums and a collection of singles before recently signing with Earache Records. The first of these albums, "Fodt Til A Herske," and also the collection of 12" singles (released as a compilation called "Crypt Of The Wizard") are due to be rerelased by Earache. Fans who enjoy what he has done on his latest release, "The Stargate," should appreciate that. His live shows are dramatically staged and designed to flesh out the music and further challenge the listener's imagination. It features his dark symphonic music "heightened by a visual feast of human/non-human performance, fire and bondage." Instead of something in the "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" vein, audience members are treated to a "Tie Me Up and Get Down" kind of evening.

Artist:	Mortiis
Title:	"The Stargate"
Label:	Earache Records
Reviewed by:	Trey Parks
Rating:

"The Stargate" marks both the debut of "Mortiis" on Earache Records and also represents another chapter in his musical journey through a world where imagination rules and the only limits are the limits set by the mind of the individual making the journey. Despite his brief stint in the black metal band Emperor, and hints his appearance might give that his music would follow this trend, "The Stargate," could be more closely termed a dark symphony. He uses dramatic keyboard orchestrations and lush female vocals to tell his story.

This particular story/journey takes the listener through a barren world toward a gate of stars leading to another world. It ends with a dramatic battle beyond the gate of stars. Sounding at some times like ancient Norse melodies set to electronica and at other times like a soundtrack to a grand sci-fi epic, it nevertheless draws the listener in.

The music on this album is very evocative. The opening track, "Child of Curiosity & The Old Man of Knowledge," begins slowly and softly as you picture an old man imparting his story to a young child, and builds up to a crescendo as the child, overcome with curiosity, seeks to begin his journey to another world.

Flutes, drums and violins make up most of the instrumentation on the album, with haunting female vocals providing accompaniment on most of the album's eight tracks. "Mortiis" makes his vocal debut on the second track, "I Am the World," as he refers to himself as the "world beyond the stars." He sings/growls the opening stanza to his story, and though he won't be compared to Pavoratti, it works in the context of his music.

The middle of the album is highlighted by somber marches, and in the case of the third track, "World Essence," a wistful guitar melody. This section paints a very vivid picture of the barrenness of the world that the listener is journeying through at this point. The medieval sounds evoked lead the listener to believe that this world is in a time similar to our middle ages.

The journey becomes almost a death march, punctuated by loud drum sounds and deep male vocals on the track "Across the World of Wonders," before progressing into the haunting beauty of "(Passing By) An Old and Raped Village." Highlighted by flute-like keyboards, this piece provides an interesting contrast: the mesmerizing female vocals seem to be at odds with the story of the village which was destroyed rather horrifically by invaders.

The album culminates with a long fanfare made up of the last three tracks. They illustrate the passing through the gate of stars and into a battle zone in the next world. As the grand symphony winds to a close, the listener truly feels like he has made the journey along with the artist.

This album is not an album that lends itself to repeated back-to-back listening. However with the wide variety of music available today, this isn't really a necessary thing. It is, however, a great driving CD. I can be in my car in rush hour traffic, put in this CD, and all of the sudden I'm storming the gates of Valhalla, and cars in front of me can either lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way.

People who like swirling keyboard orchestrations, or who are intrigued by the idea of dark symphony worlds spawned by imagination should find this enjoyable. The music, which can seem a bit overblown at times, is for the most part well-done. At times, as I said earlier, it resembles the soundtrack to some epic movie, but it provides the listener with a good hour's worth of enjoyable, ambient music.