Mortiis

Crypt of the Wizard (Cold Meat)
by Scott Hefflon

Amidst the clanging and the clutter of black/death/doom/industrial/ambient/darkwave music, one figure stands alone. His name, as far as most of us know, is Mortiis. He looks, quite literally, like an elf. He doesn’t use guitars or drums in a traditional rock way (if at all). He creates mood music. And while many create noise (not that that’s a bad thing, mind you), and others loop beats and layer samples (ditto), Mortiis creates soundscapes for you to wander/drift through. Perfect for role playing (I’m told) or a candlelit conversation about the mysteries and manifestations of our limited perceptions of this mortal coil (you can rewrite this sentence an infinite number of ways yet it’ll always miss the point, won’t it?), Mortiis’ music is surprisingly simple.

Divided into 10 parts, totaling just over 60 minutes (unlike the two 25+ minute tracks on his last), Crypt of the Wizard is a collection of “singles,” but singles Mortiis-style. And again Cold Meat bestows upon us breathtaking artwork and layout dividing the songs into four passages, each represented by a card. Similar to somber soundtrack scores or perhaps the almost subliminal music of “questing” video games, Crypt of the Wizard is so understated, it’s very hard to grab hold of. It is the music of journeys, surprisingly enough, with more natural conflicts (think thundering skies and treacherous paths) than trolls, goblins, and a wide assortment of monsters both of the mind and from beyond. In other words, Mortiis uses a keyboard to create mountains, valleys, bridges, and footsteps in the sand. And while there are fairies and limping gnomes, this is the “natural” world. If that seems a contradiction, perhaps it’s because we haven’t thoroughly explored the subterranean world with open eyes, open minds, and open hearts. In Mortiis’ world, many things are possible.