Interview with MORTAL FEAR
!!!THRASH METAL FROM NORWAY!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about MORTAL FEAR (Members, Starting Year etc).
We are a thrash metal band from what we like to call ''the bay area of the Norwegian Oslofjord'', because we love the bay area scene in San Fransisco, and we're all from 3 separate cities in Norway, all connected by the Oslofjord (Sande, Horten and Oslo). We started up in January or February of 2020 I believe, when Sander (the drummer) posted on facebook that he was looking for someone to play with. I (Lukas) sent him a message, and we instantly clicked, both personality wise and our shared love for metal, especially thrash. We've played together now since 2020, and in late 2023 we got in touch with Jørgen (bass) and the band has been a consistent force since Jørgen joined in January of 2024.
You have recently released your EP ''Blood, Sweat and Beer''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Mails, messages and general positivity from everyone who have heard it, and it feels great. It exceeded all our expectations for the release, but we couldn't be happier. We recorded our first track in 2020 and not a lot happened. We also took a short break from playing not long after, so Mortal Fear has been living in the shadows for almost 4 years, but now we're ready to take on the world!
Label or DIY and why?
As of right now we're and independent band. We are not opposed to being a part of a label, but it's still early y'know? Time will tell what will happen but we're not planning on staying strictly independent.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
We have actually yet to play a live show! So not a lot of funny stories to share there, yet! A story I like to tell however is when recording ''the reaper's call'', we struggled a bit with the metronome and timing, then Sander yelled out to the producer; 'This isn't right, it's too slow! We need to play quicker!' Keep in mind, we were already above 200bpm when he said we needed to play faster, so we turned up the bpm by maybe 20-30 or something(?) and it all came together like clockwork after the fact.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
I've always loved vinyl. My father has a huge collection of different vinyl records, but I personally prefer digital format the most. Don't get me wrong, the feeling of having a physical copy is great, and I love it, but the convenience of Spotify makes it so easy to find, swap and share music on the go.
Your music style is Thrash Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
We all have a shared love for the classics like Exodus, Slayer, Death Angel etc, but ''newer'' stuff like Power Trip, Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust are also favorites among us. I always love to find new thrash, because all thrash is good thrash in my book, so more recent bands like Pest Control and Forced Neglect etc are always fun to find and listen to.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Time. We all live kind of far from each other, so we sacrifice a lot of time to be able to meet up and play, But it's always worth it because we have so much fun writing and playing music.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
It's all in the title really. Blood, sweat and beer! As i've mentioned we have yet to play a show, but the most fun shows to attend are always the energetic bands with electric presence and a great crowd that moves and moshes to the music. That's also where the title comes from. A perfect show includes blood, sweat and beer for a great live experience.
What attributes do you think that a new Thrash Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
A good stage presence in a live setting is pretty important. There are so many metal bands that take themselves very seriously. If you can play your music and have a smile on your face and have fun while playing, that resonates with the audience, which is why I think especially the newer gen stuff like municipal waste and lich king has succeeded so well. You can play angry and violent music, but if you make it fun, people respond well to it and want to attend your shows and buy your records.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Thrash Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Yes of course. I've seen countless bands that I will remember because of their self promotion on social platforms. I think that's a very big reason as to how bands like Mourning High, Void and Labyrinth have succeeded in growing their act in such a short time as well.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Norway (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
The underground scene here is awesome. There's tons of younger bands who play and make a name for themselves. You have a few clubs in Oslo who focuses on heavier music, but I think the independent artists themselves is why the scene here is so good. There's this awesome black metal band called Bærzerk from Horten as well who have gained a good amount of traction by playing local shows in and around Vestfold, and they deserve all the praise they get. I've seen them two times and they delivered awesome sets both times.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
I'm not too aware of the metal scene over there, except for the bigger bands like Rotting Christ and suicidal angels, but Sander loves the Greek scene. When he was on vacation there last year he said he couldn't walk past 4 people before seeing a metal shirt, and I think his dream, along with the rest of us is to experience the crazy Greek metalheads live. It would be pretty awesome to perform in Greece sometime!
The last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange & new situations in our everyday life (covid, lock-down etc.) Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Well, Mortal Fear was founded a month or so before Covid hit us, so we didn't really have any time to react as a band in the scene before all the clubs shut down. We were probably too young anyways to play any of the cool venues around but it definitely put a brake on our start as a band. especially recruiting new members since the rules of how many people you could meet in Norway was so strict!
What are your future plans?
Honestly just to play our music to people all over and show what we're capable of doing. Our dream is of course to play every day, so we'll see how people respond to our first live shows and any new music coming.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you so much for considering us for an interview, It has been great! Hopefully we can come to Greece sometime and play our music for you people reading this live!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
MORTAL FEAR CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563898291776
https://www.instagram.com/mortalfearnorway
https://mortalfearnorway.bandcamp.com/album/blood-sweat-and-beer-demo
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4cyb9qnuWrf3ZUM8S2BFYB
https://www.deezer.com/en/album/611613212