Mortiis last issued an album in January 2020 before the world went into a global quarantine, and that was a reworking of his 1994 debut under the title, Spirit of Rebellion. Fans will be keen to know which era he invokes for album number eleven. Will it be Era 1 (dungeon synth), Era 2 (electro-pop), or Era 3 (industrial rock)? On the evidence of Ghosts of Europa, we appear to be in Era 2 for his 2001 classic, The Smell of Rain. As a motto for this record, it ought to be these lines from the closing song: “If I could turn back time, what would I have changed? / What could I have become? / What should I have done?”
The opening title-track evolves like a faded vision of utopia; the shiny synths cast in a sorrowful shadow as the beats and choral choirs haunt the gaps. An auto-tuner effect on the main vocal helps to build a contrast with the power of Mortiis’ expressive singing voice in the lead up to the chorus relay of “When we all fall down.” With four different singers at the microphone, it’s not easy to identify whose personality is leading the way. But hold a finger against your chin and study the synth arpeggiator: does it take you away from the drudgery of life? Yes, it does. Does the swish of the drum skins put you in the headspace of the melancholy lyrics? Affirmative.
Of course, a man who wears masks and enhanced goblin ears will know a thing or two about pomp. You should expect the highest engagement with blockbuster cinemascapes in the music of Mortiis, and he doesn’t disappoint in ‘Return to the Old Fields’. This could be matched to the next instalment of the Avatar movie series. Listen how dreamy synth horns penetrate through the dusk as the female guest singers perform their keening. You believe this can go on for eternity until Mortiis introduces the electronic drums and adds a layer of darkwave mist.
As a song arranger, you cannot doubt the talent of Mortiis. ‘The Faith that Fades Away’ needs only background beats and atmospheric keyboards for the Norwegian to lead with his voice for six minutes and thirty-seven seconds of fist-clenching gratification. By contrast, the vocoder dominated flair of ‘Violent Silence’ bounces on rotating synths and manages to outgun most power metal artists in the pomposity stakes. It could be Visage circa 1980 again, but the tapestry is much more layered and laboured with great attention to detail at the laptop. The zap of the bass notes in ‘Transcending Morpheus’ is just as fascinating when placed in the divine keyboard presets and lamentation of its female vocalists.
At the core of this music is an aching heart, and it receives its finest expression in the Sisters of Mercy thrust of ‘Tundra, Heart of Hell’. But Mortiis knows not to give guitars the licence to lead. Observe how a swirl of synths act as the anchor point as the six-string axe punches in and out. The realisation in the chorus is a euphoric liberation from the regrets that weigh you down in life. Likewise, the hypnotic arpeggiated patterns of ‘Tribes of Dystopia’ are strong enough to enhance your stamina through tired eyes.
“I found a way to kill some of the pain like the warm and cleansing summer rain / I helped you beat me until the pain went away / I put it all away to a place they cannot reach,” cries Mortiis in closing track, ‘Farewell Romero’. Here, you can breathe in, clench your fists, and expel the pain through closed eyes. Shouldn’t all good music do that?
Kirk Houghton
Verdict
Release Date: 26/06/2026
Record Label: Prophecy Productions
Standout tracks: Violent Silence; Transcending Morpheus; Tundra, Heart of Hell
Suggested Further Listening: Apoptygma Berzerk – Welcome to Earth (2000), Peter Gabriel – Up (2002), Paradise Lost – Host (1999)