Mortification

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Mortification

Melbourne, Australia25 reviews across 18 releases

Mortification developed in Melbourne from Lightforce, the heavy-metal band formed around Steve Rowe in the late 1980s, and adopted its new name in 1990 as the music moved toward thrash and death metal. The early records were built on fast rhythms, thick guitar and Rowe's extreme growl, with the three-piece sound given unusual weight by forceful drumming and sharply defined guitar work. Mortification made its Christian message unusually direct, while Scrolls of the Megilloth pushed farther into death-grind with dense arrangements, accelerating songs and a low-end-heavy mix. The vocals were so buried that lyric sheets were necessary. Post Momentary Affliction changed the balance, introducing slower power-metal structures and clearer vocals without removing the grind. The songs also showed a recurring mixture of blunt preaching and strange humor, from accusations against Christian rock-star ambition to the repeated slogan "Jesus grind Satan's head."

By 1993, Jayson Sherlock had left the regular lineup, although he returned for Live Planetarium; later, Lincoln Bowen took over guitar and Keith Bannister became the drummer. The move away from death vocals continued on Blood World and Hammer of God, where classic-metal riffing met a groove-oriented approach and prominent keyboards. Rowe's leukemia diagnosis in 1996 interrupted the band's work, and Triumph of Mercy in 1998 addressed the illness directly while marking his return. Mortification moved from Intense to Rowe Productions, with Metal Blade involved in 1999, and continued through later studio releases until 2015. Rowe suffered a stroke in 2016, after which the band became inactive as a regular group. In 2026, a Latin American tour for the 35th anniversary of Scrolls of the Megilloth was announced, with Luke Renno handling bass and vocals in Rowe's absence.

18 releases reviewed