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Mortiis performing in Leicester in 2005 wearing an 'Era III mask'
Background information
Origin	Oslo, Norway
Genre(s)	Ambient Futurepop Industrial rock
Years active	1993present
Label(s)	Malicious Records Cold Meat Industry Dark Dungeon Music Earache Records Projekt Records Currently unsigned
Website	Official Website
Members
Hvard Ellefsen (Mortiis) Levi Gawron Ogee

Mortiis is an electronic band from Notodden in Norway fronted by Hvard Ellefsen, who is also known as the namesake of the band. The name is a misspelling of the word 'mortis', which is the pronunciation used by the band. However, Mortiis started as the solo project of Hvard Ellefsen as a means to convey a story. This aspect was lost over time and Mortiis slowly formed into a band.

Mortiis as a band was formed shortly after the release of The Smell of Rain. The current line-up consists of the following:

The title of Era I was never intentional. It came about in 2001 when Mortiis was set to release The Smell of Rain, which was such a departure from his earlier records that he wanted to brand it in a way to signify this. All works previous to The Smell of Rain were thereafter referred to as Era I as consequence. All of the Era I albums were composed entirely on synthesizers, creating a sound that Mortiis described as "dark dungeon music." The Stargate went a step further by introducing acoustic guitars and flutes, among others; Female vocals were provided by Sarah Jezebel Deva.

The Smell of Rain created a divide among fans; the songs this time had an electropop feel to them, and frontman Hvard took to lead vocals for the first time. This would be the only release under the title of Era II. Some fans thought Mortiis had betrayed them as they were expecting what many had nicknamed "The Stargate II". It was during this 'era' that Hvard decided he needed to seek members to perform in a live setting, which later helped change how Mortiis as a band sounded.

With Era III came The Grudge, which took an even more drastic turn from previous eras and is said to have made the biggest impression of any of his albums. The Grudge took on a heavy industrial rock emphasis, combining grinding guitars and industrial programming. Some of the long time fans were again not too happy with this turn, but it helped gain Mortiis more new fans. In 2005 the Norwegian government declared The Grudge as a cultural artifact, requiring the album by law to be in libraries across the country.

On April 16, 2007 Mortiis released a remix album titled Some Kind of Heroin, reworking material from The Grudge, via Earache Records. "Some Kind of Heroin" offers diverse remix material including interpretations by a wide range of contemporaries, such as Zombie Girl, Gothminister, Implant, XP8, PIG, The Kovenant, Velvet Acid Christ, Girls Under Glass, David Wallace, Kubrick, Flesh Field, Dope Stars Inc, In the Nursery among others. The choice of bands suggested a more Electro-industrial future for Mortiis, but this wasn't the case.

Mortiis is working alongside Rhys Fulber for his latest album (working title: Road to Ruin), with working track titles such as "The Great Deceiver", "Zeitgeist", "The Ugly Truth", and "Scolding the Burnt". It's not yet known whether Mortiis will further this as Era IV, as he has said it would have greater emphasis on 'organic' instruments (guitar), or if it will remain as Era III.

For nearly the entirety of the bands existence, frontman Hvard has altered his facial appearance using several alternatives before using a prosthetic mask and ear set. This led to much ridicule and myth, which Mortiis dismissed in disgust. The original mask is based around that of 'Blix' from the movie Legend. The studio who made Mortiis' mask asked for a character reference for the moulding. The mask was always coupled with ears. During Era I the mask covered his whole face, though by Era III it had an appearance whereby it seemed to be falling off and was stitched in place. Sure enough the mask was dropped after the release of Some Kind of Heroin. Having stated in an interview that the mask has been shelved "for better or worse," as part of the significance of Some Kind of Heroin. He has also said that the mask now bears no direct reference to the music he is making. His choice to change from an established cult image, to a new direction is seen as his desire to produce 'art' for himself, and not other people who want him to do certain things against his will.

Hvard's choice of dreadlocks (sometime after Era I), and various outfits helped produce the infamous 'Mortiis image'. It is debated in almost every interview with him. When asked as to what the mask represents he has answered, "I do not look upon myself as a goblin, or troll, or elf, or medieval. I am merely Mortiis." Mortiis has been known to 'repair' his live clothes by using black tape to seal holes and tears. They often cover themselves in corn flour before going on stage.

When talking about the influence for the imagery that his band uses, Mortiis has commented, "A lot of people do not get that you can do more than just look like you're waiting for a bus. I mean how dull is that? I grew up with Kiss, W.A.S.P. and Alice Cooper."

Mortiis was credited for a number of remixes, though most are produced solely by Hvard. Most notable for the Alfa Matrix signed bands, Zombie Girl (on the album "Blood Brains and Rock 'n' Roll") and also for another female fronted industrial metal act I:Scintilla who released their album "Optics" on the Belgian industrial label Alfa Matrix holding a bonus disc with a remix by Mortiis beside others by Combichrist, Clan Of Xymox and many more.