Today we’d like to introduce you to Mortalis Official.
Mortalis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Mortalis is a five piece metal band formed in the suburbs of La Puente California in 2015. The band originated from the popular LA backyard punk scene of the 2010s and found moderate success playing to large crowds of rowdy teens in packed dirt-filled patches across So-Cal. It was not until the Covid virus shutdown that despite the hurdles of banned social gatherings, the band was able to record its first album and gain significant success breaking into bigger venues and amassing a tighter following. Mortalis now finds itself as one of the front runners of their genre and continues to push musical conventions with its recent addition of their new front woman Patience.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We’ve been through it all — bad show logistics, fights breaking out, cops shutting down gigs, venues shortchanging bands, and a whole lot of internal burnout. In our early days, one of the biggest challenges was breaking into the tightly guarded backyard scene.
Thrash metal was alive and well in the mid-2010s, but most metal shows were 21+, which as a bunch of kids at the time, left us with few places to play. We adapted by teaming up with local promoters and incorporating punk elements into our sound. The backyard days weren’t glamorous, we were breathing in dust clouds and getting knocked around during the pit, but they gave us some of our best memories: friends leaping off rooftops, headbanging in unison, and sharing raw, unfiltered energy with our scene.
By 2018, we had built our name locally, but the next challenge was navigating the wild world of record labels and recording studios. Between 2018 and 2022, we tried to record our debut album three different times. Technical failures, broken promises, and subpar production made us question why we should hand over our music and rights to people who couldn’t deliver. Our close friend and business partner Roman Sanchez helped us immensely at the time reading contracts, making us demos, and being the man behind the curtain.
Everything changed when we met our first engineer and producer Dave Klein in 2021. At that point we decided to take full creative control and finally released From the Cryogenics — a record born out of grit, persistence, and self-determination. The album’s success, fueled by grassroots social media support, proved that our DIY approach was the right one all along.
Our hurdles are much different now. Logistics, improving our sound, and maintaining our status as one of the most professional acts in the scene is hard work. Our latest EP Earthworks was a challenge in pushing our writing ability to new heights, getting booked with some of the best venues/bands in SoCal forced us to up our production game, and with Patience as our newest addition, we are coming full circle to becoming the band we always envisioned being.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The band for the better part of almost a decade has focused on playing classic thrash metal exclusively. Playing fast was only ever part of what made the original era of the genre special. Speed/technicality was never everything, catchy hooks, melody, and overall good song writing was always what stood out to us. While many in our scene predominantly try to sound like Slayer, we always pivoted more towards Anthrax and Megadeth: to be and sound different. This small distinction and preference to this day has separated us from the herd. With Patience now leading the helm as our new frontwoman, we are extremely excited to add completely new sonic layers to our music.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The music industry as a whole is delving further and further into prioritizing content and streams over quality releases and music. Good music is no longer enough to really make something happen as a musical artist; ironic as that may sound. Adapting is key and the trend towards professionalism, smart risk taking, and producing content that matches one’s own musical level is what will determine what bands will make it and those that won’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/mortalis_official
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mortalis.official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mortalisofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mortalisofficial
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6EbAUOCVu9OV197qfUc5Pu
