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Mortiis - Decadent and Desperate

Upon writing this review, I am informed that this new single released from what can be described as one of rock's more eccentric artists, is only 400 sales away from making it into the UK top forty. I can not help but feel slightly impressed, whilst although for other established alternative bands such as Marilyn Manson, this would probably not be a big deal, for Mortiis to make it into the charts is a great achievement in my book.

Why this single has made it into the charts, could be down to a number of factors; the rising popularity of alternative music may have had something to do with it. (I was astonished to see that Nine Inch Nails had reached number four in the CDUK charts the other week).

My personal opinion is that I previously associated Mortiis with his early days of Black Metal and church burning, so you can imagine my surprise when what I heard instead was a blend of metal and electronica, the latter sound being extremely popular at the moment. In the background we have the heavy guitar riffs, the metal base if you like. Added to this are fast paced, dance style drumbeats, similar to the sound of a band like The Prodigy. With a bit of sampling thrown in, I can not see any reason why this would not make a great dance floor filler down at your local rock night. There is no doubt about it; it is a catchy tune.

Over all, this single sounds very similar to the likes of bands such as KMFDM, but I believe this is a good direction for Mortiis, it makes his music more accessible, and if it does well over here, I am positive it will be huge in Europe, especially countries like Germany, where Goth and EBM music is massively popular.

Decadent and Desperate is available now.