Product Description

'Smell Of Rain' is the follow up to the 1999 release 'Stargate'. A pioneer in Norwegian black metal, his latest album is a change in direction with a more melodic ambient industrial sound.

Track Listing

1. Scar Trek/Parasite God
2. Flux/Mental Maelstrom
3. Spirit in a Vacum
4. Monolith
5. You Put a Hex on Me
6. Everyone Leaves
7. Marshland
8. Antimental
9. Smell the Witch

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120093 in Music
• Released on: 2001-10-22
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Smell of Rain by Mortiis seems to arrive at a rather strange time. While the vast majority of music lovers may have left behind black eyeliner, fringed jackets, cowboy hats and a liberal dusting of flour as their chosen fashion statements alongside old Sisters of Mercy and Fields of the Nephilim records, Norway's Mortiis is at the vanguard of nu-goth, or darkwave as it is now known. But not for him the usual trappings of leather trousers and bad crimping. No, Mortiis is renowned for his prosthetic nose and pointed ears, casting him halfway between a troll and Mr. Spock. Which is quite possibly why the opening track on his fourth album is called "Scar Trek / Parasite God". But looks aside, Mortiis' transformation from his dodgy beginnings in extreme metal to this hugely accessible pop creation is profound. Having discovered the virtue of tunes, he's crammed The Smell of Rain with pounding melodies that bring to mind everyone from Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails through to the chanting choirs of Enigma. With the MTV-friendly likes of "Parasite God", "You Put A Hex On Me" and "Smell The Witch" casting their industrial spell, Mortiis could soon find himself a superstar on the alternative scene. --William Luff

Customer Reviews

A very pleasant surprise
I came across Mortiis completely by accident as the support act at a Deathstars gig, liked what I heard, bought this album and it's barely been out of my CD player since. The influence of early goth bands is very clear, with echoes of Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, Joy Division and many others, along with some excellent post-industrial, harder and more technological sounds. The album is best listened to all in one go as a single experience, rather than picking out individual tracks, but that said, I do tend to skip over Monolith (which IMHO is the only weak track on the album). Atmospheric and introspective in places, wild and aggressive in others, I like this album more every time I listen to it. A must for the collection of all fans of the dark side of music!

a very original album
Many people tend to avoid mortiis and have preconceived ideas that stem from his appearance.Though for those people who can get over the ignorance of appearance,they will find mortiis is a very original and unique artist.The smell of rain has a very desperate and sad feel to it,but its a beautiful saddness.The smell of rain sees mortiis lost in himself and in despair,obvious songs that portray this are "monolith","everyone leaves","masrshland" and "antimental". It's an album well worth buying.

Sounds better than he looks!
Mortiis has put behind his black metal past. You can still hear traces of it, and heavier acts like Skinny Puppy and NIN but here his work is accessible commercial industrial-synth sounds - like Delerium, Attrition and VAST. A good album, but perhaps not as good as his influences, Mortiis is still imitator rather than innovator. The limited version includes a bonus disc with the 'Parasite God' video, which is a bonus though.