MORTA SKULD’s upcoming collection of early material, Through The Eyes of Death, is currently streaming in its entirety at this location. Through The Eyes Of Death, combines the band’s two 1990 recordings Gory Departure and Prolong The Agony on one disc along with previously-unreleased material. The two sessions were produced by DEATH manager Eric Greif. MORTA SKULD is the first band other than DEATH and CONTROL DENIED to be published by Chuck Schuldiner’s Mutilation Music. Through The Eyes Of Death will see its release next Tuesday, July 5th, and is available for pre-order at this location along with a preview of the new Travis Smith artwork.
Also to be released next Tuesday is the official music video for MORTA SKULD track “Prolong The Agony”, taken from the Through The Eyes Of Death release. The video was directed by Doug Cook and produced by Eric Greif.
MORTA SKULD formed in 1990, releasing their first demo tape Gory Departure shortly thereafter, and features principal songwriter / guitarist / singer Dave Gregor. The band’s second 3-song demo Prolong The Agony came soon after and featured Viogression drummer Jef Jaeger. Both recordings have been remastered for the Through The Eyes Of Death collection by Chris Wisco at Belle City Sound.
MORTA SKULD began in late 1989 – the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Dave Gregor. Dave’s concept was simple: as his first time fronting a band, he wanted it to be brutal and he wanted it to be real. He gathered around him guitarist Keven Zeitler, bassist Jason Hellman, and drummer Jesse Rofritz. The band began to write new songs and begin to craft their evil sound. As good friends of fellow Milwaukee metal act Viogression, the new band had lots of help as they prepared to record their first studio project. Viogression vocalist Brian DeNeffe came up with the name MORTA SKULD and helped Dave write some of the lyrics.
Gory Departure was recorded on April 21, 22, and 26, 1990 at Wave Digital Studio in Gurnee, Illinois. It was produced by Eric ‘Griffy’ Greif, manager of DEATH, who had recently finished working on the Spiritual Healing project. It featured 4 songs: ‘Sacrificial Rite’, ‘Gory Departure’, ‘Preacher of Lies’, and ‘Senseless Killing’. Brian DeNeffe was along in the studio coaching Dave on his vocals and laying down some guest vocal tracks as well. Viogression drummer Jef Jaeger was there helping Jesse with drum sounds and tuning. Viogression bassist Bryan Jaeger, Brian DeNeffe, and Jason Hellman later created the logo, picture, and title graphics for the cassette cover. Chris Gates snapped some photos for the band’s new demo and promotional material. MORTA SKULD was now ready to get their demo out to the wider death metal world.
After the release of the first demo there was a change in line-up to Jef Jaeger on drums and Jason O’Connell on guitar. New songs began to materialize for the next studio project, with Dave and Jef writing lyrics and the band as a unit composing the music. The lyrics from ‘Feast From Within’ were originally written by Jef Jaeger and Bryan Jaeger for Viogression but the song had been retired and never recorded. Dave and Jef reworked the lyrics and paired it with music that the band had been working on. A more streamlined MORTA SKULD entered the studio again in August of 1990. Dave contacted Eric Greif and approached him with a request to produce the new demo and seek his management assistance. Greif came to a rehearsal to hear the 3 new songs live, liked MORTA SKULD’s aggressive new sound and agreed to produce the tape and continue working with the band. On August 25, 26, and 30, 1990, Prolong the Agony was recorded at Mauer Brothers Studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It began with an intro entitled ‘Through the Eyes of Death’ and featured 3 songs: ‘Feast From Within’, ‘Prolong the Agony’, and ‘…Of Evil’. Soon after the release of Prolong the Agony, the band was ready to gig, and went on to play a number of shows around Wisconsin including the ‘Day Of Death’ show which featured bands like Atheist, Cynic and Hellwitch, and local bands Viogression and Dr. Shrinker. The demo also received many favorable reviews.
In February of 1991, Jef Jaeger left the band and was replaced by Kent Truckenbrod. Soon after, the band was chosen to do a single for Earache Records entitled ‘Eternal Suffering’, which was never released. However, England’s Peaceville Records soon offered the band a deal and the result was four albums, participation in two tributes, and one ‘best of’ compilation.
MORTA SKULD - Dying Remains – 1993
MORTA SKULD - As Humanity Fades – 1994
MORTA SKULD - For All Eternity – 1995
MORTA SKULD - Surface – 1998
Legend Of A Madman: Ozzy Osbourne Tribute – 1998
The Unholy Sounds Of The Demon Bells (A Tribute To Mercyful Fate) – 1999
MORTA SKULD – Re-Surface – 2005
Over the course of their career, MORTA SKULD has played many shows with metal acts such as Slayer, Obituary, DEATH, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, and Carcass. They garnered strong reviews from magazines such as Kerrang, Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs.
After the release of Surface in 1998, Jason O’Connell left the band and was replaced with a string of several different fill-in guitarists. The most notable of these was Takis Kinis (of Realm), who helped the band record ‘Believer’ for Legend Of A Madman: Ozzy Osbourne Tribute album, ‘Desecration Of Souls’ for The Unholy Sounds Of The Demon Bells (A Tribute To Mercyful Fate) album and also a Metal Church cover of the song ‘Metal Church’ which was never released.
Although MORTA SKULD went on hiatus by the 2000s, interest in the band never waned and Peaceville issued a ‘best of’ compilation in 2005. Dave Gregor and Eric Greif then rekindled their working relationship and the end result was a deal with Relapse Records, eager to release the demos and tracks that had never seen the light of day previously.
Through the Eyes of Death is released on Relapse Records July 5th, 2011, accompanied by a Doug Cook-directed video for the track ‘Prolong the Agony’, and live dates.
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