Your new album Shapeshifter is out now. Can you tell us a bit about it?
It came out May 27th and we couldn’t be happier! It’s our third album and we think it’s our best one yet. We worked really hard to put this out and we feel we’ve grown a lot as musicians since our first release.
What are some of the lyrics about on the album?
Cara writes most of her lyrics and I (Alex Gutierrez) sometimes contribute with a song or two. Her songs are about things that interest her like cryptids and biology, different states of mind and things like that. I write about war and evil also about our post-apocalyptic future.
Can you tell us a bit about the artwork for Shapeshifter?
Todd Knutson has done every piece of art we’ve ever used. We trust him so he has full artistic freedom; once he shows us a piece we let him know what we like or what to change but for the most part we keep it as it is. On this cover we touch themes of post nuclear winter, a meltdown and changes within us.
Does Shapeshifter differ in sound or execution from your last album 2013s Origin Of Extinction?
I think so, I mean no one wants to keep releasing the same album over and over, we’ve grown a lot and it shows in our music. We can write better, we can perform better ad that’s always a goal for us.
Is the album a continuation of the Origin Of Extinction album?
Not really, we don’t write concept albums or anything like that so it’s not a continuation. There are some common themes but only because there are certain topics we like to sing about.
You have just done a video for the song Torture. Can you tell us a bit about it?
We filmed the entire video in 22 hours straight! I’m so proud of all of us for working so hard and of Lindsay Robinson for working us hard and providing us with such a cool video. He wrote and directed it; we really like how it turned out.
There is a good mixture between the out and out heaviness and aggression and the melody in your music. Do you think this balance is an important part of the Mortillery sound?
100%! One of our main focuses for this album was melody and aggression. I’m you and others have noticed that. It’s what I look for I music so it was an obvious rout for us to take.
What have been some of the highlights of Mortillery’s career so far?
My two favorite highlights would be signing with Napalm Records and touring with Sepultura and Flotsam and Jetsam. Dreams do come true!
What are some of the bands influences and inspirations?
Musically the 5 of us come from different places but it’s safe to say that early Metallica, Judas Priest, Détente and Toxic Holocaust have been our main influences and inspirations.
What was it like coming up as a new band in your hometown of Edmonton, Canada. Was there much of a metal scene there?
I would call it an underground scene because it’s more than just metal. Punk, rockabilly, post-punk, oi are all genres that are very strong here and we all attend each other’s shows. In all honesty I would say I go to more punk shows than I do metal shows. It’s only hard because our cities are pretty far away so touring is hard, but you can definitely feel and see the support from everyone.
Who are some of your favourite Canadian metal bands?
For old school bands I’d say Razor and Sacrifice.
How did your hometown show at the Shredmonton festival go with Goatwhore and Dying Fetus earlier in the month?
So fun!! Goatwhore killed it, best band of the fest for sure!
Did you play much new material?
Yeah, we’re preparing for our cd release shows coming up this summer so we played a few of the songs on the new album but it’s hard when you only have 30 minutes to play, especially at home haha.
What are your touring plans for the rest of the year?
We recently announced a European tour with Suicidal Angels, Skull Fist, and Evil Invaders this will start on Oct 19 and end Oct 31 (we’re only doing the second leg of the tour) meanwhile we’re doing a bunch of cd release shows here in Canada.
You have shared a stage with everyone from Death Angel and Skeletonwitch to Cattle Decapitation and Suffocation. Who has been your favourite band to play with?
It’s hard to say, maybe Razor or Death Angel. The guys from Death Angel were super nice and to this day we still stay in touch.
You played a show recently with Black Tusk and Holy Grail. All three bands are heavy but all in different ways. Do you like playing with different styles of heavy bands?
Yeah I mean we’ll play with anyone anywhere, besides just because our band plays thrash, that doesn’t mean we’re not fans of other types of music.
What is the Mortillery live experience like?
Louder and faster than everything else!
What is your favourite song to play live?
Recently probably Torture, its’ my favorite from the album too.
Have you got any memorable gigs you’ve played that stand out to you?
When we played with Razor we got to headline!! But only because of flight schedules haha. We played a show in Poland a while back and it was the craziest crowd I’ve ever seen, they were moshing before we even went on and there was not even music playing haha. Its seriously the best whet the crowd is so interactive.
If Mortillery could play with any bands, who would you choose?
I think a tour with Toxic Holocaust and Midnight would be the best time ever!!
What are your top 3 metal albums of all time?
It changes all the time but right ow I would say:
-Détente – Recognize no Authority
-Metallica – Kill ‘em All
-Flotsam and Jetsam – Doomsday for the Deceiver
Can you recommend any up and coming bands to us?
Gatekrashor, Tarantuja, Messiahlator. They’re all local bands! They rule!
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