Mortal Sin

Infobox musical artist
Name = Mortal Sin


Img_capt = Mortal Sin at Jalometalli Metal Music Festival in Oulu, 2008
Img_size = 250
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Sydney, Australia
Genre = Thrash metal
Years_active = 1985-1990, 1990-1991, 1996-1998, 2004-present
Label = Vertigo, Virgin, Armageddon Music
Associated_acts = Slaughter Lord, Nazxul, Who's Guilty, White Trash, Grungeon, Enticer
URL = http://www.mortalsin.com.au
Current_members = Mat Maurer Andy Eftichou Mick Sultana Luke Cook Nathan Shea
Past_members = Wayne Campbell Keith Krstin Paul Carwana Mick Burke Steve Hughes Dave DeFrancesco Troy Scerri Alex Hardy Nash Hall Steve Sly Joe Buttigieg Neville Reynolds

Mortal Sin is an Australian thrash metal band that formed in 1985, and arguably the first band in Australia to play purely thrash metal.Fact|date=January 2008

History

The group formed around singer Mat Maurer and drummer Wayne Campbell in Sydney. At first Campbell had attempted to get Maurer into another band called Wizzard but the rest of that band was reluctant to support the idea so the pair struck out on their own, quickly recruiting Wizzard's guitar Keith Krstin, bass player Andy Eftichiou from a band called Judge and a second guitarist Neville Reynolds. Reynolds was fired for not being available to play at the band's very first show and was replaced by Paul Carwana.

Mortal Sin quickly developed a solid following and only seven months after their first live show the band recorded an album-length demo in a mere three days in July 1986. The eight track recording was eventually released in late 1986 as "Mayhemic Destruction" and released as an album on the band's own label Mega Metal Productions. Reaction to the album was immediate and the band was snapped up for an international album deal by Phonogram Records UK, who then re-released "Mayhemic Destruction" worldwide in 1987. In the meantime, Krstin was replaced by Mick Burke from fellow Sydney thrash act Slaughter Lord. Mortal Sin spent much of 1988 recording a second album with producer Randy Burns, who had previously worked with Kreator & Megadeth. The release of "Face of Despair" was held over until early 1989; shortly afterward the band gained further prominence with an Australian tour with Metallica in May but Campbell was sacked shortly after. Another former Slaughter Lord member in Steve Hughes replaced him. In January 1990, Mortal Sin toured Europe and the UK then played some shows in the US but after their final show there Maurer quit the band.

On its return to Australia, the band split, only to reform a short time later with Steve Sly replacing Maurer, however by the end of the year Hughes, Burke and Carwana had also been replaced. The line-up of Eftichiou and Sly plus Alex Hardy (guitar), Dave DeFrancesco (guitar, ex-Enticer) and drummer Nash Hall toured briefly and recorded a third album entitled "Every Dog Has Its Day" (released as "Rebellious Youth" in some markets) that showcased a more traditional metal style than previously but the new combination and sound ultimately failed and by late 1991 Mortal Sin split up.

For the next few years Wayne Campbell featured in bands such as White Trash and Grungeon and also worked as a promoter and Steve Hughes played in Presto and Nazxul. Andy Eftichiou formed Who's Guilty, a heavy rock band that achieved minor significance with an EP and ironically also included two former members of Wizzard. Mick Burke moved into the area of sound engineering. Mat Maurer formed his own band Omega which supported Scatterbrain, but the band did not progress into a writing stage.

It was not until 1996, when Campbell and Maurer then reformed Mortal Sin with Eftichiou and Carwana, plus Anthony Hoffman from Campbell's band Grungeon. Carwana departed almost immediately and was replaced by Troy Scerri, who had previously played alongside Campbell in White Trash. This version of the band released an EP - Revolution of the Mind independently and launched the first full-scale Australian tour that Mortal Sin had ever undertaken. The tour was not particularly successful and eventually Eftichiou was sacked, replaced briefly by the bassist from Sydney death metal band Tscabeze for the group's only appearance at the annual Metal For The Brain festival in Canberra. Jason Thorncraft of Sydney's Headlifter took Eftichiou's place after this but Mortal Sin split up once more in September 1998. The original Australian thrash metal band's reformation had lasted less than two years.

However, the band still was not finished, and in February 2004 Mortal Sin returned once more, this time as Campbell, Maurer, Eftichou and former Addictive guitarists Joe Buttigieg and Mick Sultana. A year later, Mortal Sin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the inaugural Australian Heavy Metal Music Awards but within a month the line-up changed again when Campbell and Buttigieg were replaced by Luke Cook and Nathan Shea. In April 2005, Mortal Sin toured Australia with Anthrax and a comeback album is being recorded. On February 4, 2006, the band played a show in Sydney that featured them performing the "Mayhemic Destruction" album live in its entirety for the first time; this performance was filmed for a proprosed DVD release, however Mortal Sin announced in late June 2006 that the project was abandoned due to poor audio quality.

In August 2006, the band returned to European stages to play some shows in Germany, firstly with Rock over Hamburg alongside Michael Schenker Group, Rose Tattoo, Metal Church, Victory, Gorilla Monsoon and Tourettes Syndrome. The band also performed at the Wacken Open Air Festival. Mortal Sin's fourth full-length album "An Absence of Faith" was recorded in February 2007 at The Basement Studios in Sydney with producer Phil McKellar. It was released in July 2007 in Australia through Riot!Entertainment and in Europe in September through Germany's Armageddon Music. In late 2007, the band also released reissued versions of "Mayhemic Destruction" and "Face Of Despair" through Riot!, both of which contained bonus tracks.

Mortal Sin returned to Europe in March 2008 as support to Overkill to tour and promote the new album. In the Summer of 2008, the band played some festival gigs, like the Wacken Open Air and Jalometalli.

Band members

*Mat Maurer - vocals (1985 - 1990, 1996 - )
*Andy Eftichiou - bass (1985 - 1991, 1996 - 1997, 2004 - )
*Wayne Campbell - drums (1985 - 1989, 1996 - 2005)
*Paul Carwana - guitar (1986 - 1990, 1996)
*Keith Krstin - guitar (1985 - 1987)
*Mick Burke - guitar (1987 - 1990)
*Steve Hughes - drums (1989 - 1990)
*Mick Sultana - guitar (2004 - )
*Joe Buttigieg - guitar (2004 - 2005)
*Luke Cook - drums (2005 - )
*Nathan Shea - guitar (2005 - )
*Steve Sly - vocals (1990 - 1991)
*Alex Hardy - guitar (1990 - 1991)
*Dave DeFrancesco - guitar (1990 - 1991)
*Tom Dostupil - guitar (1991)
*Nash Hall - drums (1990 - 1991)
*Anthony Hoffman - guitar (1996 - 1998)
*Troy Scerri - guitar (1996 - 1998)
*"Chook" - bass (one show, 1997)
*Jason Thorncraft - bass (1997 - 1998)
*Neville Reynolds - guitar (1985 - 1986)

Discography

Infobox Discography
Type = Studio
Name = Mayhemic Destruction
Released = 1986, 1987
Label = flagicon|AUS Mega Metal, flagicon|UK Vertigo
Producer = John Darwich and Mortal Sin
Format = LP
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album =
Writer =
Tracks =
Other info =

Infobox Discography
Type = Studio
Name = Face of Despair
Released = 1989
Label = flagicon|UK Vertigo
Producer = Randy Burns
Format = LP, CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album =
Writer =
Tracks =
Other info =

Infobox Discography
Type = Studio
Name = Rebellious Youth
Released = 1991
Label = flagicon|UK Under One Flag
Producer = Kevin Shirley
Format = CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album =
Writer =
Tracks =
Other info =

Infobox Discography
Type = EP
Name = Revolution of the Mind
Released = 1997
Label = None
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album =
Writer =
Tracks =
Other info =

Infobox Discography
Type = Single
Name = Out of the Darkness
Released = 2006
Label = none
Producer = Phil McKellar
Format = CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album = An Absence of Faith
Writer =
Tracks = "Out of the Darkness", "Lebanon (live)", "I Am Immortal (live)", "Mayhemic Destruction (live)"
Other info =

Infobox Discography
Type = Live
Name = Mortal Thrashing Mad - Official Live Bootleg
Released = 2007
Label = flagicon|AUS Mega Metal
Producer =
Format = CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album =
Writer =
Tracks =
Other info =

Infobox Discography
Type = Studio
Name = An Absence of Faith
Released = 2007
Label = flagicon|AUS Riot!, flagicon|GER Armageddon Music
Producer = Phil McKellar
Format = CD
Chart position=
Certification =
Sales =
Singles =
from Album =
Writer =
Tracks =
Other info =

External links

* [http://www.mortalsin.com.au Mortal Sin homepage]