BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edtion - June 2016

SHRAPNEL
MORTILLERY
nuclear metalpunks pound out toxic thrashterpiece
If one were to the fuse the horrors of both
the secretive chambers of Josef Fritzl and a
desolate post-nuclear wasteland, the result
would be Edmonton’s five-piece metalpunking
thrashers, Mortillery. Emanating metallic
toxicity since their spawn in 2008, their latest
full-length Shapeshifter packs their hardest and
most hazardous punch yet.
Although a quick Google search delivers thousands
of modern thrash bands at the click of a
button, Mortillery wallops courtesy of the prominent
influence of hardcore punk fused with classic heavy
metal. Founding member and rhythm guitarist Alex
Gutierrez elaborates on the contributions to their
unique sound.
“Kevin [Gaudet], our drummer, is more into
rock and roll, and Miranda [Wolfe, bassist] and
I are more into punk stuff, Cara [McCutchen,
vocals] listens to your classic heavy metal... and
Kent [Quinlan, lead guitar], he likes more technical
stuff... But since we’ve been hanging out he listens
to more aggressive shit.”
He continues, “In this band we play thrash metal
and we’re not looking to reinvent the genre. We just
focus on the parts of the genre that we identify with
more, at the end of the day we just play and write
whatever makes us stoked.”
The May 27th release Shapeshifter, which is the
band’s third full-length and second release under
Mortillery released Shapeshifter on May 27th via Napalm Records.
Napalm Records, demonstrates a more refined
presentation of the band’s collective skill. Their
frenzied metalpunk attack has subtly morphed,
developing from the rawness of their 2011 debut
Murder Death Kill to the melodic assault of Origin
of Extinction (2013). Now, those elements are
cohesive and incessant.
“I think we just grew better at writing the
songs, you know? Like we got to know each
other better and know what our influences are
and then try to use that better instead of just
like writing random songs, like at first it seemed
like we were all just kind of playing whatever we
photo: Dana Zuk
wrote, but now it’s more focused.”
In early May the band published a music video
for “Torture,” the eighth track on the aforementioned
record. Juxtaposing playing footage with a horror
movie-esque storyline, the consummation of the video
shows stacks of VHS with the names of Albertan
bands (presumably, the killer has claimed them all),
a move which simultaneously exemplifies the strong
camaraderie in the provincial metal community.
“I think that’s the cool thing about Edmonton
and Calgary, and I’m sure you see it when you go to
shows...everybody gets along pretty well, there’s not
really much shit in between bands, nobody is really
by Breanna Whipple
competing with each other or anything. So it’s really
easy to be involved, to be very supportive, because
everybody’s your buds and we’re also all in each other’s
bands too so it’s kinda hard not to support each
other,” says Gutierrez, laughing.
Albertan friends and fans aside, Mortillery enjoys
unusually strong visibility (bolstered by frequent touring
that has seen the band play Europe and South
America, among other locales) as Gutierrez believes a
frequent Internet presence is essential for expanding
the metal genre.
“I’m not one to be upset about people using
downloads and the Internet to find, promote and
help out bands. It ties in with touring, we’re a smaller
band enjoying moderate success and the internet has
helped us reach out to a wider audience who normally
wouldn’t know anything about us.”
Internet success is far from being the highest priority
on Gutierrez’s itinerary.
“I take this shit very seriously, for those who know
me know that I don’t fuck around when it comes to
my bands and the work it takes to make it happen.
Whether it’s our live shows or all the behind the
scenes stuff, I make sure we don’t take any shortcuts
and always perform to our best ability.
“Play it loud, play it fast, this is rock ‘n’ roll!”
Mortillery performs in Calgary on June 10th at Broken
City and in Edmonton on June 11th at Brixx Bar.
52 | JUNE 2016 • BEATROUTE SHRAPNEL