This week’s featured Meet The Band artist is the L.A. death metal group Mortal Wound. Their full-length debut album The Anus Of The World was just released. Vocalist/guitarist Sam introduces us to his band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Mortal Wound.
Sam: Mortal Wound was grunted out in 2016 with Me, Peter, Mathias, and then Rollie on drums. We recorded Forms of Unreasoning Fear in 2017, released in 2018. Rollie quit and Patman started playing drums. He played on the Gutless split. Devlin started playing drums with us around 2019. Recently we’ve recruited Rick Kissell on guitar.
Describe the songwriting process for The Anus Of The World.
We were lost outside the wire with only our bayonets. We had to stab our way through the jungle for what seemed like an eternity.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
There was blood and guts and body parts all over.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
We had been inside for too long. Getting softer as our enemies squatted in the bush getting stronger.
How would you characterize its style/sound?
California death metal.
What lyrical topics do you cover?
War. Jungle war. Vietnam. The California war. When all the beach bums got drafted into the green inferno. Smoking dope and listening to Rock n Roll radio in the anus of the world. Going surfing and killing human beings.
What inspired the album title?
A strange sense of fear and contempt of my surroundings.
How did you come to sign with Dark Descent and Me Saco Un Ojo?
Our mission was sent down from the top brass of both respected nations, the MSUO and DDR, conspiring also with the ERP. The objective: to cut the head off the death metal trend.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
The success of the mission is still unknown. There has been little to no contact and we fear there will be no survivors.
The album is being released on vinyl. Are you a collector?
The exposure has caused a lifelong affliction with many health risks.
What were some of the highlights of your recent Probing The Unexplored tour?
The burn marks that were on Pat O’Brian’s guitar.
What other shows/tours do you have coming up?
June 1st at 1720 in LA with Bloodbath, Primordial, Archgoat, Severe Torture, and Ascended Dead. June 9th at the Fonda theater with Power Trip and Soul Search. June 22 at Death Over Bakersfield fest with Demoncy.
How did you get started in music?
I was always told to avoid it, but curiosity got the best of me. At first it was only casual, but gradually became a habit I couldn’t shake.
What was your first band and what style of music did they play?
Peter and I had a band called We Have No Faces that sounded like Billy Madison.
Who were your early influences and inspirations?
Steven Tyler from Aerosmith.
What was the first metal concert you attended?
Danzig
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
Smoking cigarettes in my chair with all the lights off.
What’s the best thing you’ve binge watched lately?
Don Vito drinks 52 shots of peach schnapps.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Drop the bomb.
(interview published May 25, 2024)
Listen To Mortal Wound – “Found Dead In A Bush”
