Smell of Rain

Mortiis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 30, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Earache Records
• ASIN: B00005R5LS
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,065 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Scar Trek/Parasite God

2. Flux/Mental Maelstrom

3. Spirit In A Vacuum

4. Monolith

5. You Put A Hex On Me

6. Everyone Leaves

7. Marshland

8. Antimental

9. Smell The Witch

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Smell of Rain by Mortiis arrives at a rather strange time. Although the vast majority of music lovers have abandoned black eyeliner, fringed jackets, cowboy hats, and flour makeup along with their old Sisters of Mercy and Fields of the Nephilim records, Norway's Mortiis is at the vanguard of nü-goth, or "darkwave," as it is now known. But instead of the usual trappings of leather trousers and bad crimping, Mortiis is renowned for his prosthetic nose and pointed ears, casting him halfway between a troll and Mr. Spock. Which is quite possibly why the opening track on his fourth album is called "Scar Trek/Parasite God." Looks aside, Mortiis's transformation from his suspect beginning as an extreme metal musician to this hugely accessible pop creation is profound. Having discovered the virtue of tunes, he's crammed The Smell of Rain with pounding melodies that bring to mind everyone from Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails through to the chanting choirs of Enigma. With the MTV-friendly likes of "Parasite God," "You Put a Hex On Me," and "Smell the Witch" casting their industrial spell, Mortiis could soon find himself a superstar on the alternative scene. --William Luff

Product Description

Limited set includes bonus DVD disc featuring 'Parasite God' video, photo galleries and more. NTSC. Region 1. Earache. 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Born again goth, December 16, 2003

By 

jake - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smell of Rain (Audio CD)

Whilst mindlessly surfing the net i stumbled across a goth metal site that looked interesting. There were some sample tracks to download and by sheer luck i chose a Mortiis track - Smell the witch (track 10 on this cd).
THAT WAS IT! I knew then i had to get my hands on more tracks to see if this song was a one off.. but to my delight all the songs on this album are amazing. It's very rare that i buy a cd to find that all the tracks are outstanding.
If the tracks are listened to in the order on the cd then you will be treated to a journey through goth, metal, and ambience which has a slight aroma of the 80's what with the cascade of synth sounds; the kind of industrial sounds present in the likes of Pet Shop Boys.
The dark sounds don't drown out the lyrics which in turn are audible unlike that of other dark bands such as napalm death and the like. A truly haunting yet comforting experience.
Be one of the first to discover this relatively unheard/ unknown musical gift. I predict that Mortiis will rise to meet the popularity of the equally magnificent Marilyn Manson.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nine Inch Nails for the new millennium, August 15, 2004

By 

Scar Trek (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smell of Rain (+Bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

Well, this album was quite unexpected. If you're familiar with Mortiis' previous works, you may be expecting this to be another album full of dark dungeon ambience. Oh how wrong you would be. Mortiis' last album, Stargate, hinted at his desire to bring in more synths and electronic music into his work, but nobody could have predicted this. He took a wild leap into new territory, a kind of electronic-industrial goth. It's difficult to classify, an album as unique as the man... err, troll, who made it.
And what a leap. His previous works were for a niche market at best, had to be taken with a pinch of salt, but this is the kind of music you can put on and get your friends dancing to. Just so long as you don't show them the guy who made it. A more traditional song structure, clear-cutting vocals, lyrics so angsty they put Linkin Park to shame. It's extremely reminiscent of early Nine Inch Nails (Reznor himself has proclaimed a great joy for Mortiis' recent works), though with a slight aura of innocence or naivety to it. The whole thing works extremely well, it appeals to a large cross-section of audiences, and has more than enough catchy tunes to bring in new listeners.
Content-wise, despite being only nine tracks, this album more than delivers. Out of the nine, I would only consider two of them as filler material, and even they are hardly tracks you're likely to skip past after the first listening. The opening track Scar Trek/Parasite God is a stunning opener, filled with more atmosphere than the planet Druidia. Spirit In A Vacuum is a track reminiscent of Sisters of Mercy in their hayday, which is one hell of a compliment, and it's almost criminal that this song never ended up being released as a single. Everyone Leaves is a song that will bring some people to tears with the stark truth layed out by Mortiis' unusually innocent voice. Marshland will have you humming that chorus for weeks to come. And Smell The Witch, well, what more needs to be said by a song with such a title? It's a great bit of fun and a fantastic finish to one of the best albums of the decade thus far.
If you buy the special edition, you'll get a DVD with the music video to Parasite God too, which is a neat bonus, though the video is sadly nothing to write home about. They could have at least thrown the Mental Maelstrom video on there as well. But still, it's a free bonus, so I won't dock marks for it.
Overall, if you have any interest in dance, industrial, electronic or goth music, seek this album out, and you'll love it a long time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aouchhhhh!!!!!!!, December 11, 2002

By 

torquemada "sweating_demon" (beirut, lebanon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smell of Rain (Audio CD)

being a fan of the 80's pop and also of darkwave music (dargaard, the cure, depeche mode, sisters of mercy, skinny puppy, etc) i received a real kick in the jaw while listening to Mortiis' latest. not only he totally changes his musical direction but he does that with honors! if you're simply into meaningful music then you'll love this. i was so much (and still!) into Mortiis' earlier stuff but it's just not fair to say that "the smell of rain" is crap just because the artist has forsaken his black metal root in order to explore new musical horizons. everything on this album is perfect. i cant recommend just one song cos they all rock! you will however, die for 'spirit in a vacuum', 'you put a hex on me', and 'everyone leaves'. in short, buy this. you wont be sorry.