Crimson Moon: How did the band get started?
Lucas: Victor (the drummer) and I (Lucas Flocco) played in a band together with two of our other friends from 2011- early 2013. After that band broke up, Victor, the bassist from our old band, and myself formed a new band, Mortanius.
Crimson Moon: What kind of music do you play?
Lucas: We play progressive/power metal with a Gothic, somewhat dark atmosphere.
Crimson Moon: How has the band response been?
Lucas: People into melodic metal genres tend to enjoy our work.
Crimson Moon: Where did the band name come from?
Lucas: Mortanius is the name of a character from the Legacy of Kain series of video games.
Crimson Moon: Introduce the band members
Lucas: Victor Cardone plays drums, Jesse Shaw plays bass and provides some backing vocals, and I play guitar and sing.
Crimson Moon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Lucas: In regards to all of our recorded material, I have written all of the music and lyrics (sans covers), though every band member has input when it comes to what they end up actually playing. We do, however, have some songs already prepared for future recordings that have music and lyrics written by other band members.
Crimson Moon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Lucas: I write the music first, then after sitting on the music for a while, I think of a subject or theme that might fit with the music. I get ideas for lyrics from the music itself, movies, books, and dreams.
Crimson Moon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Lucas: As of 2015, we have two EP’s recorded, and we are preparing to record another.
Crimson Moon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Lucas: The title track, Savage Garden, was written in summer of 2013, and the lyrics were written early in 2015. It is about Lestat, the main character of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles books. The second track, Ashen Arms and Open Wings, had both of its music and lyrics written in 2012, and its lyrical content is more an abstract description of a surreal image than a message or story. Basically, it’s a bunch of nonsense. The third track, My Requiem, was also written in 2012, but the lyrics were written in late 2013. It tells the story of an immortal being (a vampire or otherwise), who has lived on earth for centuries, but feels he has wasted all of his time on earth. The biblical apocalypse is fast approaching, and he decides to return to a church he used to visit in his childhood. The church is crumbled and in ruins, and he ponders on the passage of time and its affect on things like memory and existence. The dead rise and demons run rampant on the earth, and his soul is collected along with everyone ease’s on earth.
Crimson Moon: Do you have any side projects?
Lucas: At this time, none of us do.
Crimson Moon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Lucas: My musical influences involve lots of video game music, such as Castlevania, Street Fighter, Evil Zone, and Nier. Movie soundtracks from composers like Fabio Frizzi and John Carpenter. Various music and theme songs to anime. Bands like Angra, Royal Hunt, Moi Dix Mois, Circus Maximus, Malice Mizer, Symphony X, Galneryus, Peste Noire, Nox Arcana, Sisters of Mercy, Versailles, Rhapsody of Fire, Stratovarius, Lacrimosa, Dream Theater, Theatres des Vampires, King Diamond, Asia, and Emperor.
Jesse: Dream theater, Circus Maximus, Between The Buried and Me.
Victor: Dream Theater, Angra, Seventh Wonder.
Crimson Moon: Which current bands?
Lucas: Light Bringer.
Jesse: Haken.
Victor: Dirty Loops.
Crimson Moon: What is the band like when you play live?
Lucas: We give a lively show with a heavy emphasis on music. No theatrics of tricks, though it’d be cool to incorporate such things in the future.
Crimson Moon: What was the best band you played with?
Lucas: The best band we’ve played with so far is probably Alustrium. They are a progressive death metal band from our area. Their technical skill is great and their song writing is very creative.
Crimson Moon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Lucas: Unfortunately we have not yet. We will someday!
Crimson Moon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Lucas: We don’t have much of a fan base yet, so we usually play to crowds of 10-30 depending on the venue and how many people came to hear the other bands.
Crimson Moon: How is the crowd response when you play?
Lucas: Because of where we live, we usually end up playing with metalcore/deathcore bands, so most of the people attending our live shows are mainly there to hear that kind of music, thus we are often met with confused looks when we play.
Crimson Moon: What is the scene like over in your country?
Lucas: In the US, melodic European sounding metal with clean singing is generally not very popular. Music that is popular with teenagers, like metalcore and deathcore, is what is most prominent in the US scene. Playing that kind of music will get someone the most immediate response. Extreme metal genres with harsh vocals, like death metal, and to a lesser extent, black metal, are also more well off than progressive/power metal bands. But that’s what the internet is for. US progressive/power metal bands must reach out to potential fans through the internet.
Crimson Moon: What made you want to be in this band? And if you weren’t in this band what would you being doing now?
Lucas: I wanted to play the kind of music I wanted to play. If I wasn’t in this band I’d probably be in another band, and if I wasn’t doing that, I’d be putting most of my time into school, instead of splitting my time between school and band activities.
Crimson Moon: What does the future hold for the band??
Lucas: We are to start recording a new EP by late 2015/early 2016. After that, we will begin preparing to record a full length album. Hopefully bigger shows and record label attention will follow that!!
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/mortaniusband
https://mortanius.bandcamp.com/album/savage-garden-ep
