Long before masked bands like PRESIDENT, Ghost , and Sleep Token caught attention, Norwegian musician Mortiis was already building his artistic identity with makeup, prosthetics, and an aesthetic that helped define his career. Even so, he stated that he never had any interest in maintaining the same level of anonymity adopted by those groups.
In an interview with magazine Metal Hammer, the former Emperor bassist commented on the rise of masked artists in the current scene and praised Tobias Forge 's work with Ghost, revealing that he never felt comfortable completely hiding his identity.
“I don’t pay much attention to that. I think Tobias [Forge] did some really cool stuff with Ghost. I like some of his songs and I only met him once. He was quiet, seemed very nice. As for Sleep Token, I only know them because people talk about them, so I don’t have a strong opinion. I’ve seen some pictures and they look cool, but a lot of people look like that, right? It seems like I see a lot of things going through my algorithm: masked band, masked band, masked band! The strangest thing is that I feel like the only guy who wears a mask and still has a face,” Mortiis said.
He continued: “It’s not just that, but the fact that Mortiis’ mask is still a face. It’s so natural for me to give interviews like this. I don’t feel the need to hide my face. I tried that in the 90s for a while: it was kind of half-hearted, doing that KISSwhere you can’t be seen without makeup. I copied the original creators for a short period and thought, ‘This is boring! This is exhausting as hell!’ Trying not to be seen and then, when people ask, you pretend you’re not Mortiis? Screw it! Maybe I’m just lazy.”
The artist emphasized that he has always preferred to keep his stage persona separate from his everyday life. For him, the transformation happens naturally during shows, but loses its meaning outside of that context.
“I just don’t like pretending. It feels fake. The only times it doesn’t feel fake is when I go on stage. I enter a different mental state when I’m there. You transform as a person, so that doesn’t feel like acting either. If I had put my mask on before we went into the Zoom interview, it would have been fake. I’ve done a few appearances on TV shows wearing the mask, and they look good, but it’s strange. You can tell. People don’t mind, but it’s a weird experience for everyone,” he revealed.
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