All about this artist
Biography:
Born Håvard Ellefsen, 25 July 1975, Skien, Norway. After playing bass in an early incarnation of the Norwegian black metal band Emperor, Mortiis decided to reinvent himself entirely and, strapping on false bat-ears, a witch-like, hooked nose and a black cape, created an entirely new look for himself.
Observers sniggered, but when the music Mortiis created moved diametrically away from Emperor's epic, thousand-guitar sound into attractively sparse electronic/ambient territory, and started selling in significant numbers, the critics were silenced. The last stage in his transformation from underground eccentric to international media figure was taken when the mainstream media latched onto him at the turn of the century, with the Swedish newspaper Expressen voting him number 5 in its Babe Of The Year Poll and even Britain's The Sun tabloid getting in on the act.
Mortiis' live shows are dramatic, blood-drenched affairs, too, despite the subtle, even laid-back nature of many of his songs. Lyrically, his songs tend toward the pagan, darkly fantastical themes that so many black metallers enjoy, but this has not stopped an army of fans latching onto this most unusual of performers.
A book of his poetry even appeared in 2001, making Mortiis the only extreme metal act (except perhaps Metallica and Cradle Of Filth) to make the transition into the mainstream.
