Aural Aggravation

The second advance single taken from the forthcoming MER Redux Series release Marc Urselli’s Ramones Redux features a stylish collaboration with a creeping groove of Icelandic artist Daníel Hjálmtýsson and Norwegian dungeon synth pioneer Mortiis. These Nordic musicians have taken on the track ‘Beat on the Brat’ and truly made it their own, with the punk-worshipping new Redux Series installment scheduled for release on June 6, 2025.

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Daníel Hjálmtýsson comments: “Ramones made me love making music the way I wanted to make music", the Icelander writes. "No excuses. No rules. Taking chances and learning to love the imperfections. Just straight up. Fearless. With this track being a personal favorite, I really wanted to do a kind of 180 spin on it and take a lot of chances. The theme of the song is very dark and hits home for me in many ways, and I wanted to explore the disturbing themes in a darker, moodier way. I’m so grateful to be a part of Marc Urselli’s group of incredible artists on this one!”

Mortiis states: “Needless to say, when you’re asked to work on something as legendary as a Ramones song, even if it’s just a cover, it can be pretty nerve-wracking stuff", the Norwegian muses. “I just rolled with what came natural to me, and hopefully I won’t be lynched by the masses. Marc has always been awesome to work with, and so far he hasn’t tried to kill me, which I think is a good sign.”

It has been said about Icelandic artist Daníel Hjálmtýsson that he “embodies a sonic fusion reminiscent of the likes of Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, and Depeche Mode, set against a Leonard Cohen afterworld”. With his debut single ‘Birds’, Daníel introduced his dark, neo-goth and atmospheric approach to alternative rock music in early 2020. The late Mark Lanegan wrote: “Daníel makes icy neo-goth music that brings to mind the forbidden landscapes of his native Iceland”, the legendary US-musician stated. “One can envision him on a stage of a church-turned-dungeon, somewhere in the Reykjavik underbelly.”

Iconic Norwegian musician Mortiis has just signed a deal with Magnetic Eye sister label Prophecy Productions. After parting ways with the Norwegian black metal pioneers EMPEROR, Mortiis embarked on a solo career, the so called ‘Era I’, that lasted from 1993 until 1999. In this highly creative period, the Norwegian released six full-length albums (including the “The Song of a Long Forgotten Ghost” demo and “Crypt of the Wizard"). His music during this phase was entirely composed on synthesizers. In the next decade, Mortiis evolved into a band that marked the beginning of the short-lived ‘Era II’, which only consists of the rather electropop oriented 2001-album "The Smell of Rain”. When ‘The Grudge’ came out in 2004, the album had a hard impact of the scene and started ‘Era III’. The Norwegian and his band had turned to heavy industrial rock and as a result made many new friends. This was followed by a factual hiatus between 2011 and 2015, although it was never officially announced. In 2016, the next full-length "The Great Deceiver" surprised global followers of the band that had long hoped for a new release. Although the style of the previous phase is largely continued, it is named ‘Era 0’. On the gargantuan remix album The Great Corrupter, Mortiis again teamed up with a host of exciting artists including musicians from GODFLESH, FRONTLINE ASSEMBLY, DIE KRUPPS, MERZBOW, and APOPTYGMA BERZERK among a multitude of others. Currently, the Norwegian is preparing to release a new album.