Morlocks (Swedish Band)

Morlocks is an alternative/industrial rock band formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in the early 1990s by J.Strauss and Н.М.Д.

Biography

The first demo cassette ''They're Not Human'', released in 1991, was mostly electronic body music with ambient parts, heavily influenced by cyberpunk and roleplaying games. After two years, the band faded away and was reformed in 1997 with a different lineup. 1998, the demo ''Through the Waking World'' was released, this time with a different sound, ranging from guitar based electronic to medieval tunes, orchestral parts and even synthpop. The demo led to a record deal with Nangijala Records, and the debut album ''...For Your Pleasure?'' was released in 2001, containing several reworked tracks from ''Through the Waking World''. Morlocks performed at many Swedish clubs and got a good reputation for energetic live shows, but internal struggles concerning creative disagreements and how the album was mixed ripped the band apart from within. The single ''Non Trigger Man'' was released in 2002, and the band was put to an end.

Main composer, lead vocalist and founding member J.Strauss reformed the band immediately after the split by inviting Logos, keyboardist from the recently disbanded death metal band Nightshade, along with Innocentius Rabiatus (the artist formerly known as VigilAnte), ex-guitarist of gothic rock act Dark Side Cowboys. The trio agreed that all earlier releases were way too musically incoherent, and decided to head for a more heavy, industrial rock/metal sound with bombastic orchestral parts (given the fact the all three have a classical music education). The electronic parts would remain, but play a smaller role than before.

In 2010 they performed at the Parkbühne venue at Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany as well as the festival ElektroStat in Oslo, Norway and did a summer tour in Finland along with Finnish gothic metal act Vergil. The album ''The Outlaw of Fives'' was eventually self released on CD in 2011 after years of re-recordings, technical issues and long breaks due to a member being abroad for an extended amount of time and the birth of a morlock baby. The lyrics deal with discordianism, political issues, strong anarchistic influences and criticism of several concepts of modern day's society. However, the messages are rarely explicitly spelled out, but instead hidden behind symbolism and analogies, often with tongue-in-cheek play on words.

In 2011, Morlocks was contacted by the German-based industrial rock band KMFDM who had heard some of Morlocks' demo recordings, and after some correspondence a collaboration was started. First out was a Morlocks Mix of Krank, appearing on the Amnesia single (Metropolis Records) in 2012. The song ''The Mess You Made'' was co-written by Sascha Konietzko and Morlocks and appears on KMFDM's album of 2013, KUNST, with lead vocals by J.Strauss and guitars by Innocentius Rabiatus and Jules Hodgson.

After a record deal with German label Echozone in 2012, ''The Outlaw of Fives'' was re-released and distributed all over Europe.

In 2013, bass player/vocalist/multi instrumentalist Lamashtu became a part of the ensemble, and there was much rejoicing.

Later the same year, Morlocks appeared on the compilation ''Their Music, Our Lives'', a tribute to the Slovenian band Borghesia, covering their song ''Young Prisoners''. In 2018, they also recorded a cover version of ''The Lake'' (originally released by Swedish black metal pioneers Bathory in 1996), in typical Morlocks neo-classical/industrial style.

During the pesky global lockdown in 2021, Morlocks (now a trio again) dug up their gear, wiped off the rust, wrote a bunch of new songs to pass the time, summoned the appropriate jinns and recorded their third full length album ''Praise the Iconoclast''.

The album, with Swedish dark electro queen Karin My, Heljarmadr of Grá/Dark Funeral and long time co-conspirator Sascha Konietzko on guest vocals, was finished in the spring of 2023 and almost immediately picked up by US label Metropolis Records for release to the masses in October the same year.

A video of the song ''Dicks in Tanks'' (feat. Heljarmadr) was published on YouTube as a teaser.

In 2024, Morlocks joined industrial legends KMFDM as a supporting act on the latter's 40th years anniversary tours in the USA. Touring for that long did not sit well with Lamashtu, who then decided to quit.https://regenmag.com/news/kmfdm-celebrating-40-years-of-conceptual-continuity-with-new-album-and-u-s-tour/

Line up

Current members

*J.Strauss — lead vocals, keyboards, trumpet (1990–present)
*Innocentius Rabiatus — lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (2003–present)

Former members

*Н.М.Д. — lead vocals, keyboards (1990–1993)
*L.Turtle — lead vocals, lyrics (1991–1993)
*Napoleon — keyboards, percussion (1991–2002)
*Jenan — lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–2002)
*I van Ish — drums, keyboards (1997–2001)
*Cavenus — lead vocals (2004–2008)
*Kya Wolfwritten — lead vocals (2009–2010)
*Logos — rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (2003–2015)
*Lamashtu — bass, backing vocals (2013–2024)
*Reverend Grudge — rhythm guitar (2021–2024, live only)

Discography

*They're Not Human (demo, 1991)
*Through the Waking World (demo, 1998)
*...For Your Pleasure? (album, Nangijala Records, 2001)
*Non Trigger Man (single, Nangijala Records, 2002)
*The Outlaw of Fives (album, Non Aligned Media/Echozone, 2011)
*Praise the Iconoclast (album, Metropolis Records, 2023)
*Amor, Monstra et Horrore Profundi (mini-album, Metropolis Records, 2024)

References

External links

Official band website

Facebook page

Morlocks on Spotify

Morlocks on Metropolis Records

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Swedish alternative rock groups
Swedish industrial music groups
Musical groups from Gothenburg