Psychology of a deathless MORTAL SIN- Interview with Andy Eftichiou

2011 and Mortal Sin have just released their next studio album Psychology of Death. It is without a doubt their heaviest release to date and an album dripping with venom and energy. But where do Mortal Sin go from here? They have been back for over eight years and have re-established themselves as the leading Australian Metal band yet again.

Supporting German thrash metal legends Destruction throughout their Australian Tour this November, Voltage Media was very much excited to be given the opportunity to catch up with bassist Andy Eftichiou, who was able to squeeze in an interview whilst holidaying in Greece!

The new album is very heavy, I would say the heaviest album that you have released. What was the impetus for this heavier direction?

Andy Eftichiou: This is definitely what we wanted to do, it was a very conscious step. We went back to our roots and looked long and hard at what made Mortal Sin successful in the beginning. I was listening to Mayhemic Destruction today; it still is a very heavy album and we wanted to capture that with the same sincerity on this album but with a modern production. Every song had to have a certain pace and we wanted this to keep going and develop in this way. Experimenting is fine, but we know what we do well and what the fans want: we are a thrash metal band first and foremost!

I really love the drumming on this album, and I think that Luke(Cook) has taken the band to a new level. As the bass player, what's it like to play with him?

Eftichiou: I love it, it is funny but his drums actually tell me what to play. I can have no guitar in the mix but I know where the song is up to because of his feel. Luke is a great drummer and one that supports the whole structure of the band as well as driving it. We are very locked in as a rhythm section and it works. It sounds a bit strange but we do have a connection when we play and that is important in any band. Luke is the best drummer that I have ever played with, he’s brilliant.

The other band member who comes to the fore on this album is Nathan(Shae- guitars), what does he contribute to the overall sound of MORTAL SIN?

Eftichiou: He wrote most of the songs, at least ninety percent actually.  This time around he came to the table with all of this material, we were all blown away! We asked him "where have you been hiding all this material?" . Nathan is one of those kind of guys who is very quiet and all of his talking is done with is fingers. He is a great guitarist and a really nice guy to be around. He is very much an important part of Mortal Sin.

Some of the songs on “Psychology of Death” have a real SLAYER feel about them, both in the riffing as well as the vocal melodies. Was this something conscious?

Eftichiou: We are all Slayer fans, especially Luke, but we didn’t set out like that. We are a thrash band. We are a heavy band and we use a lot of double kicks and I guess so do Slayer. This album is definitely full of the early thrash influences like Testament, Kreator and yeah: Slayer. But we didn’t set out to sound like any specific band, definitely not.

Looking back now at your reformation - on March the 5th 2004 MORTAL SIN returned from “Out Of The Darkness” back to The Annandale, describe the reformation leading up to this gig for me?

Eftichiou: I guess we had a few years off and I lived up the coast away from Sydney. I had enough of being in bands and all of the baggage that comes with it. Then, out of the bIue, I got a call from Matt or maybe it was Wayne, I can’t really remember. In the beginning I wasn’t sure, but they convinced me to start jamming again. So we all got together, we jammed, and it sounded really good! The gig at The Annandale was a goal: we decided to work towards this date and open up the bands career again from that point onward. It was a great night and a great way to come back on to the scene!

Around the same time I remember reading in the press that Mat(Maurer- vocals) was fighting with Vertigo in order to obtain the rights to “Mayhemic Destruction” and “Face of Despair”, can you describe this situation?

Eftichiou: This was a really tense moment for Mortal Sin, as we wanted to have the masters because the label was not prepared to re-release the albums, which was something we wanted to do once we reformed. A lot of letters and emails went back and forth and it just dragged on forever! It took so long to work it out, initially they said that they couldn’t find the masters which just pissed us off even more, I mean: did they lose them, or were they just trying to put us off? From there we pushed it and had legal support. We got the masters back and re-released them as you probably know. It was a good feeling. As I said this was a tense time but a real victory for the band that gave us a real push to keep on moving, a great motivator.

I remember hearing a substantial amount of the material from “An Absence of Faith” live before it was released and was blown away. Was the writing process for this album different to the band in the 1980’s or did you take the same approach?

Eftichiou: It was pretty much the same way we have always written. Basically band members bringing ideas and riffs to rehearsal and we all arrange, develop and write.

“An Absence of Faith” has been critically acclaimed throughout the metal world and it has a great production, but what does it mean to you and what are the highlights for you?

Eftichiou: It was so important for us to release a strong album at this point, and not just because we were on the comeback.  But really because of all of the dramas throughout the years and even the recent years with record companies and stuff. It was a nice achievement for Mortal Sin as a band, you know: to show fans and the media that we can still do this and do it well! It really was the icing on the cake for a  lot of hard work and difficult times. So to me, it is pretty special in that regard.

How did the opportunity for MORTAL SIN to play at Wacken come about and what was this experience like?

Eftichiou: Obviously an awesome gig and a festival that all metal bands want to be a part of. We were actually signed to Wacken Records and that helped us initially to get on to one the bills of the festival. We ended up playing the festival twice, a great feeling. To be playing with and seeing bands that you have loved for years on the same bill...it was awesome! We actually played on the same bill as Iron Maiden at one of the festivals and that was great for me.

Photo credit: Annelise Maurer

I know that you have recently secured the support slot for DESTRUCTION’s Australian tour in November, but what other tours do you have in the planning at this point?

Eftichiou: We are doing Destruction in Australia and then we got to Europe for a month and play with Sepultura, Heathen, Destruction and Exodus. It is a tour called Thrash-Fest Classics. This tour as I said will go for a month, playing every night and I can’t wait. The thing about Australia is, that we only play every few months or so, so to do a tour like this will be brilliant and it is what we live for. We are all playing older material but we will sneak a few newer songs in there as well. After this we would like to do our own Australian tour in support of the new album, maybe at the end of the year or early next year.

Where does MORTAL SIN go from this point? Is there any long term plan for the band or do you just take opportunities as they arise?

Eftichiou: We try and plan out as much as we can but within reason you know. We have planned out the next 8 months with European summer tours and an Australian tour and then definitely recording next year, but if any opportunities come up we take them on!

It was a great opportunity to talk with Andy from MORTAL SIN. He is a very down-to-earth and easy going guy, even though I called him whilst on holidays in the Greek Islands! MORTAL SIN have just released what could be termed as the album of their career and at a time when it is so important to solidify their successful reformation seven years ago. Bring on the DESTRUCTION tour in November and long live MORTAL SIN!

Mortal Sin's latest full length album Psychology Of Death was released in August through Riot . For more about their upcoming tour dates alongside Destruction and Melbourne band 4ARM head to their and any other info and news, head to their website: www.mortalsin.com.au