Mortification
EnVideon
Reviewed by Tom Edmondson
Were it not blasphemous I would refer to Mortification as gods. So many good bands have come and gone so quickly (e.g., Saint, Seventh Angel) that we hardly had time to appreciate them before they were gone. Also, other great bands have endured a little longer only to fizzle (e.g., Deliverance, Sacrament, Believer, etc.). It's a dog-eat-dog world. Many bands have not had the endurance to survive. Mortification is an exception. This latest release, their third video, is a prime example of how label problems, threats, and even leukemia will not stop Steve Rowe from making God's music.
This is the best music video I have bought in a long time. The production standards and special effects on this project are so good I've wondered to myself if Rowe Productions won't go bankrupt on it. Probably not, but, this video is over an hour long and has many great concept videos, including the almost 20 minute "EnVision EvAngeline" video. This particular video has many actors and actresses who dramatize the passion story from Heaven to Earth to Hell to Heaven again. All things considered it alone is well worth the $14.98 price. Also included in this video is a guided tour by Steve Rowe, a bio of the band (same as on the Noah Sat Down E.P.), some rare clips, new videos of almost all the songs on EE, and a video each by Metanoia and Screams of Chaos. In short: if you do not buy this video, you have only cheated yourself!
Note to the reader: If I'm beginning to sound like the advertising director for Rowe Productions it is only because of the standards that Steve Rowe has held his label to. After the demise of Intense I began to worry that Metal would be permanently forced underground. But let's face it, aside from Vomitorial Corpulence and a few tracks on the Australian Metal Compilation 1, there has been nothing but quality music coming from Rowe Productions. So, put that in your pipe and smoke it . . .Oh, yeah, here comes another favorable review of a Rowe Productions disc: