MORTIIS reveals a beautiful 3-track digital EP today, which is based on and named after the track ‘Farewell Romero‘ from the iconic Norwegian artist‘s current full-length “Ghosts of Europa” that was released on June 26, 2026.
“Farewell Romero” features the original album track and a fascinating new version of this song with renowned French artist Nicolas Horvath. The classical pianist has previously collaborated with ALCEST and is also known for his work with the famous Japanese animation Studio Ghibli, among many other exciting projects. The third track is a new variant (Madrigal version) of the album track ‘Violent Silence’ featuring former TODESBONDEN vocalist Laurie Ann Haus.
MORTIIS comments: “It has always been my nature to experiment and try new ideas, so to some, it’s probably not a surprise that I had a couple of variations of some of the songs from ‘Ghosts of Europa’ sitting around”, the Norwegian explains. “When I write songs, I tend to try a lot of directions out, and sometimes there are brutal production decisions to be made, such as killing off otherwise great melodies, or entire sections, from songs. This is probably why I have always been pretty open to creating variations of the songs. Sometimes ‘killing your darlings’ is just too damn painful. Oh, and the artwork for this EP might be my personal favourite from the ‘Ghosts of Europa’ series.”
Listen to “Farewell to Europe” EP here:
“Farewell Romero”
“This song was always meant as a homage to the John Carpenter sound of ‘Escape from New York’. I always loved that sound. So most of the synths here are ARP Odyssey sounds, with some Sequential Prophet Pro-5 thrown in. I even got to use my ARP 2600 from 1975 for a moment in here, as well as my weird Electro Comp 101. At one point we actually asked John Carpenter if he wanted to contribute to the song, but unfortunately he was too busy. I always liked the first verse vocal performance, ‘How long can you remain human, when they treat you like an animal’, but remained very self-conscious about the other vocals, to the point where I deleted it all, and re-recorded all of it, right before we started mixing. The title refers to a character in the movie, and it felt especially apt as I discovered the actor had fairly recently passed away (at the time).”
“Farewell Romero (No Longer Feel The Same)”
“This version started as an idea between me and Nicolas Horvath to do some piano versions of songs from ‘Ghosts Of Europa’. We decided to begin with ‘Farewell…’ and see where that would take us. Initially, the intent was to make a laid back, piano dominated variation, but as I was removing lots of sounds, and slightly altering the dirtier and darker aspects of the song, ideas started forming, and once that happens, I am no longer in control. The simple drum became a big and mean thing, and the dirt, darkness and the grit started dominating. It just keeps swelling up like that until the end where everything feels like it consumes itself. Marc Urselli mixed this variation, and did a great job.”
“Violent Silence (Madrigal version)”
“This variant came about through both planning and coincidence. Once Laurie had recorded her vocals, for what I originally intended to be part of the album version, I quickly realised that this just needed to become its own version. At this point, I stripped away most of the other vocals, and a few other bits and pieces. Secondly, when Sean was mixing it, and I think I had left him confusing or sloppy instructions, the entire ending was accidentally left a cappella. I remember Sean saying, ‘this sounds kinda cool, but is it supposed to sound like this?’ I had a listen and said, ‘no, but it is now’. This is a perfect example of a happy accident.”
Tracklist
1. Farewell Romero
2. Farewell Romero (No Longer Feel the Same)
3. Violent Silence (Madrigal Version)
With “Ghosts of Europa”, the enigmatic Norwegian artistic entity known as MORTIIS presents an album that he views as a creative liberation. During its long and winding creation process such concepts as genre, rules or experimenting with sounds dissolved while simply making music that reflected every conceivable idea on his mind without accepting any limitations became his guiding principle.
Of course, MORTIIS‘ musical handwriting is ever present. Echoes from the often quite divergent phases of his previous works can be found across “Ghosts of Europa”. Yet the creator of musical worlds left hardly a stone not turned in his epic quest for genuinely new ways of expression. As a result, this cinematic and visionary album often feels expansive, strange, and darkly dystopian. In this, “Ghosts of Europa” reflects its maker’s struggles while creating the album – as for him, these tend to come into existence at the cost of friendships and relationships as well as much soul searching.
“Ghosts of Europa” has also been shaped to some extent by the original idea that involved a collaboration of MORTIIS with Stephan Groth from APOPTYGMA BERZERK based on their mutual fascination with the highly influential old German school of electronic music, and particularly TANGERINE DREAM and Klaus Schulze. When this fell apart, MORTIIS decided to continue on his own, and a long process of transforming the early recorded materials began.
Relics of this early stage remain in hints of the influences from Berlin as well as a host of guest contributions, but visions of bleak, desolate, and timeless alien landscapes warped and mutated the songs. This carried “Ghosts of Europa” also into spaces where MORTIIS never existed before.
In order to reflect both, the album’s general orientation towards electronic and industrial rock as well as the particularly wide range of stylistic influences reaching beyond its core, the choice of sound engineer fell on a most renowned specialist for precisely such sonic experiences: Luckily, Sean Beavan agreed to mix “Ghosts of Europa”. His credits include working with NINE INCH NAILS, DEPECHE MODE, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, GUNS N’ ROSES, and SLAYER among many other greats.
In the beginning of the artistic entity MORTIIS there was black metal. The artist Håvard Ellefsen known as the musical entity MORTIIS started out as a bass player in and during the formation of legendary Norwegian band EMPEROR in 1991 and 1992. After parting ways with these black metal pioneers, MORTIIS embarked on a solo career, the so called ‘Era I’. From 1993 until 1999, the Norwegian released six full-length albums that were entirely composed on synthesizers and are considered to constitute a fundamental influence on the later Dungeon Synth genre.
In the next decades, MORTIIS evolved and redefined his sound through several eras that embraced experimental & heavy industrial rock, a new wave of gothic & electronic influences, experimental studio works, and back to his roots.
During most of his career MORTIIS has performed with a mask and face prosthetic that turned his stage persona into an otherworldly being. Over the year, his looks have changed and evolved. For a time during ‘Era 0′, his live concept even abandoned the wearing of the iconic mask. MORTIIS’ stage entity has often been compared with a troll – a creature of Nordic folklore, which it was never intended to be according to the artist.
“Ghosts of Europa” is the sonic testimony of an experienced and matured musician, who created what he loves most and does best: electronic rock with stylistic influences from many genres while not being bound by any that creates dark soundscapes, cinematic sonic visions, and a plethora of emotions. Just when you think that you have finally figured “Ghosts of Europa” out, MORTIIS will surprise you with another facet and fresh aspect of his richly detailed masterpiece.
Artist: MortiisAlbum title: Ghosts of Europa
Release date: June 26, 2026
Style: Electronic rock
Label: Prophecy Productions
Distribution: SPKR
Review Impact Date: May 25, 2026
Line-upHåvard “Mortiis” Ellefsen – vocals, keyboards, vocoder, bass guitar, programming
Guest musicians
Benedicte Computorgirl (COMPUTORGIRL) – vocals on track 4
Christopher Amott (ARCH ENEMY et al.) – guitar solo on track 7
Christopher Rakkestad (ELVARHØI, BOLVERK) – vocals on track 1-6
Emil Nikolaisen (SERENA MANEESH, BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE et al.) – fuzz & noise guitars & additional FX on track 3 & 4
Iliana Basileios Tsakiraki (ENEMY OF REALITY, SEPTICFLESH et al.) – vocals on tracks 1, 2, & 5
Laurie Ann Haus (BLIZZARD GAMES) – vocals on track 1, 2, 5 & 7
Matthew Setzer (SKINNY PUPPY, LONDON AFTER MDNIGHT) – throat singing on track 7
Michal Kielbasa (BLACK MAGIC RITES et al.) – tubular bell & vibraphone on track 2, tubular bell on track 6 & tabla loops, additional synths & FX on track 7
Sarah Jezebel Deva (THE KOVENANT, CRADLE OF FILTH et al.) – vocals on tracks 1-3, 5 & 6
Thomas Bolverk (RAGNAROK, BOLVERK) – distortion, clean & sampled guitars on track 6
Thorsten Quaeschning (TANGERINE DREAM) – additional synths & sequencers on track 1
Vegard Blomberg (MOCK) – e-bow & guitars on track 2, additional Copicat, Space Echo, fuzz & e-bow guitars) on track 4, Copicat, Space Echo & fuzz guitars on track 4, fuzz guitars on track 6, fuzz & ambient guitars on track & guitars on track 8
Erling Blomberg – additional guitars on track 8
Recorded (re-recorded, re-animated & eternally tweaked and re-tweaked) at various locations over a thousand sessions during years of misery, poverty, and disdain (2020-2026) in Fredrikstad (NO)
Early vocal recording by co-producer Stephan Groth at Pitch Black Drive, Fredrikstad (NO)
Mix by Sean Beavan at The Grey Room, Crestline, CA (US)
Mastering by Jules Seifert at Epic Audio Media, London (UK)
Artwork by Nihil
Layout by Laurent Clément (Dead Seed Productions)
Shop
https://spkr.store/collections/mortiis
https://mortiiswebstore.com/pages/ghosts-of-europa
Available formats
“Ghosts of Europa” is available as a ltd. box set incl. 2CD artbook edition, gatefold LP (excl. handmade sand-filled vinyl), bonus LP, music cassette et al. (50 copies, sold out). As a ltd. box set incl. 2CD artbook edition, gatefold LP (excl. ‘galaxy’ metallic vinyl), bonus LP, music cassette et al. (450 copies). As a 60-page hardcover 2CD artbook incl. 8-track bonus CD, ltd. Gatefold marble smoke vinyl LP (300 copies). As a ltd. Gatefold crystal clear vinyl LP (300 copies), as a Gatefold black vinyl LP, and as a Digipak CD.
