Mortal Sin

Mortal Sin
Background information
Origin	Sydney, NSW
Genres	Thrash metal
Years active	1985 – 1992, 1996 - 1998, 2004 - 2012
Labels	Vertigo, Riot!, Nuclear Blast, Armageddon
Associated acts	Grungeon, Wizzard, Addictive, Headlifter, Slaughter Lord, White Trash, Omega, Who's Guilty, Enticer, Nazxul, Presto, Daredevil, Temtris, Judge, The Seer, Kindred, Killrazer, Vaticide, The Blasting Process, Saint Lucifer, Nekrofeist, Stand Alone, The Neptune Power Federation, Eternum, Murder, Death Mission, East Coast Low, Buffalo, Metreya
Past members	Mat Maurer, Andy Eftichiou, Wayne Campbell, Steve Hughes, Paul Carwana, Luke Cook, Nathan O'Shea, Ryan Huthnance, Dave Tinelt, Mick Burke, Keith Krstin, Mick Sultant, Joe Buttigieg, Jason Thorncraft, Anthony Hoffman, Troy Scerri, Steve Sly, Alex Hardy, Dave DeFrancesco, Nash Hall, Tony Matesa, Tom Dostropouli, Neville Reynolds

Band Members

• Final Line-Up
  • Andy Eftichiou (bass)
  • Luke Cook (drums)
  • Nathan O'Shea (guitar)
  • Ryan Huthnance (guiar)
  • Dave Tinelt (vocals)

• Former Members
  • Mat Maurer (vocals) 1985 - 1989, 1996 - 1998, 2004 - 2012
  • Mick Sultana (guitar) 2004 - 2010
  • Wayne Campbell (drums) 1985 - 1989, 1996 - 1998, 2004 - 2005
  • Joe Buttigieg (guitars) 2004 - 2005
  • Jason Thorncraft (bass) 1998
  • Anthony Hoffman (guitar) 1996 - 1998
  • Troy Scerri (guitar) 1996 - 1998
  • Paul Carwana (guitar) 1985 - 1990, 1996
  • Steve Sly (vocals) 1990 - 1992
  • Alex Hardy (guitar) 1991 - 1992
  • Dave DeFrancesco (guitar) 1991 - 1992
  • Nash Hall (drums) 1990 - 1992
  • Tony Matesa (guitar) 1991
  • Tom Dostropouli (guitar) 1991
  • Steve Hughes (drums) 1989 - 1990
  • Mick Burke (guitar) 1987 - 1990 d. 24/8/17
  • Keith Krstin (guitar) 1985 - 1987
  • Neville Reynolds (guitar) 1985

Band Information

Mortal Sin is the seminal Australian thrash metal band. Not only were they one of the first bands in the country to try their hand at the thrash style, they were the first to successfully come to international notice and both of their first two albums are still regarded as classics to this day.

Mortal Sin formed in 1985 around Maurer and Wizzard drummer Wayne Campbell. Campbell had originally recruited Maurer for Wizzard but the association didn't work out so taking guitarist Keith Krstin with them the two started a new band. With ex-Judge bass player Andy Eftichiou and guitarist Neville Reynolds, Mortal Sin prepared for its first live show in January 1986 but shortly before this Reynolds was sacked and ex-Judge guitarist Paul Carwana hired in his place. By the middle of that year Mortal Sin was headlining their own shows and recorded Mayhemic Destruction in just three days in July. Originally intended as a demo, the band released it as an album on their own label in early 1987 and it met with instant fan acceptance. Worldwide recogntion would soon follow when Mayhemic Destruction was picked up by Vertigo and released internationally in a strikingly different cover.

Shortly after the album's release, Krstin left Mortal Sin and was replaced in July 1987 by former Slaughter Lord guitarist Mick Burke. In November, Mortal Sin supported D.R.I. and spent much of 1988 working on their second album with Anthrax producer Randy Burns. Although Face of Despair was in the can by the middle of the year, label delays held off its release until early 1989.

In May 1989, Mortal Sin supported Metallica on a national tour, elevating their status significantly and confirming them as Australia's number one metal act. At the end of that month however, internal disputes caused Campbell to leave Mortal Sin and the band went quiet for several months as they worked in a replacement. The band's first appearance with new drummer, ex-Slaughter Lord member Steve Hughes, was the Metal From the Heart benefit at Sydney's Enmore Theatre, a show Maurer organised for the Cystic Fibrosis Association and to help raise money for a heart transplant for metal fan Damian Heavey. The show was a reasonable success but damage caused to the venue during the event resulted in the band having to pay significant reparations to the theatre's owners. In January 1990, Mortal Sin toured through England, Germany and the Netherlands with Testament and then late in the month returned to the UK for a tour with Faith No More. This was followed by showcase performances in the US but ended with Maurer quitting the band after a show at the Whiskey in LA in February. After returning to Sydney, Mortal Sin split up but within months had reformed with Steve Sly in the vocal spot. Before long, however, Burke and Carwana had also left and were replaced at first by Tom Dostropouli and Tony Matesa and then by Alex Hardy and former Enticer member Dave DeFrancesco. Hughes was also replaced by Nash Hall, leaving Eftichiou as Mortal Sin's only original member. By now, Maurer had formed another band called Omega and Campbell was in White Trash.

The new look, new-sounding Mortal Sin recorded an album for Music For Nations entitled Rebellious Youth, released in Australia as Every Dog Has Its Day, but it met with little acceptance. Supports to Faith No More, Megadeth and Yngwie Malmsteen came throughout the year but Mortal Sin's days were numbered and by the end of the year the band had split.

For the next few years Campbell served as a member of Grungeon and worked as a promoter and booker for several metal venues in Sydney including the Lewisham Hotel, the Happy Shamrock Hotel and the Forest Inn. Hughes joined Presto and Nazxul. Eftichiou emerged briefly as a member of Who's Guilty.

Late in 1996, Mortal Sin reformed with the line-up of Campbell, Maurer, Eftichiou, Carwana and Anthony Hoffman from Grungeon. Carwana left after only two shows and was replaced by Troy Scerri, a Sydney guitar veteran with a string of acts behind him including This Thing, White Trash, Death Mission and others. Mortal Sin released the mini-album "Revolution of the Mind" that featured a number of new songs, plus re-recorded classics and some live material and embarked on an audacious national tour, the first full-scale Australian tour they had ever attempted. At the end of the tour, Eftichiou was fired and his spot was taken for their 1997 Metal for the Brain appearance by Chook from Tscabeze. Headlifter's Jason Thorncraft was later taken on as the band's permanent bassist, but in September 1998 Mortal Sin broke up once again. Scerri went on to a succession of bands including Daredevil, Packhorse and The Blasting Process and Campbell joined Temtris.

During 2001 there was talk of Campbell and Maurer making plans to resurrect Mortal Sin once again. This didn't eventuate at the time; however, rumours began circulating in mid-2003 of another reformation. Those rumours were proved true when it was announced in February 2004 that the band would be playing live once again, this time featuring a line-up of Maurer, Campbell, Eftichiou and former Addictive guitarists Joe Buttigieg and Mick Sultana. This new line up recorded a live DVD on their first show back. Plans were made for a new album and in February 2005 Mortal Sin played at the Australian Heavy Metal Music Awards, where they were given a Hall of Fame Award. Less than a month later, Campbell and Buttigieg left Mortal Sin to be replaced by Luke Cook and Nathan O'Shea. In April, this new line-up toured nationally with Anthrax. Early the following year, Mortal Sin played a special 20th anniversary show in Sydney where they performed Mayhemic Destruction in its entirety for the first time ever; the show was recorded for a proposed DVD release however the project was scrapped. Mortal Sin went on to play Wacken Open Air in Germany in 2006 while completing the album An Absence of Faith that was released in Australia by Riot mid-2007 and worldwide through Armageddon.

After a show with Budgie in mid-February 2008, Mortal Sin returned to Europe for festival appearances and a tour with Overkill. Following this the band returned to Australia and featured on tours by Judas Priest and Testament. Following a relatively quiet period, in 2009 the band released a live album that was recorded in Norway the previous year and began working on new material. They toured nationally with Kreator ahead of shows in South America in November with Andrew Lilley guesting on guitar in place of Mick Sultana, whose departure from the band was announced in 2010. Kindred guitarist Ryan Huthnance was added as the band prepared to tour nationally with Overkill. The band's last album Psychology of Death was released in September 2011. An Australia east coast tour with Destruction followed in November before the band went to Europe with them and Sepultura. Soon after arriving back in Australia, Maurer announced he had left the band. One month later, Dave Tinelt from Nekrofeist was named as Maurer's replacement but after just two shows with him the band split up.

Campbell and Hoffman played together in Temtris for a while. Scerri played in East Coast Low, Fattura Della Morte and Buffalo and is currently a member of The Neptune Power Federation. Mick Burke died on August 24, 2017 after a long period of declining health.

Mortal Sin's first two albums will be re-released in June 2022.

Discography

Albums:

1987	Mayhemic Destruction	self release
1989	Face of Despair	Vertigo
1991	Every Dog Has Its Day	Virgin
2007	Mortal Thrasing Mad: Official Live Bootleg	self release
2007	An Absence of Faith	Riot!
2009	Into the Inferno - Live in Oslo	Riot!
2011	Psychology of Death	Riot!

Single:

1991	Every Dog Has Its Day	Virgin

EPs:

1998	Revolution of the Mind	Independent
2006	Out of the Darkness	Independent

VHS/DVD:

1990	Face of Mayhem Live	Phonogram
2004	Out of the Darkness	self release