Rolling Stone India Premiere: Polish Metallers Mord’A’Stigmata’s New EP

Mord ‘A’ Stigmata. Photo: RafaÅ‚ Kotylak

When you’ve got names like Static, Golem XIV and Ion, you can bet Polish black metallers Mord’A’Stigmata are dead serious about monikers. Guitarist Static, who prefers that to his real name, jokes about the greatest moniker he had ever heard, “The coolest stage name I ever heard is [metal veterans Motorhead frontman] Lemmy Kilmister. Oh, wait”¦”

Founded in 2004, Mord’A’Stigmata has been part of the rising black metal scene in Poland, which, as we mentioned in our interview with fellow Polish black metallers Outre, goes well beyond the most popular blackened death metal band, Behemoth. Vocalist and bassist Ion also performs as a guitarist in another rising Polish black/death metal band, Preludium. Mord’A’Stigmata, in fact, toured with Behemoth last year. Says Static, “The only thing that was new for us as a band was playing day by day for a big audience. But still, that was a thing which we expected. The whole tour was a really nice experience, I wish to tour on this level more often.”

Back then, the band was promoting their 2013 album Ansia, which apparently became one of the best-selling black metal albums in Poland that year. But sales don’t count for much and it didn’t affect them while recording their new three-track EP Our Hearts Slow Down. Says the guitarist, “Good selling is a positive thing, because it helps you in some actions and future promotion, but it’s not the thing we are thinking about when we’re opening our minds and hearts to throw out new sounds.”

Primarily rooted in black metal, Our Hearts Slow Down also has hints of shoegaze, sludge and prog metal. Thematically, Static says the band is influenced by “spiritualism, esotericism and out-of-body experiences.” Surely the weirdest of those is spiritualism, considering they’re a black metal band, but the guitarist explains, “If there is no spiritual shade in music, than you can’t call it black metal. Black metal is not a music genre; it’s an ideology, darkness, method of talking with spirits.” Listen in to the EP exclusively below and tell us if you agree.

Listen to Our Hearts Slow Down