The Smell Of Rain
Mortiis
The Smell of Rain is the sixth studio album by Norwegian solo artist Mortiis — born Håvard Ellefsen, formerly the bassist of black metal band Emperor — released on July 17, 2001 via Earache Records. The album marked the beginning of what Mortiis himself termed "Era II" of his career: a radical and deliberately jarring departure from the dark ambient and dungeon synth work of his 1990s catalogue, trading atmospheric instrumental soundscapes for an electro-industrial and darkwave sound drawing comparisons to Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, and Sisters of Mercy. It was also the first album on which Mortiis himself stepped forward as lead vocalist — a role previously filled by Cradle of Filth associate Sarah Jezebel Deva, who appears here only in a supporting vocal capacity alongside Finnish soprano Martina Binder. The nine-track, roughly 51-minute record was written entirely by Mortiis and produced with a lithe, murky, synthpop-inflected industrial character that Vinyl Echop described as possessing "a thrumming, murky energy" and "subtle catchiness."
The album divided the Mortiis fanbase sharply on release: listeners invested in his earlier ambient work found the shift disorienting, while those open to the new direction discovered a record with genuine hooks and dark atmosphere. Tracks like "Scar Trek / Parasite God," "Flux / Mental Maelstrom," "Smell the Witch," and "Everyone Leaves" showcase the album's range — from caustic electro-industrial momentum to more groove-driven, almost danceable passages — while the lyrics deal in themes of alienation, spiritual crisis, and existential darkness. Lollipop Magazine called it "a Goth-as-fuck album" that "blends the old and the new to make it sound familiar to everyone," and Metal Archives noted it as "the largest surprise" in Mortiis's career to that point. A remastered Redux edition with four bonus remixes followed in 2002, and the album received its first vinyl pressing since its original year of release in 2026 to mark its 25th anniversary.
The Smell Of Rain
Mortiis
The Smell of Rain is the sixth studio album by Norwegian solo artist Mortiis — born Håvard Ellefsen, formerly the bassist of black metal band Emperor — released on July 17, 2001 via Earache Records. The album marked the beginning of what Mortiis himself termed "Era II" of his career: a radical and deliberately jarring departure from the dark ambient and dungeon synth work of his 1990s catalogue, trading atmospheric instrumental soundscapes for an electro-industrial and darkwave sound drawing comparisons to Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, and Sisters of Mercy. It was also the first album on which Mortiis himself stepped forward as lead vocalist — a role previously filled by Cradle of Filth associate Sarah Jezebel Deva, who appears here only in a supporting vocal capacity alongside Finnish soprano Martina Binder. The nine-track, roughly 51-minute record was written entirely by Mortiis and produced with a lithe, murky, synthpop-inflected industrial character that Vinyl Echop described as possessing "a thrumming, murky energy" and "subtle catchiness."
The album divided the Mortiis fanbase sharply on release: listeners invested in his earlier ambient work found the shift disorienting, while those open to the new direction discovered a record with genuine hooks and dark atmosphere. Tracks like "Scar Trek / Parasite God," "Flux / Mental Maelstrom," "Smell the Witch," and "Everyone Leaves" showcase the album's range — from caustic electro-industrial momentum to more groove-driven, almost danceable passages — while the lyrics deal in themes of alienation, spiritual crisis, and existential darkness. Lollipop Magazine called it "a Goth-as-fuck album" that "blends the old and the new to make it sound familiar to everyone," and Metal Archives noted it as "the largest surprise" in Mortiis's career to that point. A remastered Redux edition with four bonus remixes followed in 2002, and the album received its first vinyl pressing since its original year of release in 2026 to mark its 25th anniversary.