Hidden Intent On Touring With Mortal Sin…

‘You’re looking at two of the top thrash bands in Australia, aren’t you?’

Mat Maurer of the legendary Mortal Sin proclaims on the eve of their Australian tour with the younger bastardised version of themselves in Hidden Intent. Two pure Aussie thrash metal bands from different eras, treading the boards, headbanging away and cracking beers across the country in March and beyond. Both Mat and Hidden Intent’s Chris McEwen join me for a yarn on the eve of the tour.

‘There’s a lot of really good thrash bands and we’ve tried to carefully manicure the lineups as well. In Sydney, we’re joining up with Killrazer and Metreya. In Melbourne, we’re having Mason and Nothing Sacred. So, the Sydney and the Melbourne shows, you’re looking at some of the best bands in Australia. I think from our band’s perspective, you’re going to see a better Mortal Sin than you’ve ever seen. If you thought we were good in the past, we’re going to make sure that you think we’re better now.’

Mortal Sin have already launched into the stratosphere with a rapid spot on Adelaide’s Froth & Fury Festival, one that can be considered a very successful hard re-launch of the band.

‘It was a good vibe to start off. Playing a festival like that with a nice big crowd was a good test for us to test the nerves. We prepared well, so we were confident, but you can have all the confidence in the world and you can get out there and shit can happen. Luckily for us, it worked out well for us. Probably played a little bit too fast. We finished our set three minutes early when we timed it perfectly. So, finishing three minutes early says, yeah, that was a bit fast. We didn’t want to go out and be half arsed or be half prepared. We’re doing this as a comeback.’

‘We needed to be spot on and especially for Froth and Fury being so many fans there, if we’d fucked up, people could have just walked away and went, ah, they’re fucking shit. Look, the room was full, it was chockers right to the back wall and nobody left. So, for us that meant a lot. I like to captivate an audience, to keep ’em there for your whole set, to keep them interested. We’ve got catchy songs; we might be a thrash band and not a lot of thrash bands have catchy songs. If you can get someone who’s never heard of you before walking out of the room singing one of your choruses or something, mate, that’s unreal.’

The band’s own headline tour will run longer at approximately seventy minutes of balls to the wall metal. We will not run out the setlist however you can be rest assured that the band delve deep throughout their whole catalogue and are still looking at extra tracks to put in. The buzz around the bands now opening doors as Europe is ventured into after this run.

‘I’ve been saying to the guys, when we go over and play, ‘Keep It True Festival’, that will do for Europe pretty much what Froth and Fury did for Australia. It is an announcement, we’re back, we’re back in Europe. Hopefully there might be some promoters there. There might be some bookers there. There might be just some people in the know and yeah, we play a good show, come up to us and say, fucking hell, who are you guys? Or where have you been? Or whatever. Hopefully that’ll stir the pot a bit.’

On the Australian run is Adelaide’s Hidden Intent, who lead the charge for this generation of Aussie thrash legends. A year on from their fourth album release, Terraform, has seen them tour with Testament, Onslaught, Toxic Holocaust, venture into Europe and have a spot at the prestigious Bloodstock festival awaiting them. It’s been quite the ride for Chris and the lads.

‘I think back to when we did that Testament run. A lot of it just in the moment, you’re just so caught up in your endorphins and playing, now you’re looking back and you’re like, fuck! Even when you just rattled it off there, yeah, we actually did a fair bit last year to back ‘Terraform.’ I feel like that was a quieter year for us, but we actually did do quite a bit when I actually sit back and look at it at all. Mortal Sin is just one of our biggest influences. I mean, I’ve got a ‘Face Of Despair’ tattoo right here, so pretty cool.’

Having a tattoo of a band is quite the compliment and shows how much they mean to someone – I can support that – so with Mat watching, I ask Chris what Mortal Sin means to him.

‘Yeah, on the spot now. Fuck, I’m really nervous now! The one big key factor for me has always been, you can hear the Australian vibes within the band, particularly with Mat. Some of those vocal lines and stuff you can hear the band is from Australia, which I love. I love watching the old Mortal Sin interviews where Mat’s being interviewed and just hearing you talk in between as well. It gives hope for bands in a similar genre in Australia that you can still be quite successful. You look at the bands Mortal Sin have opened up for! Just the fact that you play with Metallica on their first Australian tour! That is just insane, unreal for an Aussie band to do that in a similar genre. I love the catchy riffs as well. I think Mortal Sin have got so many catchy parts in their songs that I rate way more than some of the other more mainstream thrash metal bands.’

And Chris’s thought of the line up?

‘Mat’s a hundred percent right, you’re going to see two of the best thrash bands from different eras coming together in full force. If you’re out there, this is the gig, this is the tour to go to support the Aussie underground. Can’t get much better than that, mate. I’ll tell you what!’

Mat chips in as the lads go back and forth to round out the interview.

‘We’re playing around a similar time to Anthrax and Sepultura as well. So, if you’re going to those shows, you’d be nuts not to come and see an Aussie tour. I know how great they are. But we want to show Aussie fans that Aussie bands can do that as well. We can be as good as these bands. Let’s put on a show that’s just as good. So, let’s get out and support it!’

‘Like Mat said, the band, the line-up for each show of carefully created with Mat and I and the amount of bands that applied as well. You’re getting a way more bang for your buck for forty five bucks I think! As I said, two bands from different areas of Aussie thrash metal coming together, stylistically similar and stylistically different in a lot of ways as well.’

‘Don’t forget Shredfest up in Brisbane. Man, that lineup is, that’s like the history of Australian metal!’

‘Tickets at churchesofsteel.com, simple website on there. All the ticket links are on there. Straightforward.’

‘And tell a friend, tell a friend, tell a friend. Bring someone, show off to your mate. Say, look, I discovered these bands when they started. Bring your mate, show them!’

Interview By Iain McCallum

Catch Mortal Sin and Hidden Intent on the following dates, tickets HERE…