Found in the Inbox: Mortiis Turns the Accusation on Himself in “Doppelganger”

Mortiis timed “Doppelganger” for Halloween 2015, but the song itself is about something more uncomfortable than costumes. It was the first single from The Great Deceiver, and in the campaign Rive Video Promotion sent us, the Norwegian artist turned the song’s accusation on himself.

A song that points inward

Mortiis describes “Doppelganger” as a song that does not gently explore a conflicted mind so much as rip it open to expose someone who is two-faced. Then he admits who that person is. “I absolutely see myself as that. Sometimes,” he says. “Other times I try to be a good person. I often fail. Perhaps I treat myself harshly. But it’s there now, in my face, and I don’t disagree with what the song is saying.”

The single was released as a free download at mortiis.com from October 5, 2015, with a remix by :wumpscut:, the downloadable video, a screensaver and other graphics.

A video made without permission from anyone

Content note: the video deals with self-harm imagery.

The video was directed by Robyn Von Swank with Nick Plotquin. Mortiis describes its theme as physical and psychological mutilation: “The knife imitates the words…the truth bleeds out.”

The campaign presents the clip as a reaction to years of record companies backing away from the graphic visuals Mortiis felt matched his music. “We wanted to make videos that people would notice, that would cause a reaction, something they wouldn’t forget as soon as the next video came on,” he says. He would rather provoke disgust than indifference. The release says he had long wanted to make a video like this, knowing a label would never allow it, and when he finally sat down with Von Swank, the idea was the first topic. “Ever since that time, I swore I would one day control how my music was used,” he says. “I never got into this game to get rich anyway.”

On the road with Mushroomhead

Mortiis brought the new material to the US that October on a month-long warm-up tour with Mushroomhead ahead of The Great Deceiver. The run opened October 7, 2015 at Freebird Live in Jacksonville and closed on Halloween at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland.

Why it was in the inbox

“Doppelganger” is a song about honesty aimed at the person singing it, released in a way that put Mortiis back in control of his own work.

Watch the official video

Release details and quotes from Rive Video Promotion’s October 2015 campaign for “Doppelganger” (Omnipresence Productions).