Mortiis lands ‘Ghosts of Europa’ album on Prophecy Productions on 26 June 2026
Norwegian electronic rock artist Mortiis will release “Ghosts of Europa” on 26 June 2026 via Prophecy Productions, distributed by SPKR. The album features eight tracks, an extensive guest lineup, all mixed by Sean Beavan. A video for the title track is available now. Side-Line first reported the release in March 2026, but we can now give you the full tracklist, complete production credits, all lineup details, all formats and confirmed Australian tour dates.
Table of contents
Mortiis – ‘Ghosts of Europa’ tracklist, origins and line-up
The album runs eight tracks:
- “Ghosts of Europa”
- “Return to the Old Fields”
- “The Faith That Fades Away”
- “Violent Silence”
- “Transcending Morpheus”
- “Tundra, Heart of Hell”
- “Tribes of Dystopia”
- “Farewell Romero”
The material was recorded, re-recorded, and reworked across what Mortiis describes as “a thousand sessions during years of misery, poverty, and disdain” between 2020 and 2026 at various locations in Fredrikstad, Norway. Early vocal recording was handled by co-producer Stephan Groth at Pitch Black Drive, Fredrikstad.
Sean Beavan mixed the album at The Grey Room in Crestline, California. Beavan’s prior credits include Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, System of a Down, Guns N’Roses, and Slayer. Mastering was completed by Jules Seifert at Epic Audio Media, London.
“Ghosts of Europa” developed in part from a planned collaboration between Mortiis and Stephan Groth of Apoptygma Berzerk, based on a shared interest in German electronic music and in particular Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. When that collaboration ended, Mortiis continued work independently. Traces of the original direction remain in the album’s Berlin-school references. Thorsten Quaeschning of Tangerine Dream contributes additional synths and sequencers on track 1.
Håvard “Mortiis” Ellefsen performs vocals, keyboards, vocoder, bass guitar, and programming throughout the album.
Here’s the list of guest contributions on this album:
- Benedicte Computorgirl (Computorgirl) – vocals on track 4
- Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy et al.) – guitar solo on track 7
- Christopher Rakkestad (Elvarhøi, Bolverk) – vocals on tracks 1–6
- Emil Nikolaisen (Serena Maneesh, Brian Jonestown Massacre et al.) – fuzz and noise guitars, additional FX on tracks 3 and 4
- Iliana Basileios Tsakiraki (Enemy of Reality, Septicflesh et al.) – vocals on tracks 1, 2, and 5
- Laurie Ann Haus (Blizzard Games) – vocals on tracks 1, 2, 5, and 7
- Matthew Setzer (Skinny Puppy, London After Midnight) – throat singing on track 7
- Michal Kielbasa (Black Magic Rites et al.) – tubular bell and vibraphone on track 2; tubular bell on track 6; tabla loops, additional synths and FX on track 7
- Sarah Jezebel Deva (The Kovenant, Cradle of Filth et al.) – vocals on tracks 1–3, 5, and 6
- Thomas Bolverk (Ragnarok, Bolverk) – distortion, clean, and sampled guitars on track 6
- Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream) – additional synths and sequencers on track 1
- Vegard Blomberg (Mock) – e-bow and guitars on track 2; additional Copicat, Space Echo, fuzz and e-bow guitars on track 4; fuzz guitars on track 6; fuzz and ambient guitars and guitars on track 8
- Erling Blomberg – additional guitars on track 8
Mortiis – ‘Ghosts of Europa’ available formats
“Ghosts of Europa” is available across no less then twelve confirmed editions spanning two box sets, three standard vinyl variants, three exclusive artist vinyl variants, a Cult of the Black Wizards edition, a retailer exclusive, a digipak CD, an artbook CD, and a standalone cassette.
Box sets
The Sand-Filled Ultra Deluxe Box Set (50 copies) includes a handmade sand-filled vinyl LP, a bonus LP, the 2CD artbook, a cassette, four art prints, and a poster. The standard Deluxe Box Set (450 copies) replaces the sand-filled vinyl with a metallic purple galaxy LP and otherwise contains the same items.
CD and cassette
The artbook edition is a hardcover book containing the album on CD plus an additional bonus-tracks CD. The digipak CD is the standard physical CD edition. A standalone cassette is also available.
Vinyl
Three standard gatefold LP variants are available, each with a lyric book: Classic Black, Clear Crystal, and Clear Smoke.
Exclusive artist editions
The Europe Artist Edition “Into The Deep” variant (250 copies) is exclusive to the Mortiis Europe webstore. The USA Artist Edition “New Twilight” variant (250 copies) is exclusive to the Mortiis US webstore. The Cult of the Black Wizards “Black Night” variant (150 copies) is available only to Bandcamp Cult of the Black Wizards members. The Iridescent Blue gatefold LP (250 copies) is a Wolf Mountain Productions exclusive, available at wolfmountainproductions.com.
Orders for most editions are open through the Mortiis webstore and the SPKR store.
Mortiis Southern Ritual Australian tour 2026
Mortiis will play four Australian dates in November 2026 as part of the Southern Ritual Australian Tour:
- 19 November 2026 – Sydney (AU), Factory Floor
- 20 November 2026 – Brisbane (AU), Crowbar
- 21 November 2026 – Melbourne (AU), Croxton
- 22 November 2026 – Adelaide (AU), Ed Castle
About Mortiis
Mortiis is the musical project of Håvard Ellefsen, based in Fredrikstad, Norway. Ellefsen joined Emperor as bass player in 1991 during the black metal band’s formation and departed in late 1992, contributing to early demos and the 1993 Emperor mini-LP before pursuing a solo direction.
He launched Mortiis as a solo project in 1993. Between 1993 and 1999, the project’s first era – known as Era I – produced six full-length albums composed entirely on synthesizers: “Født til å Herske” (1993), “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør” (1994), “Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent” (1995), “Blood and Thunder” (1995), “Crypt of the Wizard” (1996), and “The Stargate” (1999). These releases are cited as a foundational influence on the dungeon synth genre. Not that long agao – time flies nevertheless – we covered the vinyl reissues of “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør” and “Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent”.
In 2001, “The Smell of Rain” marked a shift toward dark wave and electropop, a phase identified as Era II. Era III began with “The Grudge” (2004), moving further into industrial rock. Further albums followed: “Some Kind of Heroin” (2007) and the independently released “Perfectly Defect” (2010). “The Great Deceiver” was released in 2016, followed by “The Unraveling Mind” in 2017 and “Spirit of Rebellion” in 2020 – a re-interpretation of the 1994 album “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør”. A reworked version of “Født til å Herske” was issued in 2023.
Throughout most of his career, Ellefsen has performed with a mask and facial prosthetic that has evolved in appearance across different eras. The stage persona was set aside for a period during live performances associated with what Mortiis has called Era 0.
“Ghosts of Europa”, recorded between 2020 and 2026, is Mortiis’ first album on Prophecy Productions.
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