Mordor

Mordor

Published: August 8, 2016

Mordor is a Russian industrial metal band. The members of Mordor perform under psudeonyms: Orkus (Оркус) on vocals, Wolffang (Вольфган) on guitar, Hombre Pajaro (Омбре Пахаро) on bass, and Sarto (Сарто) on drums. The name is a reference to a location in the Lord of the Rings series of books.

According to their website, Mordor’s official birthday is February 2008, when they played their first live concert at the Moscow Bank Center. That same year they released a debut album, Glamour, Glamour! (Гламур, гламур!), which was well-received both in Russia and Western Europe. The album was recorded in Moscow by Sergei Bolshakov (Сергей Болшаков) and Denis Yurovskii (Денис Юровский), and then mastered in New York by Howie Weinberg, who is known for his work with groups such as Pantera, Rammstein, and Nirvana.

Mordor played an elaborately designed album release show at Moscow’s B-2 club, which featured costumes, “exotic decorations”, and video art. This release was followed two years later by a second album, Thirst! (Жажда!), which was recorded and mastered by the same hands as Glamour, Glamour!.

Mordor has played most of Russia’s biggest festivals and biker gatherings, including Invasion (Нашествие), Rock Over the Volga (Рок над Волгой), and Ours in the City (Наши в городе) and shared the stage with some of Russia’s most popular rock bands like Aria (Ария), Kipelov (Кипелов), Aquarium (Аквариум), and Chaif (ЧайФ). They have also have the chance to play with a number of major foreign bands including Rammstein, Limp Bizkit, Deep Purple, Garbage, Apocalyptica, Skunk Anansie, Tarja Turunen.

In 2011 Mordor released a live DVD entitled 32 Inches (32 дюйма), which included nearly all of their previously released songs as performed live at Moscow’s P!PL club. The following year they released a third album, Demons (Бесы). Two major singles came from this album: “Eye to Eye” (“Глаза в глаза”) and “Highest Stars” (“Выше звёзд”), one of which featured vocals from Tatyana Khanenko (Татьяны Ханенко).  The latter track was also released as a music video the following year.

 

Here is Mordor’s first music video, for the single “Fitness the Murderer” (“Фитнес – убийца”), which has a very industrial sound from their first album:

Lyrics for “Fitness the Murderer” (“Фитнес – убийца”):

Жизнь прекрасна
И удивительна,
Но опасна
И непродолжительна…

Для чего вам руки?
Чтоб носить Картье.
Для чего вам ноги?
Чтоб обуть в Готье.

Это ваше дело,
Как же вам везёт –
Заниматься телом
Сутки напролёт.

И когда не лезет брюхо
В двери бутиков,
Вы готовы жизнь, как шлюху,
Рвать на сто кусков.

Мчится по кругу, круша и сметая,
Дьявольская колесница.
Корчит гримасы, уродует лица
Чёрный Фитнес – Фитнес-убийца.

Для чего вам, люди,
Бешеный аллюр?
Всё равно не будет
Смерти От-кутюр!

Мчится по кругу, круша и сметая,
Дьявольская колесница.
Корчит гримасы, уродует лица
Чёрный Фитнес – Фитнес-убийца.

Фитнес!
Фитнес!
Фитнес!
Фитнес uber alles!!!

 

Here is the video for Mordor’s 2012 single, “Highest Stars” (“Выше звёзд”), which combines a balladic metal sound with classical instrumentation:

Lyrics for “Highest Stars”:

Когда зима заметает города,
Колдует снег, времени смиряя бег.

Есть кто живой? Плачет ветер за стеной.
Так давит грудь, мне бы поскорей уснуть.
Мой дом сковала ночь предчувствием беды.
От черной бездны прочь несите меня, сны.

Выше звезд хрустальные дороги.
Выше звезд свобода без оков.
Выше звезд ни боли ни тревоги.
Выше звезд прощенье и любовь.

Куда ты шел? Что искал и что нашел?
Кого любил? Перед кем ты дверь закрыл?
Кружит зима, эта ночь сведет с ума.
Так давит грудь, мне бы поскорей уснуть.

Мне слышатся шаги, собаки взяли след.
От собственной вины мне не уйти. Побег!

Выше звезд хрустальные дороги.
Выше звезд свобода без оков.
Выше звезд ни боли ни тревоги.
Выше звезд прощенье и любовь.

About the author

Zachary Hicks

Zach Hicks is a PhD student in Comparative Literature at the University of Oregon. He is currently participating in SRAS's Home and Abroad scholarship program. His main areas of interest are twentieth-century Russian and Soviet literature, socialist modernism, and critical theory. Outside of academics his major interests are martial arts, the outdoors, and music. In Russia, he plans to continue to increase his language proficiency, to learn as much as possible about the Russian underground music scene, its tattoo culture, and to become a student of Russia’s native martial art, SAMBO.

Program attended: Art and Museums in Russia

View all posts by: Zachary Hicks