MORTIIS and his band are currently holed up in Silvertone Studios in Fredrikstad, Norway with producter Vegard Blomberg. Some working songtitles include “Way Too Wicked,” “The Grudge,” “Twist the Knife,” and “Broken Skin.” Here’s what MORTIIS had to say about the recording:

“So far the studio has been totally right for us. Good vibes, good people and it’s cool to finally be able to work in Pro Tools as well the sound really speaks for itself on that level, even though we’re still totally on a ‘work-in-progress’ level.

“I like the way we are working now, by coming in and living in the studio for a week at a time and just working on whatever we feel like working on at the moment. It is a much more creative environment compared to last time when I had to live as a squatter for months on end and went out and got drunk every day because I didn’t want to go back to the flea infested mattress that was my home for several weeks. It feels good not to have to deal with that this time around.

“The songs so far sound a lot more certain of themselves and all around it is a lot harsher, a lot heavier. It contains the anger I was unable to vent last time around basically.”

The as-yet-untitled follow-up to Smell of Rain will likely be released in the summer of 2004 through Earache Records.