Today on Progressive Rock Journal, we are pleased to introduce Mordbear, a promising new act hailing from Portland, Oregon. Blending Acid Rock and Heavy Psych with a proto-Metal attitude rooted in the early ’70s, the band has just released their self-titled debut EP via Dipterid Records. Across three tracks, Mordbear deliver gritty riffs, haunting atmospheres and powerful vocal performances. We had the chance to talk with them about their origins, creative process, and what’s next.
Let’s begin with the basics. How did Mordbear come to life? What’s the story behind the name and the project?
Tyler:
I had been writing and recording by myself over a few years through a couple different genre shifts, programming drums to flesh out songs. I got myself stuck in that loop of waiting and rerecording and tweaking, thinking I could get them always better before I would try to find other musicians to build out the band. After my daughter was born, I woke up one morning and had this panic that I’m running out of time, that my window was quickly closing to get this stuff out into the world. (I don’t advise starting a band with a newborn at home, but that’s another story…) I started scouring musician communities for other players. After reaching out to a few people, I met Nico, and I felt like we hit it off immediately. We started working on the demos I had, and wrote an ad for a drummer. We found Erik, and we were off pretty quickly with a few demos, and some new stuff. Naming a band is probably the hardest part about the whole process… everything is taken, nothing works, it’s such a pain in the ass. I was on a flight reading Borne by Jeff VanderMeer, and a big part of the book is a 300 foot murderous, flying bear named “Mord”. (Taken…) Only once or twice in the middle of the book, he is referred to as “Mordbear”. (NOT Taken!) It went on the list, and after some heavy lobbying by Erik, we settled on it. It has a layer of fantasy and a layer of seriousness that I think works for us.
Erik:
We had only been playing together for four months when we recorded the EP. As I write this we’re at 8 months. I think there was fast chemistry. I hadn’t played in over 20 years so was happy the guys were patient as I got my chops back on drums.
Your sound is a compelling blend of Acid Rock, early Heavy Metal, and proto-Doom. Which bands or movements have shaped your musical identity the most?
Tyler:
The Permanent Records/Riding Easy Brown Acid compilations really helped me discover acid rock and dive deeper than the usual suspects with that stuff. Buffalo, Leaf Hound, Randy Holden, Three Man Army, I got really into this scuzzy rock that still had great groove and melody to it. There’s plenty of newer bands that keep that vibe going that I am influenced by like Witch, Kadabra, Cosmic Reaper, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. At the same time Sleep, YOB, Weedeater, that stuff hooked me on a different level.
Nico:
My main influences are Motorhead, D-beat, crust punk, 50’s, 60’s rock n roll, garage rock, all types of doom stuff, psychobilly, old country. I also got into a psychedelic cumbia compilation called Roots of Chicha back in the day that got me into a lot of the aspects of psych that I enjoy. I grew up playing in the RnR, punk rock scene in the Ventura county/LA area and that was really what created who I am today and what I contribute as a musician.
Erik
I don’t relate much to acid or psych genres, at least not formatively. The drummers I’ve followed the most over the years were John Stanier of Helmet, Jason Roeder of Neurosis and Bryan St. Pere of Hum. For this reason I think Mordbear has a little more aggressive and drone-heavy sound. Especially when you lay that over what Tyler and Nico do on strings. I think empty space is essential.
The EP opens with “Like The Dead,” a track that immediately sets the tone with heavy, acid-tinged riffs. Can you tell us how this song was conceived and what it represents for the band?
Tyler
I was in LA for work and caught Kadabra live. I went in blind, and I was blown away by the energy, and the heaviness without really being “metal”. It really inspired me to take the 70’s vibe and move it forward, and I wrote the “Like the Dead” demo the next day on my little travel guitar in my hotel room. That kicked off the final wave of my solo demo-writing that turned into Mordbear. The story of the lyrics being a theory my vet told me about vampire bats and a rabies-infected unhoused population roaming the streets like zombies is completely true. It was so bizarre that I knew it would be song lyrics at some point, and the Like the Dead demo was the perfect time to write that song. That one became the general blueprint of what I was trying to do.
“A Mirror with a Sea of Flames” feels darker and more Doom-laden, with striking vocal lines and a strong rhythmic core. How did this piece evolve during the writing or recording sessions?
Tyler
That demo came from one of the earlier waves of writing I went through that was much heavier and doom-inspired, and it was just the chorus heavy part as an idea. We fleshed it out as a Mordbear song, and it was perfect for the lyric inspiration I had from a very short passage from The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test about a DMT flashback. The heavy parts and bridge help develop that creeping feeling of dread of not being in control, drug-influenced or otherwise.
Erik
Taking the riffs Tyler wrote and making them hit hard, that was my goal. I think we really started gelling together during the crafting of this song.
“The Alchemist” closes the EP with a hazy, almost ritualistic atmosphere and a complex instrumental structure. What were you exploring musically and thematically in this final track?
Tyler
I’m a huge Pink Floyd and psych fan, and can’t help myself with long, drawn-out conceptual writing sometimes. The other guys help keep me on the rails, but this one was a good moment to write something that had some movement and story to it, and sneak a little prog influence in.
Erik:
The intro of the song and the opening riff don’t repeat on the downbeat, so the sparse floor tom part kind of creates a structure for that to all weave together. Tyler and Nico don’t let me speak during practice, so we had to arrive at the end through trial and error.
Let’s talk about the production side. Where was the EP recorded, and how was the experience of capturing your sound in the studio?
Tyler
The EP started as a day-long demo recording session that kinda snowballed on us, thanks to interest from Kevin at Dipterid. The plan was to record drums in one of the rehearsal rooms at Blue Butler Studios here in Portland, and record bass and guitar later. We ended up tracking bass, and I recorded guitar up to the last minute. We didn’t have time to do take after take, so it was pretty raw and uncomplicated. Nick Rogers was a friend of mine from a previous band and he came in to record and mixed it, he took our haphazard day session and made it sound amazing. Carl Saff put the final gloss on it for the vinyl. I’m really proud of what we were able to put together in a very short time.
Erik
Kevin from Dipterid Records originally released my old band, Goodboy Suit on vinyl. I knew we had something with Mordbear so I reached out before we hit the studio. Though it was a lightning recording session, it was enough to sell Kevin on doing the record. Nick from Dirty Haggard was a wizard in capturing the tracks and then mixing them in a way that doesn’t sound like a demo session. All credit to him for that. Without Kevin’s support this record would have just been a demo on streaming platforms. He has been a key player of the true birth of the Mordbear in terms of getting it out to the world.
The balance between vintage influences and modern edge is one of your strong points. How do you approach this hybrid identity when composing new music?
Erik
Because I’m not allowed to speak at practice, it’s hard man, it’s hard. I would go back to my earlier response about my background and influences as far as drum parts go. I’ve played in grindcore bands, post-hardcore and now a slower doom vibe with Mordbear. I’m not interested in trying to sound like we existed 40 years ago.
Tyler
The mix of all of us, and especially Erik on drums, keeps it from being too strictly nostalgic, I think. He talks through his drums. Mostly because he is condemned to silence during practice. My goal from the start was to take the energy from the Acid Rock vibe and not do a carbon copy, and make something new, and the other guys are a huge part of that concept. I love Stoner and Doom too, but I knew I didn’t want to get stuck in a single lane, so our sound reflects that freedom to borrow and steal across a lot of genres and decades.
Nico
I think it just comes out that way. We all have very different influences and try to bring those to the table at all times when crafting songs. I feel our sound just reflects the musical tastes we have in common as well as the ones we don’t. We each try to incorporate our individual tastes into every song we write which I think makes it harder to fit our sound in a box.
Are there lyrical themes or visual references that inspire your songwriting? What do you want listeners to feel or imagine when they dive into your music?
Tyler
I love playing with the fantasy tropes of prog and proto metal and applying another dimension to them. I’m a lyric nerd, and I try to write songs that are fun to listen to if you don’t care, but there’s something there if you want to go deeper. Literature, mental health, economics, politics, in a lot of ways it’s my way of wrangling the stuff in my country and my world and my head, and putting it in a way I can process and express it.
You’re part of a growing underground scene that embraces the revival of proto-Metal and Psych Rock. How do you see your place within that landscape?
Tyler
I saw the signs early on while I was working on this stuff and it felt like I was in the right place at the right time. I’m writing the music I want to write, and it’s encouraging to see a lot of bands popping up before and around us that are in that scene.
Erik
I would say we’re waiting and testing the waters, aggressively. Make no small plans. But, we’re pretty chill and open minded as to where we get traction. I think we are fortunate in being able to pair with a wide range of bands and sounds as far as shows go.
Nico
I’d just like to play cool shows with good people. Genre doesn’t matter much to me, the terms and genre labels come and go.
What has been the response to your EP so far, both from the local scene and international listeners?
Tyler
The bands here in Portland/ the PNW have been incredibly welcoming and encouraging, and that’s important to me. We’re getting really good traction so far, and I’m excited to see what happens.
Erik
So far, very positive. Seems to resonate with a wide range of folks. People don’t believe it’s our first attempt or that we’ve existed for such a short amount of time. But work lies ahead. The kids seem to like it, too (I have 15-year old twin boys and some of their rocker friends have started following us and asking us to play all ages shows)
Are there any live shows or tours planned to support the release? What’s the band’s approach to the live dimension?
Tyler
The live aspect was always very important, seeing a really good show is a religious experience for me. I love playing live and I hope people really enjoy watching us. We’re conjuring up some fun stuff to do like projection and lighting to take the theatrics up a bit and make it a real show for people.
Erik
We played our first show last week in Portland and it was great! Two more in July, one of them at a giant beer fest with a metal theme. We plan to tour on the west coast to promote the record in different scenes. Is anyone looking for a band to open on your tour? Our booking email is below.
What are your next steps? Are you already working on new material or a full-length album?
Tyler
We haven’t stopped writing, an LP will be coming hopefully sooner than later. It’s early to say how that will take shape but the new stuff is really fun and we’re continuing to grow.
Erik
Yes. A few more songs in the vault and we’re ready for the LP. Meanwhile we will play as many shows as we can, where the fit is good. I believe that playing live makes a band develop beyond what you can do in isolation. Kind of how comedians test early jokes on smaller audiences before going into production. It’s also fun.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us! Feel free to share any final thoughts with our readers and let them know where they can follow and support you.
Thanks for listening and talking to us, and we hope to see everyone out at the shows!
Purchase “Mordbear EP” on Bandcamp via Dipterid Records: https://mordbear.bandcamp.com/album/ep
Booking: mordbear@gmail.com
Read our Review of “Mordbear EP” here: [Review] Mordbear – Mordbear EP