No Longer Mortal
by Trisha Bleau

CS: How did your group form? Why are there so few members in your group when most groups have the different aspects of the music covered by various people?

NLM: No Longer Mortal more or less kinda morphed out of my two previous bands Goshen and Ahroun. When they split I still had a lot of material I wanted to continue to work with. I spent some time seeking Christian musicians and could find none so I went into the studio on my own, and got Ed to record the drums tracks for me, now about a year later we have No Longer Mortal which is the manifestation of my vision musically.

CS: What made you decide to do a studio project only for the album? Why not tour and play your music for people live?

NLM: Well...basically it came down to I couldn't find and Christian musicians to help me do the instruments so it came to me doing it solo in the studio or not at all.

CS: Have you received criticism for doing this?

NLM: Actually the total opposite, I've gotten more positive responses and feedback on NLM than I have with any of my previous bands.

CS: What is the main focus in your ministry? Teens? The lost? The hurting? Why did you decide up on this as a focus?

NLM: The people that NLM is focused upon reaching are the the people that tend to get left alone by most Christians, the people into death metal, black metal, gothic type music, the lost that need the lord. Most of the time people like these don't get approached my Christians and the church, part of it is they don't want to step foot in a church, but if you give them music and things they can related to then it is a whole different story.

CS: Where do you see the band in five years? Ten? The future?

NLM: hmmm.....I can tell you where I would like to be, with full time members doing shows and touring with the support of a record label. Now weather or not that or anything else happens is up to the will of GOD. I plan to continue doing No Longer Mortal though.

CS: Is MINDSPLINTER really No Longer Mortal, but with extra members? How did that group form? How did you find the members of that group? Is all of No Longer Mortal in MINDSPLINTER or is just the music written by NLM being used?

NLM: MINDSPLINTER is a totally separate band from No Longer Mortal, it is a full band for which I play guitar and do some back ground vocal work. It formed out of a desire I had to do a metal style project similar to NLM but with Rap style vocals, I had been friends with Luke (one of the two vocalists) for awhile and mentioned it to him, then he know a drummer and our other vocalist and we started jamming, we are currently still trying to find a bassist, once we do we'll start doing so shows, we are right now preparing to do a demo and I'll probably just play bass on it if we don't find a bassist by then. There is only one song that was redone of NLM to be used for MINDSPLINTER and that is The Dragon, otherwise any other NLM material MINDSPLINTER does will only be as a cover song.

CS: Could you please share a short testimony?

NLM: Hmm...ok this is the short version. My parents split when I was 7 and my Mother and I started going to a church and about a year later we both got saved. When I was 13 I fell pretty bad and for the most part had turned my back on GOD by the time I was 16 I was into drugs, drinking, and wicca, listening to music that was far from Christian and living the same way. When I was 19 tried to get my life straight on my own with out GOD and after almost a year I fell ever harder into sin and finally turned back to GOD when I was about 21 he has been helping me keep it together ever since. I still struggle with things in my life almost daily but that is part of being a Christian we just have to give thanks for the good and the bad and pray the GOD continue to guide and bless us.

CS: Do you make it a goal to use your music to minister to people? Or do you just write for the sake of writing and performing?

NLM: I've never been one of those people who is comfortable with just going up to people I don't really know and asking them about their walk, I'm the type the prays and if the Lord puts someone in my path and chooses to use me as witness. As Christians we are constantly witnessing to people weather it is through our words or our lives people see GOD in us in different ways and in different things we do. I write mainly about things in my life sometimes mainly through poetic type lyrics, I also use the scriptures as a source for lyrics, as well as writing about social issues. Awaken the upcoming album was written mainly focused on my personal spiritual awakening in things that caused it and happened along the way.

CS: What is the message you are trying to get across with your music?

NLM: More or less I am trying to open peoples eyes to the spiritual realm and to see things in a spiritual sense. We see things happening and may think that this person or whoever is behind it but in reality it comes down to GOD or satan and spiritual warfare that we face each day. Plus like I said in the previous question I also write about things personal to me as well as socially.

CS: Where do you get ideas for your music?

NLM: My musical influences come from a wide variety of different music styles, but there have been other things that have been motivating as well, like various things that have happened to me during my life I've also been motivated by some sermons I've heard in church and bible studies.

CS: How would you describe your music style?

NLM: I would have to say it is a hybrid of hardcore, gothic and extreme metal.

CS: Do you ever get criticized for your lyrics?

NLM: In my earlier bands I used to get a lot of questions and criticism for what I wrote about and how I wrote but I've since changed subject matter and my writing style and haven't had any problems since.

CS: Are you involved in any other ministries?

NLM: Just attending church and bible studies and supporting the Christian music underground.

CS: What is your musical background? Did you take lessons to gain the musical skills you have now?

NLM: The only formal lessons I ever took musically was about a years worth on drums, I taught myself guitar and bass guitar and still learning.

CS: What is the latest news on your group? Any new CD's to be released soon?

NLM: Right now I'm working on getting the finances together to release the Debut CD for No Longer Mortal called "Awaken" which I am hoping to have released by September. There is also a secular compilation I'm on with Metal Age productions that should be released this month.

CS: Do you have any advice to give to the youth of our world?

NLM: The lord said "come to me all you who labor and are weary laden for my yolk is easy and my burden is light"...I learned the hard way that you can't make it through life successful with out God. If you already have a relationship with Christ keep it strong and don't neglect it, keep yourself in a church and with other believers so that your walk will continue to grow. If you don't already have a relationship with Christ you need to find a church or a Christian and ask them what GOD is really all about.