The Artist of the week: Mortado (Colombia)

Mortado’s very name comes from a hymn to filth and extremity. Borrowed from the legendary Impétigo and their track “Mortado,” it sets the tone for a band that has always embraced the rawest, ugliest aspects of death metal. From the beginning, the vision was clear: recreate that old, rotting sound of death metal with subtle injections of grindcore, and weave lyrics around death, gore, disease, mental disorders, and the darker corners of sociopolitical decay.

Mortado’s sound is firmly rooted in old-school death metal, shaped by the raw legacy of Impetigo, Nunslaughter, Napalm Death, and Mortician. From the grotesque gore-soaked imagery to the grind-infused bursts of speed and the primitive heaviness of distorted riffs, their music channels the unfiltered spirit of the underground. The result is a direct and uncompromising approach that honors the roots of extreme metal while carving its own path within the genre’s darkest tradition.

The first spark came in 2011 with Ultimate Punishment, a demo that outlined the sonic direction the band would carve for itself. Rough, savage, and dripping with intent, it announced Mortado as a presence in the Colombian underground. Two years later, Rancid and Corroded pushed their reach beyond their hometown, opening stages in Manizales and Bogotá. Mortado quickly proved they weren’t just another obscure act, but a unit intent on breaking through barriers.

Momentum grew with their splits. In 2014, they joined forces with Belgian grind legends Agathocles, a collaboration that carried Mortado’s name far beyond local circuits. A year later, a second split with Nunslaughter cemented their position as a band capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the genre’s established cult acts. These releases weren’t mere footnotes, they were statements, proof that Mortado’s grotesque vision resonated in a wider scene.

But it was 2017’s Human Mistaken Experiments that marked their true arrival. Years of anticipation culminated in a debut album that captured everything Mortado had been hinting at: chaotic riffs steeped in decay, cavernous growls, and an atmosphere that suffocated with intensity. The album sold out quickly in Colombia, its demand reflecting both the hunger of their local fanbase and the strength of the material. It was a turning point, the moment Mortado solidified their identity not just as grinders or death metal purists, but as a band committed to the craft of extremity.

The pandemic years disrupted their momentum but did not silence them. Instead of a 10-year anniversary tour, 2020 saw the release of new tracks and a split with Medellín’s Horrorterror. Then came Undead and Live, a clever hybrid of fresh compositions and unreleased live cuts that preserved their energy in the absence of stage catharsis. It showed Mortado’s resilience, their refusal to stagnate even in the bleakest circumstances.

By 2021 and 2022, the band was back at work, writing what would become their second full-length, alongside a new EP and yet another split, this time with a Brazilian partner in filth. Always looking forward, Mortado never abandoned the underground tradition of collaboration and constant output. Now, in 2025, as they prepare to celebrate 15 years of existence with a national tour and a vinyl release, Mortado stands as a true veteran act of Colombia’s extreme scene, seasoned, scarred, but unrelenting.

Listening across their discography, the evolution is evident. From the crude bludgeoning of Ultimate Punishment to the sharpened ferocity of Human Mistaken Experiments and the experimental yet feral energy of Undead and Live, Mortado has expanded their sound while staying true to their roots. Each release sounds like an excavation, peeling deeper layers of rot to uncover new veins of aggression. The newer material feels more precise, less demo-like, but never sterile, the band has managed to mature without losing the feral bite that defined their beginnings.

If I had to choose a single track as a favorite, it would be “Human Mistaken Experiments” from their debut. The song encapsulates Mortado’s essence: suffocating riffs, sickening atmosphere, and a lyrical theme that ties together gore and the grotesque failures of human existence. It is Mortado at their most complete, a track that represents both their vision and their execution.

Mortado is not a band that seeks mainstream validation. Their legacy belongs to the underground, carved into the grime of demo tapes, splits with cult bands, and sweat-soaked stages in Colombia and beyond. Fifteen years in, they remain exactly what their name implies: a monument to death, decay, and the persistence of underground metal.

In a fitting culmination to their underground odyssey, Mortado will unleash their brutal performance at the Bogotá Subterránea Fest, set to take over the Ace of Spades Club in Bogotá on August 29 and 30, 2025. This fortress-like gathering will host an elite roster of extreme metal: international acts such as Abysmal Lord, Merrimack, Ensanguinate, Rotting Grave, Destroyer Attack, Weregoat, and more share the hallowed lineup alongside Mortado and Colombia’s fiercest underground forces