Jimmy Potter - Bass/Backing Vocals
Thank you for your time. Please give us the backstory about how and when your band was established.
Hi, I'm Jimmy the bassist. Myself, along with Bryan, our guitarist, are the main factors behind the music of Mortal Void. Our band originally started at the end of 2024. Myself and a past band member started writing the first demo. It was only us two writing, and we started looking for other members on Instagram. I (Jimmy) remembered becoming mutuals on Instagram with a super talented dude named Bryan who was doing insane covers on his Instagram page, so I reached out to him. Bryan was super intrigued by the original demo. The problem was he was from North Carolina, and I was in Texas. One day, Bryan flew out to Texas on his birthday, and we went on a week-long adventure finishing the original demo. However, it didn't exactly work out with the other members of the band, so we decided to write a whole new EP. The rest is kind of history. Graham later joined after the majority of the first EP was written, and Erick joined after an audition after Graham told us about him and here we are today!
How would you describe your music-making process?
We've always been a riff band. Bryan will start with riffs then build around them, later figuring out the structure of the song. I go on to finish the bass, Graham feels out the song with the drums, then myself and Erick start the writing process for lyrics. Usually, after a long discussion about what we want the song to be about. So far, we do everything at home with recording, at least to get the song finished first before we move to a studio to do the final takes.
Do you have a favorite song you like to perform the most? If so, can you please explain why?
I think we can all agree that “As Emptiness Consumes” is probably the most fun to play live. Everyone gets so wild during the first breakdown, then the following breakdown at the end of the song, people really get wild in the pit. Super fun, groovy song to play and really get the energy going live.
Can you please spill some behind-the-scenes details about how you prepare for shows?
We practice like we are playing right then and there, not just standing around while we practice, we spend the majority of practice, head banging, stage bantering, and even talking between songs like we have a crowd right there listening to us. A lot of preparation goes into us playing live, and I really think doing these things really prepares you to bring an amazing show to everyone.
What genre of music do you consider Mortal Void to be?
We've been labeled "Tech-Death" but we really think we are quite the opposite of that. If we were to put a label on what we are, we'd probably say Old School Death/Melodeath. Sure, we have some technical parts, and some progressive ideas with our music, but more or less it is just plain, good old-fashioned death metal.
Why call the band “Mortal Void?”
Long story short, we had a lot of ideas for names, some very long-winded. But Mortal Void just stuck out, super memorable and catchy. But if I were to give a deeper, more esoteric meaning to it, it's very much a reflection of our own egos. We're living beings, but inside of us is a darkness, a "void." Some of the songs came from dark experiences in our lives, and Mortal Void is an expression of that darkness we have in us.
What should fans expect to experience at a show?
Pure energy, we try to be as animated as possible on stage, and call out to the crowd as much as possible. The most recent show we did was at a compact venue, and we had the whole place moving in front of the stage, moshing, screaming, punching and kicking. People went berserk. We just want to party the whole time with our fans, that includes on and off the stage.
Typical question here. Who has influenced you the most via music?
As far as influence, I think everyone has their own direct influence when it comes to how we play. Bryan's writing has always been deeply inspired by Chuck Schuldiner of Death, I'm influenced by a lot of progressive and funk bands, like Ryan Martini's soften the glare project. Graham is deeply inspired by bands like Carnifex, and Jon Rice from Job for a Cowboy, and Erick loves thrashier bands like 3 Inches of Blood, and bands like Ghoul. I really feel as if the influences show themselves in our music.
How can fans and future fans locate, listen to and buy your music?
We're on basically every social media platform. We have YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music, you name it, and we're on it. I will say though to check us out on our main page on Instagram through @mortalvoidtx. If you'd like to contribute to our future endeavors, you can buy our merch. We have a sick T-shirt commemorating our single "The Specimen" as well as signature picks and stickers for sale as well. Also, you can support our music on Band camp and on all streaming platforms.
Is there anything else you would like your fans to know?
We really appreciate everyone who has been supporting us, and everyone who came to the debut show. We love and appreciate you all!
What’s coming up next for Mortal Void?
We will go on record and announce our first full-length album is underway, we've worked on some killer tracks that our fans will really love, and we are well underway for our deadline later this year to finish the writing process. Can't tell you much more as we are trying to keep the hype real. Our last words to our Mortal Void family, friends and our awesome fans our next LP will be called: The Sacred Prism. So keep an eye out for it later this year!
This is a repost from the Vinyl Lollipops Facebook Page. Thank you Laura!
