May everyone who has supported Mortification, Wonrowe Vision and Lightforce for the past 27 years have GOD'S PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING as you all read this latest update.

I have made a decision that I will be retiring from Christian Music as of 2015. Not exactly sure WHEN in 2015, but our Australian Manager Vic Campbell and I are working on a plan to perform a BIG Double-Header Wonrowe Vision/Mortification show at a major festival here in Australia at some point during 2015. Our American Manager Sherri Ross knows this decision now, but it has been difficult for me to tell Sherri because you all know JUST HOW HARD Sherri works on a daily basis promoting Mortification and Wonrowe Vision! We are all pretty sad about this decision but when it is time, it is time. The reasons are purely physical and financial. I have always known that when the financial strain became so harsh that it started affecting my health and family then that would be the time to PLAN to finish.

The GOOD NEWS is that both Bands will still be active until the last show and of course I will always be around and involved in Heavy Gospel Music!! I am assured that ALL members of Mortification past and present will honour the Mortification legacy and that all will be happy to let Mortification rest where it is left!!!!!!! In 2015 I will celebrate my 50th Birthday, 30 years in Gospel Heavy Rock and Heavy Metal Mission, 25 years Mortification, 5 years Wonrowe Vision and 18 years out of triple cancer! A BIG YEAR ON WHICH TO PLACE A BIG FULL STOP.

Considering all of the physical consequences of those cancer, chemo and radiation years I am surprisingly in very good health. But the strain of working and working to perform and present God's GOSPEL MESSAGE year after year in Gospel Metal is taking its toll on myself and my family. We are ALWAYS battling the FINANCIAL COST that has brought with it way too many concerns about the future.

Actually, these past 7 months I have been on extensive amounts of USANA Cellular Nutrition products and have only been able to pay for these by earning enough income working USANA as a business. The GOOD REPORT is that as of this year's extensive Blood Test I currently have the BEST BLOOD COUNT, IMMUNE SYSTEM and surprisingly NORMAL LEVELS OF CREATININE IN 10 YEARS, even though I only have 40% Kidney Function! Add to that L4 Paraplegia, decreasing mobility, increased pain levels, a paralysed bladder and digestive system, heart condition, diminished lung capacity, a Neurological Disorder and only 50% eyesight - these results speak for themselves! USANA IS THE WORLD'S PREMIER HEALTH PRODUCT ! I need to head towards focusing more time and energy (of which there is little of both) on working as a WELLNESS SPECIALIST presenting USANA Products to the world. USANA has CERTAINLY BEEN GOD'S GIFT TO ME THESE PAST 15 YEARS!! God has HIS WAYS and who are we to stand IN THE WAY OF THAT!?

USANA is now available in The USA, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, The UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia. Mortification has A LOT of supporters in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, The USA, Canada, Mexico and Columbia, SO ONE WAY YOU CAN HELP YOURSELVES and HELP ME, ALL TOGETHER TO SURVIVE, is to take USANA Products daily (AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUTRY), but FIRSTLY JOIN MY USANA TEAM and start earning some GOOD INCOME each week VERY PART TIME! Last week I worked 5 hours and got paid $320 USD! EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WHO WORKS WITH SHARING USANA 5 STAR CELLULAR HEALTH GETS PAID IN AMERICAN DOLLARS CONVERTED TO YOUR LOCAL CURRENCY! IMAGINE WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU GUYS IN MEXICO and COLUMBIA! USANA IS BOOMING IN MEXICO and COLUMBIA - DOORS JUST OPENED LAST WEEK! Do YOU WANT To BREAK THAT POVERTY CYCLE WITH ME? Please contact me at info@roweproductions.com for FULL INFORMATION!

The other way that you guys can help get me through to 2015 is to BUY Mortification and Wonrowe Vision CDs from The Store at www.roweproductions.com that is run by Adam at www.soundmass.com

The re-issue of Mortification - SCRIBE OF THE PENTATEUCH is coming VERY SOON on Soundmass, with our performance at this year's Easterfest as Bonus Audio that replaces The Bonus Tracks on the 1st version! It is going to take some MONTHS to get ALL 5 Camera sets of Footage of Mortification at Easterfest 2013 to add to the Desk Level Audio to make up a great YOUTUBE FULL CONCERT FILM. WORTH WAITING FOR!! Stay posted right here in the coming updates.

....and so the final Mortification dates leading up to the end will be the SCRIBE OF THE PENTATEUCH FAREWELL TOUR! The NEW Wonrowe Vision CD - PICTURES OF THE PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE - is NOW available from my online store and it is receiving SURPRISINGLY KILLER REVIEWS! Please YouTube search Wonrowe Vision Full Live Concert and you can view BOTH our FULL PERFORMANCES at The Metal Bible Launch 2012 and Easterfest this year! THEN READ THE COMMENTS BELOW!! THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL OF YOUR KIND WORDS about my quite Eclectic Take on 70's and 80's Heavy Rock! Lincoln Bowen and Andrew Esnouf are GENIUS PLAYERS and THE MOST INCREDIBLE MEN OF GOD I HAVE EVER KNOWN!!

I will continue my PROTEST against Internet Music Stealing until THE DAY I DIE! I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW ANY CHRISTIAN CAN ENCOURAGE ANOTHER CHRISTIAN TO COMMIT CRIME?? The FACT IS THAT INTERNET STEALING OF MUSIC ART IS ILLEGAL!! You can SAMPLE LISTEN EVERYTHING ON ITUNES and YOUTUBE and so WHY STEAL and KILL THE MUSIC THAT YOU LOVE AND THOSE MAKING IT??? There are still PLENTY OF CLASSIC MORT DIGIS and copies of ALL 15 Mort Albums and Live Albums and DVDs STILL AVAILABLE from my Store! But ONCE THEY ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE FOREVER!! Start to complete YOUR COLLECTION TODAY and in doing so help me pull Rowe Productions OUT OF MASSIVE DEBT and keep the WONDERFUL SOUNDMASS.COM ALIVE!!! Do it today!!

That is most of my news so I will hand over to 3 other people to give differing perspectives on Internet Downloading. Firstly, My good friend Vaughan Gregor - Lead Vocalist for Aussie Gospel Thrash legends GRAVE FORSAKEN:

"Hi, this is Vaughan from Grave Forsaken. The issue of music downloading is a complex one. A massive number of people download music without paying for it, so you can make yourself quite unpopular if you speak out against it. I’ve heard all the justifications and reasons people give, but to me it boils down to one simple fact – it is illegal so, therefore, we shouldn’t do it. As far as I can see, if something is against the law of the land, as Christians we are morally obligated to not do it. This is problematic for us music lovers, as it is so easy to obtain material with no direct consequences.

I will never point the finger at a friend or colleague who downloads, as I realise it can be a complex moral minefield. What I try to do is set an example and support legally purchased music. Being in a band, I’m asked about this on a weekly basis. People ask me if downloading impacts our album sales, so it’s obviously on their minds. It is impossible to tell for sure but I will say this – the number of people who are familiar with our music seems to be a lot higher than our album sales! Granted, you can hear it on YouTube without downloading it, but it would be fair to suggest a significant number of people have obtained our music illegally. As an individual, I don’t mind as I’m not in it for the money. If someone comes to Christ through an illegal download of Grave Forsaken that is great. But every album or song not purchased hurts Soundmass and that in turn affects their decision making on future projects. Labels are run by passionate people who need sales to keep their business going. Believe me, a Christian band selling 500 copies instead of 100 copies would make a huge difference to any label.

So what’s my point? It is illegal, so we shouldn’t do it. As Christians we should set the example and support legally purchased music. My stance may be unpopular with some but it is what I apply to my own life. I think in any area of life we should live by example rather than pointing the finger. Noone can accuse you of double standards if you eliminate the behaviour from your own life.

God Bless
Vaughan"

Well said Vaughan! ...and YES I AGREE! MILLIONS of Mortification Albums and Songs have been stolen from The Internet by NON-CHRISTIANS and I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT AS 1000's HAVE COME TO FAITH IN JESUS THROUGH THE MORTIFICATION HEAVY METAL MUSIC MISSION! Non-Christians have NO MORAL COMPASS and thus sin is normal! So if Non-Christians steal my Music then GREAT!! The problem I have is with "Christians" COMMITTING CRIME!

Now over to a Legend of 70's Heavy Rock - Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult. This is a YouTube Interview from 2010 with the legend himself. Please note that Buck is a Millionaire simply from what he got paid in The 70's! This goes for ALL of the 70's Heavy Rock Supergroups - Zepplin, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Status Quo, Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy, UFO, Journey, Boston, Blue Oyster Cult and, of course, later in the 70's Motorhead and then Van Halen. Please note that Buck is rather nonchalant about the millions of people who in his words here have STOLEN his music from the Internet. This guy is a Millionaire and their Tour T-Shirt says ON TOUR FOREVER! I wish My Latest Mort Tee said that. HaHa! But besides Festivals, BOC ONLY perform in Clubs to a few hundred people. I saw them in Melbourne last week and they were EXCELLENT! That said, I saw Sabbath last night in an Arena performing to 13,000 and so THE CREAM OF 70's HEAVY ROCK are ALL MILLIONAIRES to varying degrees FROM SALES THAT FINANCE TOURS and TICKET SALES ON and ON and ON! Unfortunately I was born 15 years TOO LATE. HaHa!! Please note some of Buck's words here - Steal, No control of marketing of music, very FEW PAY FOR MUSIC to listen to, what can a label do with a Band 25+ years in? BOC is eclectic, has lived in the BEST period of music to be alive and playing Rock!

Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult Part 1

Now over to my good friend Jayson Sherlock. I am not ashamed to say that I have cried many tears over the past 20 years since the break up of the Classic Mortification line-up of Jays, Mick Carlisle and myself. But the 3 of us HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE SAME PAGE ETHICALLY, SPIRITUALLY and MUSICALLY. That DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE NOT FRIENDS, BUT MY GOODNESS WE HAVE CLASHED HEADS OVER THE YEARS!!!! Sad thing is that I STILL GET A LOT OF HATE MAIL FROM "christians" who blame me for taking Mortification on an on in ever increasing eclectic forms of Extreme Metal. I NEVER wanted to be just a same same same boring Death Metal Band! Even my songs on Scrolls, especially RAISE THE CHALICE and LYMPHOSARCOMA, are VERY ECLECTIC and OUT OF THE ORDINARY! I wrote The Death Metal and Grind with Nocturnal and The Title Track but after that, with Post Momentary, I was determined to spread the Band's Musical Wings! With the popularity of black metal in 1994 I stand by my decision to progress, because in 1994 Death Metal DIED for a while! By EnVision EvAngelene and then Hammer Of God, those Albums have gone on to 10 out of 10 acclaim on Traditional Heavy Power Metal Websites!!!! So in many ways my head is still in the 70's and 80's! Thus the reason to start Wonrowe Vision as a second Band to Mort 3 years Ago! I believe that I have followed God's Lead and that ALL Mort Albums are unique in taste and style FOR A REASON, which makes THEM ALL SPECIAL! So once again Jayson and I are great friends and have made a decision to continue to support each other and AGREE TO DISAGREE. Actually, I have had the honour of supporting BOTH Jays and Mick C with their musical endeavours since that classic line-up break. Jayson with Beheadoth/Horde and Mick C with Cybergrind. I financed both Albums and gained an initial release for Horde on Nuclear Blast. That Horde release caused both myself and Markus Staiger from Nuclear Blast A LOT OF GRIEF, HATE MAIL and DEATH THREATS!!? But that is what comes with STANDING UP FOR JESUS! I was willing to wear that for years on Jayson's behalf. I have never said this before, but often I feel that without proper Church Prayer Covering and Intersession and my own lack of BREAKING, The prince of darkness curses that I contracted cancer as a result of black magic curses. Maybe God said to satan "Consider My Servant Steve" as he did with Job? One thing I WILL NEVER DO IS EVER TURN MY BACK ON GOD OR BLAME GOD FOR ANYTHING!

I have ALSO never really said publicly that I have the Spiritual Gift of DISCERNING OF SPIRITS! I was #1 on the Norwegian black metal mafia's list of death. Markus Staiger was #2 and because of Chuck Schuldiner's statements against satanism in Metal in the early 90's he, of course, died of cancer in 2001!! Chuck was also on that black metal mafia's list of death!? Markus' health has been affected in different ways to mine. Please continue to pray for Markus as he struggles to keep Nuclear Blast Records afloat in a Musical Minefield BOMBING him at every turn!!

Jayson and I have ALWAYS AGREED ON ONE IMPORTANT THING! There is NO SUCH THING as christian black metal. Black Metal from the get go was Trademarked as satan's Unholy black metal. That is why any Christian like Jayson plays HOLY UNBLACK METAL! That is 100% TRUTH and so over to the man himself:

"A big hello to all the Mortification and Wonrowe Vision supporters out there! Steve has kindly asked me to share my thoughts and opinions on music availability in the modern tech crazy world...

Now what I’m about to share are my opinions alone and everyone of course is entitled to theirs. This is mine. I firmly believe, for the artist, if it is financially possible and viable and there is enough income being generated which is enough to sustain a healthy and satisfying lifestyle other than that being generated by music sales (CDs, iTunes, etc.), then I believe recorded music should be freely available to anyone and everyone who can obtain it. I am very thankful that my music is available freely on the net. This means that anyone can search and find what they want, without the restrictions of having to either to travel to a store or seek out and find a safe and reputable online source from which to make a purchase. There is great risk involved in committing to expose sensitive and private information such as credit card details over the internet, with online credit card fraud becoming more and more common place.

Having said that, when I travelled recently to Switzerland to play the final Horde show, I was very excited to visit “Outsider” metal shop in Olten. Whilst there, I happily made several purchases that I was unable to make whilst here in Melbourne. I had previously downloaded the albums I wanted to purchase and then made the legitimate transaction whilst in the store. Being an active recording artist and song writer, I choose to immerse myself in the very latest and best the international metal scene has to offer. Furthermore, wherever possible I will purchase the music and support the bands that I really love. However, in all honesty, I’m the first to put my hand up and admit to downloading songs which will give me a greater understanding and appreciation of the musical community that I’ve grown to love over the past 30 or so years. If I was to continue creating my own original music without a collaborator, I would freely make my music available online. However, with my current collaborators, this solution is yet to be fully discussed and explored, and therefore no such decision has been committed to.

So, in conclusion, if it’s possible both logistically and financially, support the bands you love and purchase their music. If not, use any means necessary to obtain the music and when the said band comes to your town, purchase a ticket and go and see them, buy their album and merchandise and support them in whatever way that you can! I hope this has been both informative and helpful.

Peace and blessings, Jayson Sherlock."

THANK YOU JAYSON! MUCH APPRECIATED HONESTY and INPUT! YEP, I fully agree that FREELY WE HAVE RECEIVED and SO FREELY WE SHOULD GIVE! I have given away 1000's of CDs and have given the past 27 years of my Life, Finances, Time and Energy into bringing Glory to GOD and PEOPLE TO FAITH IN JESUS THROUGH HIS GOSPEL METAL! I disagree that the obtaining of Music via Credit Card Internet is dangerous! If you think this is true, then open up a PaypPal Account! PayPal Account Payments are ROCK SOLID SAFE and BILLIONS Of Online Shoppers can't be wrong. When I have money I have saved over months waiting for a SPECIAL release I really want, I purchase it at a Local Store. There is an Indy Metal Store nearby called Radical Records who can source ANYTHING and EVERYTHING ROCK Recorded in the past 50 years! THAT SAID, within reason. I have some VERY VERY UNDERGROUND AND RARE Releases on Vinyl and CD and Mark at Radical Records is a collector/salesman connected Worldwide!

Please DO NOT send HATE MAIL TO ME because I went and saw Sabbath last night and Blue Oyster Cult last week! These people ARE NOT SATANISTS!! They are PRE-SAVED CHRISTIANS!! Most of the Sabbath Show last night I was praying in my head for their SALVATION! God especially laid OZZY on my heart! He is a man SEARCHING! On their new Sabbath Album 13, they have a song called God Is Dead? Is OZZY SEARCHING OR WHAT?

 Black Sabbath - God Is Dead?

IN ONE FINAL IMPORTANT NOTE, Mortification is one of the headline acts on this year's travelling RISEN Festival! Please check  risenfestival.com.au.This travelling Festival will tour Australia in September and October this year, taking in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide!

Blessings To All!

Steve.