Adorior first manifested in the mid-1990s and immediately stood apart from the rest of the UK underground metal scene, demonstrating an uglier and more bestial sound than most of their countrymen, blending black, thrash and death metal in a manner that gave nods to the likes of Blasphemy as opposed to the bands exploding out of Scandinavia. The fact that Adorior featured a female vocalist at a time when that was all but unheard of within the genre only added to the group’s unique status.

The group’s malicious approach would first be showcased on their demo Beyond the Distant Blue from 1996 and then the full-length opus, Like Cutting the Sleeping in 1998: Aptly, the band would surprise many by releasing this debut studio album on Norway’s Head Not Found, a label run by Slayer Mag’s Metalion and initially intended to only house acts from his own country. Some eight years later came Adorior’s second album, Author of Incest, which honed the chaotic assault of old and arguably proved more second-wave black metal in flavour despite retaining the black/death leanings of its predecessor. However, despite the band never splitting, Adorior would become much more hidden in the years that followed, with 2010’s Fucking in Fire ­– released as a split with Sweden’s Terrorama – the only recording issued since the second album.

Finally, that is about to change, and the band are preparing to release the crushing Bleed on My Teeth through Dark Descent and Sepulchral Voice Records, unleashing an insane musical tornado that takes the violent cacophony of old and focuses it into an apocalyptic weapon, the compositions spearheaded by Melissa’s expanded vocal assault. The record also demonstrates a refreshed line-up, with vocalist and co-founder Melissa JadedLungs and long-serving drummer D. Molestör (Grave Miasma) now joined by guitarist Stevil Offender (Qrixkuor), Ro Sadistic Slayer (former lead guitarist of Grave Miasma and Destroyer 666) and Tom TNT Tank of Grave Miasma and Malthusian.

Cult Never Dies: It’s been a long time since your last release and even longer since the last studio album; can you bring us up to date on what the band has been up to over the years and how you became fully active again?

Melissa JadedLungs: “Adorior was one of those bands that was like an episode of The Young Ones, where we lived together and did everything together for years – 30 years on, and we’re still thick as thieves. We started the band when I was still a teenager. Chris Nunravager [bass] and I were the main songwriters, so when he wanted to retire, I didn’t really feel the fire writing with anyone else. Adorior never left me, though ­– whatever other projects I was involved in, I kept writing down ideas and shit. Starting a band as intense as Adorior at such a young age meant we hadn’t experienced much else, so we all buggered off and did this and that. When it was time, I hit up D Molestör and [original guitarist] Tony Slutsodomiser – did they want to get back in the ring with me? The answer was a resounding yes. We hired Stevil Offender during his first audition because he was able to teach us our own songs [laughs]. We realised fast we had this insane musical chemistry. Of course, Adorior is a band that requires a maximum Outbreak of Evil, so nothing less than a worldwide pandemic would do as a fucking opening act. ‘We’re back!’”

“Over the lockdown, Offender and I went full throttle and wrote most of Bleed on my Teeth. Once Ro Sadistic Slayer and Tom TNT Tank joined the ranks with their cunt-ributions, Bleed on My Teeth was ready for the anvil! We have a nasty habit of attracting some of the finest lead guitarists to ruin their lives and careers by becoming Adoriwhores. The third Adorior album was nearly ready not long after Author of Incest, but for various reasons, it never saw the light of day. You can get an idea of our musical progression from Author… to ‘Gutters of Cum’ [from Fucking in Fire]. Nunravager fully supports this album; some of his riffs from those covert sessions are on Bleed on My Teeth; Slutsodomiser also makes a guest appearance with some leads – it was important to all of us that their filth is on this record. Once we got the taste of blood in our mouths, there was no leash that could contain this beast!”

As the founding member, how conscious are you of your previous releases when writing new songs? Do you feel that there should be continuity with the older material written with previous lineups, or do you feel pretty free regarding the direction of the band?

“I did initiate Adorior, but it was Chris Nunravager and me consistently from the beginning up until Fucking in Fire. We don’t really know how the fuck Stevil manages to write like such a disturbing old cunt, but he’s a keeper. I had some vocal patterns and arrangements from the unreleased material with Chris that I wanted to work on for Bleed. The last song we wrote was ‘Sips of Sarin’; Ro was involved in this, and it’s one of our favourite songs on the record. We’ve always had this selfish approach to writing, giving a shit about what ‘the people’ think makes you musically weak. I’ve had many arguments over the years. ‘Oh yeah, let’s call the fucking people; what’s the number for the hotline?’ I mean, who are these fucking ‘people’?”

“Bleed on my Teeth is an insatiable fucker that wanted everything we had and more! None of us have worked harder on anything we’ve done previously. It was important not to do a clone of Author of Incest, that album is its own entity and deserves its place in history. Like Cutting… was so long ago no one can remember what the fuck was going on. Every member of Adorior has been crucial to this band and has given their all. No riding past glories for us; if Adorior was going back into the ring, we would be punching above our weight!”

Obviously, some time has passed and the black metal scene, as well as the broader metal scene, has continued to evolve, musically, socially and culturally. Having been involved with metal for many years, how do you view things compared to when you debuted in the mid-1990s, and again when you released the second album some ten years later? Does it feel like there’s a bigger audience now or at some point in the past, and who do you see as your peers in terms of bands with somewhat similar music?

“Yes, for sure, there is still enough of us around to stand our ground. Dunno about you Dayal, but I’m glad to have come from the time we did, seen a lot of scenes come and go. Plenty of killer young bands and powerful artists around, also plenty of dog shit. You just gotta be careful where you step. There are so many albums coming out these days; sometimes, we can miss the gold because there is just too much slag to navigate. When we got into metal, we didn’t have the internet, just tape trading; we had to save our money and wait for those timeless records to be released. I’m a vinyl girl; digital does give us access to so much more music, but it still gives me a massive thrill admiring a killer record collection. One of the most moving things has been the overwhelming response to our first two singles ‘Scavengers of Vengeance’ and ‘L.O.T.P Vomit Vomit Vomit Bastard’ (our first attempt at a video). Some people might not understand some of the visual references, as it deals with very 90s London and British affairs, but I’m sure they’ve lived through similar experiences. Metal should be disturbing and uncompromising. As the release date draws near, we find ourselves staring at yet another precipice, where people on the other side are bending over to get fucked for free, terrified to have an opinion.”

“Somehow, our timing has always been right.  When Metalion released Like Cutting… we began on this rebellious road, Author… delivered a blow when metal seriously needed a bullet belt wrapped around its face. Bleed on My Teeth is a frightening and unpredictable album at a time when people need to be reminded not to be controlled by fear. Will we offend people with this record? Yes. Have we offended people in the past? Definitely. But more importantly – does it make you feel alive? Our pack starts around the corner and stretches far across the world. We are deeply grateful to be in a position to have too many bands and mates we respect to name. Only those with self-confidence could ever handle bands like Adorior, in 30 years that hasn’t changed because people who know their own minds don’t need permission to exist. Adorior was designed to offend anyone stupid enough to not understand irony and we thank you for your weakness and tears.”

I’m interested in what you mean when you say that Adorior was designed to offend those who do not understand irony: How you see Adorior in relation to irony? Obviously, the aesthetics and lyrics are always totally extreme, over-the-top and purposely offensive, but there is a sense of self-awareness at play as well. How do you view all this?

“Thanks for mentioning self-awareness, most people like to skip that part and get straight to the cocks. Adorior isn’t exactly an opening night for a fucking nativity, it’s Extreme Metal for Hard Cunts. People who are self-aware recognise their strengths and the challenges of life. We come from a time when individuality was respected, and others understood what irony was. I believe our bullshit radar should be our sharpest weapon and compass; that way, you’ll rarely get lost in life. Some of the people reading this will have also grown up in an environment where if you couldn’t handle dangerous practical jokes or acted like a pussy in any way, you’d get your arse handed to you. None of us exactly loved it at the time, but we all probably agree that learning to laugh off the bad stuff is a fucking strength, and it has enabled us to walk through some serious fires. Pain taught me honour – pity made you a cunt!”

“Our artwork has already been censored; it’s a fine art masterpiece by Belial NecroArts. If you see a big red CENSORED sign on digital platforms, that’s us. Our labels have fully supported us, and we refused to blur out a single nipple – it’s all or nothing – this is Adorior! A lot of the stuff we write about is dark satire; we should all be horrified and offended by the fucked up shit that goes on in this world. Heavy metal has always symbolised dreams and nightmares, horrors and desires. The irony is that most musicians are pretty stand-up, ‘self-aware’ people; it’s the ones that hide behind the keyboard and censor art we should be worried about. Here’s a line from the song ‘Moment of Mania’: ‘You can drag a fool to the slaughter, but you can’t make them think.” If anyone struggles to understand the sentiment behind that – you better put on a rom-com and cry yourself to sleep with your wankerchief. Bleed on My Teeth is a summoning for the black-hearted survivors of this diseased and treacherous world. You will feel this record like it was tattooed into your bones, and if you don’t, then fuck off and pray you never will!”

THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A MUCH LONGER INTERVIEW THAT WILL APPEAR IN PRINT VIA CULT NEVER DIES.

ADORIOR PLAY LONDON SEPTEMBER 27TH 2024 DOWNSTAIRS AT THE DOME

YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE: THE DOME

YOU CAN ORDER ADORIOR’S NEW ALBUM HERE: CULT NEVER DIES (MAIN STORE, UK)