Norwegian gothic metal act Mortemia has released a cover of Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 hit single “It’s a Sin”. The track, which came out on 9 October 2026, is available for streaming and download on Bandcamp as a digital single.
The cover features Jane Odintsova, vocalist of Russian symphonic metal band Imperial Age, as a guest singer. According to the credits on the release, the song is performed by Morten Veland and Odintsova together. Veland, who founded Mortemia in 2009, handles vocals and all instruments in the project.
A run of collaborative covers
“It’s a Sin” continues a series of cover versions Mortemia has released in 2026, each built around a different guest vocalist. Earlier this year the project released “Golden Leaves” featuring Zora Cock in September, “Running up that Hill” with Federica Lanna in August, and “California Dreamin’” with Helle Bohdanova, Caterina Nix and Karmen Klinc in July. The series follows the pattern Veland established with The Pandemic Pandemonium Sessions and The Covid Aftermath Sessions, projects in which each song was built around a female guest vocalist instead of the symphonic choir that marked his earlier work.
From Tristania and Sirenia to Mortemia
Mortemia was formed in Stavanger, Norway in 2009 by Morten Veland, who had previously founded both Tristania and Sirenia. The band’s debut album, Misere Mortem, was released in February 2010 through Napalm Records, recorded at Veland’s own Audio Avenue Studios in Stavanger and at Sound Suite Studios in France, with Veland producing, engineering and mixing the record himself. In 2021 he launched his own label, Veland Music, which has since carried the project’s digital releases.
Jane Odintsova behind the microphone
Jane Odintsova is the vocalist of Imperial Age, the symphonic metal band that guests on this new single. Her contribution marks the first time she has worked with Mortemia, adding her voice to a list of past collaborators that includes Federica Lanna, Liv Kristine, Melissa Bonny, Brittney Slayes and Madeleine Liljestem’s bandmate circuit of European symphonic metal singers. On “It’s a Sin” she shares the performance with Veland himself.
The single is sold on Bandcamp as a digital track, with streaming included via the Bandcamp app and downloads offered in MP3 and FLAC formats.
