Founded in 1988, Christian industrial metal dance band Mortal was fronted by Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan, who together also formed the alternative rock group Fold Zandura. Originally known as Mortal Wish, the duo added Ray Tongpo and Wilson Peralta, signed with Intense Records, and released their debut album Lusis in 1992. The album was produced by Terry Scott Taylor and Allan Aguirre of Scaterd Few.

A second guitar-heavy full-length called Fathom was released in 1993, followed by a grunge album named Wake (1994) and an ambient new age dance album, Pura (1995), all on the Intense label. By this time, Fontamillas and Xhan were being backed by drummer Ed Benrock (Lifesavers Underground) and guitarist Troy Yasuda.

Legal issues with the Mortal band name prompted Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan to form an alt-rock band, Fold Zandura, which released one album and three EPs. The Mortal name was revived in order to release a self-titled album on 5 Minute Walk Records in 1996, featuring three Fold Zandura songs. A 1998 best-of album, Godspeed, featured two non-album tracks.

Mortal was extant from 1988 to 1996, with a reunion album released by Tooth & Nail Records in 2002, Nu-En-Jin, featuring Fontamillas and Xhan performing an electronic space-rock concept suite.

Fontamillas joined Switchfoot in 2000, originally as a session musician and then a full-time member.