|
A stylish and catchy headbanging follow-up.-
|
| Mercenary: Metamorphosis |
Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal
Prosthetic Records
March 29th, 2011
- Through the Eyes of the Devil - 5:11
- The Follower - 4:37
- In a River of Madness - 5:59
- Memoria - 5:42
- Velvet Lies - 6:52
- In Bloodred Shades - 4:40
- Shades of Grey - 5:35
- On the Edge of Sanity - 4:22
- The Black Brigade - 5:45
- Incorporate Your Demons (Bonus Track) - 6:04
|
| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 54:47
Review posted on March 30th, 2011
- |
|
| | Overall Score: 9/10 |
 |
|
|
| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
First Breath (1998) | Everblack (2002) | 11 Dreams (2004) | The Hours That Remain (2005) | Architect of Lies (2008)
Metamorphosis (2011)
|
| EP(s): |
Supremacy (1996)
|
| Demo(s): |
Demoicile... (1993) | Gummizild (1994)
|
| Compilation(s): |
Retrospective (2006)
|
|
| - |
| Review |
Metamorphosis marks the sixth full-length effort from Denmark's Mercenary. The group has been all over the map lately, reaching impaccable hights of fame in the Metal world with their earlier releases through Century Media Records, specifically around their album 11 Dreams, but slowly slipping from the eyes of some fans due to some changes in their music. Metamorphosis is another one of those questionable releases from the band, which is being met with a good deal of negativity from critics and fans alike. But, just what is so bad about this effort that it warrants such scores of mediocrity, if there genuinely is anything that deserves them at all?
While Metamorphosis is a stronger departure from their previous releases, it's not really an album that geatly deserves a lot of the lower scores that it has been receiving. Mercenary has been trying to evolve their sound for a good while now, have happened upon a more Melodic Death Metal sounding foundation then a strong mixture of that genre with Power Metal. Of course, there are still some Power Metal elements to the recording, such as the blood pounding start to "Through the Eyes of the Dead", and "In a River of Madness" really seems to pull some influence from the earlier sound the band had including a heavy amount of melody and clean singing vocals in the chorus that show off a more Power Metal approach coupled with the screaming vocals that range nicely from a higher pitched scream to lower pitched near-gutteral styles. The song is a much slower song, allowing the band to explore transitioning between Melodic Death and Power Metal styles nicely, and often incorporates the two together quite impressively. The problem with this track is that the song seems to go on a little longer then it probably should, though the track is still solid with strong enough music featuring plenty of changes in speed and style to keep the listener actively listening the entire time. The breakdown in this song half way through the track, however, feels really out of place, and makes for an uncomfortable shift to haunting music that feels more eccentric thanks to the keyboards, even pushing towards a more stylish Symphonic Black Metal approach with the pounding drums and fast paced guitars before concluding this awkward section with yet another quick breakdown that feels unneccesary, then going into a guitar solo and back to the chorus to conclude the song on a higher note then the past two and a half minutes, maybe three had laid out.
While "In a River of Madness" manages to take the band through various genres outside the foundation of the group's music in the most awkward fasgion possible, that thankfully doesn't make up all the tracks on here. "Memoria" is a little lighter then what one might expect, having more of a mainstream feel to it with some simpler music, but it shows some fantastic range from the vocalist with his clean singing hitting various pitches with a nice amount of energy behind them, and a solid gutteral backing style during the chorus. The music is catchy and still very heavy in a sleek and stylish kind of way, utilizing a fantastic guitar build up that braces the listener for a guitar solo that slows the music down, but nicely matches the reflective attitude of the song with it's somber, sorrowful sounding chords that transition perfectly into a much heavier and faster solo. This song proves that, when this album lacks a strong intensity, the music is ultimately insanely catchy and infectious, as well as just has plenty of great talent behind it, pushing the music on this release to quite impressive levels. But with that, the band seems to be dabbling more and more with breakdowns on the album, and they always feel awkward, much like they were outlined above, as well as with "Velvet Lies" among others, where the tacked on value they have winds up hurting the songs a bit. "The Black Brigade" doesn't necessarily have a breakdown, but it definitely goes into a much slower pace that seems similar to it, almost like a Doom Metal approach, but lighter and more atmospheric in a mainstream or Alternative Rock sense. While it doesn't necessarily feel as awkward, it really just feels like it comes out of nowhere, and doesn't really do much to help the song aside tack some more time onto the track.
But, that's about all it boils down to at the end when it comes to the faults of this album: The breakdowns and their tacked on awkwardness. Sure "In a River of Madness" goes off the deepend here and there, but for the most part this album is solid Melodic Death Metal and Power Metal merged together to create a sound that often feels like candy for your ear drums. The songs have a great bite with the music, the vocals are quite impressive, and some of the background things the band does, such as the subtle and light keyboards on "In Bloodred Shades", really helps to enhance the songs and just add an extra layer to the music to make it sound much more solid and catchy then it already does. And that's one of the biggest positive aspects, the simple fact of how catchy these songs are. Whether or not you want to, you'll be headbanging along with the Melodic Death Metal of this album, and be in awe of the Power Metal influences, though those seem to be more at a minimal, sticking them more in the chorus of a song, leading to a slightly patterned performance, but a solid one none the less, and each time a quite different experience compared to some of the bands that follow the scream verse, sing chorus pattern.
The North American and Canadian pressing of Metamorphosis actually slightly differs from the initial overseas pressing. This version of the album comes with altered artwork, which looks nice, but the original pressing seemed a little more proper for the stylish and modern sound of the music on this recording. Aside that, the release also comes with the song "Incorporate Your Demons", which really is one of the biggest reasons to buy this release for the dedicated fan. While Metamorphosis is a much more stylish sounding effort, having a more lighter Melodic Death Metal vibe to it, "Incorporate Your Demons" is the song that will make the biggest impression on the listener, taking the band back to their earlier days of Everblack and 11 Dreams, blending more Power Metal into the Melodic Death Metal, and creating a very dark ominous feeling to the music that sounds much deeper and richer without the stylish vibe of the main track list to Metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis is a very strong album, and definitely takes the band into a different direction. The group had been trying to reach a more sleek sounding album The Hours That Remain, and with Metamorphosis, the band succeeded. The breakdowns feel a little out of place on this recording however, and not every song on here remains as strong as the next, but even those tracks are rich in headbanging catchiness. Either way, almost every track on here is solid, and well deserves taking a look at. However, the bonus track for the domestic release is absolutely phenomenal and genuinely captures the spirit of the band outside the energy and more accessible sound they present on Metamorphosis. While many have bashed this album for whatever reasons they may have, there's no denying this is an infectious album that shows off the talents of each band member perfectly, and really becomes a memorable experience that won't get old after a few spins, and is well worth looking into.
|
| - |
|
Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Prosthetic Records.
| Submit to Social Networks |
|
|
|
