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Excuse me as I wipe the drool off my chin…this
disc has made my jaw drop and freeze my face, with my mouth wide-open,
staring at my stereo. Melodic Swedish death, mixed with progressive
symphonic power metal; it’s quite a mix. Mercenary
has incredible balance between the extreme death like clatter and
somewhat mellow power metal resonance. Most like Susperia when you’re
talking about writing skills with crossing metal styles. A host of
bands come to mind when thinking about their music and might explain
more of the dynamics of this band. Blind Guardian, Arch Enemy, Children
of Bodom, Nevermore, Dream Theater fans should feast well on “11
Dreams.” At times Mercenary creates an atmosphere like Bal-Sagoth;
ambient, yet intense. There are elements fans from death, thrash,
black, progressive and power metal will be impressed by. All tracks
are good, but “World Hate Center”, the title track “11
Dreams,” and “reDestructDead” are my favorites.
I found myself chanting choruses along with the band the first time
I listen to the tracks, that’s how catchy this is. The songs
are commanding especially track 3, “11 Dreams”. It has
staying power, and is captivating and enticing. With a great chorus,
you can get right into this song and listen to it over and over again.
It has amazing radio potential. An album like this assures you that
metal is what everyone should be listening to. Amazing musicscapes
makes this CD addicting. The music has a complete sound and nothing
seems to be missing. And the vocal range includes screeching death
vocals to a clean, powerful, almost majestic voice…quite a dynamic
voice. To finish off this album, there are impressive solos that last
the perfect amount of time and aren’t overbearing. Metal heads
should be talking about this disc for a while. Rating: 92 |
