Mercyless

By several accounts, Mercyless was a decent if typical death metal band in the early nineties, as heard on their early albums Abject Offerings and Coloured Funeral, the former even thought of as a lost classic by some. The album reviewed here, though, is their third effort, 1996's Cold, and what we have here is clearly a band in transition. Band leader Max Otero still sings in the death style, but that and the occasional guitar riff are really the only components of death metal here. Instead, the band opts for mid-paced, harsh riffing, augmented by some spacey/electronic keyboard effects. The result is a fairly original and interesting album, though it may not appeal to fans of the more traditional death metal fare that these guys used to play. Kudos to the band for playing what they want, since Cold clearly isn't directed at any clear market, yet it could appeal to metal fans of several genres if given the chance. Apparently they strayed still further from their early roots on their last album, Sure To Be Pure, and perhaps because of a less than stellar response, the band was not heard from again for years.

Fast forward to 2011, the band is back in action and returning to the brutal style of Abject Offerings.

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Discography

Studio Live Compilation

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