Mercenary - 11 Dreams
Century Media - 77496-2 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
11 Dreams is only Mercenary's third full length album in their over-15-year existen ce, and their first for uber-respected metal label Century Media, following their critically-acclaimed Everblack release. Featuring cover artwork by Dark Tranquillity's Niklas Sundin, and a production by Raunchy/Hatesphere/Invocator knob-twiddler Jakob Hanson, it's clear that Mercenary are setting out to impress from the very first moments. So, does the musical content match the preparation and presentation?
Thankfully, I can offer a resounding 'hell yeah' as a response to that question - Mercenary have crafted a powerful, punchy, captivatingly layered release that steadfastly refuses to be pigeonholed or labelled, but achieves that without being avant garde or inaccessible. After a synth-based symphonic intro that raised fears of a prog-metal noodle-fest, first track proper 'World Hate Center' kicked in, and by goat what an attention-grabber it is - unveiling in one fell swoop Mercenary's multifarious facets. 11 Dreams is a musical amalgamation of power metal's epic dynamism, brutal thrash's technicality and aggression, prog-metal's adventurous, sweeping approach to songwriting and melodic death metal's attention to melodic hook-laden detail.
As diverse as these threads are, they are all woven together with a level of confidence and proficiency rarely seen in the metal scene these days. Special mention must go to the vocal duo of Mikkel Sandager and Kral (who also handles bass guitar duties) for their diverse and complementary vocal styles - from Rob Halford-esque screams, to growled death metal vox, and encompassing almost everything in between, these guys manage to find a voice for every one of the different moods Mercenary touch upon throughout this disc. Occasionally, they are aided and abetted by a female guest vocalist, who adds even more emotional depth to the song.
Sadly, there's always a 'but' and in the case of 11 Dreams, that but comes in the shape of an ill-advised and badly-placed cover of Swedish pop band Kent's 'Music Non Stop' - while it's adequately performed and faithful in most respects to the original, the inclusion of such a track three-quarters of the way through the album seriously interferes with the momentum and flow of the songs. Still, other than this, there's very little to complain about within 11 Dreams - whether you're a prog fan, a trad-metalhead, or a thrash metal afficionado, there should be something to keep you interested here.
8/10
Mercenary Official Website
Century Media Records
Century Media - 77496-2 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
11 Dreams is only Mercenary's third full length album in their over-15-year existen ce, and their first for uber-respected metal label Century Media, following their critically-acclaimed Everblack release. Featuring cover artwork by Dark Tranquillity's Niklas Sundin, and a production by Raunchy/Hatesphere/Invocator knob-twiddler Jakob Hanson, it's clear that Mercenary are setting out to impress from the very first moments. So, does the musical content match the preparation and presentation?
Thankfully, I can offer a resounding 'hell yeah' as a response to that question - Mercenary have crafted a powerful, punchy, captivatingly layered release that steadfastly refuses to be pigeonholed or labelled, but achieves that without being avant garde or inaccessible. After a synth-based symphonic intro that raised fears of a prog-metal noodle-fest, first track proper 'World Hate Center' kicked in, and by goat what an attention-grabber it is - unveiling in one fell swoop Mercenary's multifarious facets. 11 Dreams is a musical amalgamation of power metal's epic dynamism, brutal thrash's technicality and aggression, prog-metal's adventurous, sweeping approach to songwriting and melodic death metal's attention to melodic hook-laden detail.
As diverse as these threads are, they are all woven together with a level of confidence and proficiency rarely seen in the metal scene these days. Special mention must go to the vocal duo of Mikkel Sandager and Kral (who also handles bass guitar duties) for their diverse and complementary vocal styles - from Rob Halford-esque screams, to growled death metal vox, and encompassing almost everything in between, these guys manage to find a voice for every one of the different moods Mercenary touch upon throughout this disc. Occasionally, they are aided and abetted by a female guest vocalist, who adds even more emotional depth to the song.
Sadly, there's always a 'but' and in the case of 11 Dreams, that but comes in the shape of an ill-advised and badly-placed cover of Swedish pop band Kent's 'Music Non Stop' - while it's adequately performed and faithful in most respects to the original, the inclusion of such a track three-quarters of the way through the album seriously interferes with the momentum and flow of the songs. Still, other than this, there's very little to complain about within 11 Dreams - whether you're a prog fan, a trad-metalhead, or a thrash metal afficionado, there should be something to keep you interested here.
8/10
Mercenary Official Website
Century Media Records
