St. Matthieu - Reviews

[Volcane]

According to their bio sheet Mercury Rain are unsigned, and this release is self-financed. I have to give them kudos for putting together a very professional package. The promotional materials included were top notch, and the artwork and production on the CD are quite good.

This even comes with a DVD of live performances. Nice.

Mercury Rain are a female fronted somewhat symphonic sounding metal band. I haven't been a big fan of these female metal bands lately. I liked The Gathering back in the day, and Lacuna Coil and Lullacry are good. Brave, a local band down in Virginia, is excellent. But then along came Evanescence and made heavy chicks "cool" and I stopped liking it so much. Now everyone wants to sound like that. Blah.

With that said, I really can't say anything bad about Mercury Rain. This is my kind of metal. The music is heavy and driven, epic and ethereal. The vocals are excellent, I even like the male backing vocal sections.

Why this CD wasn't released through Century Media/Nuclear Blast is not for me to know, but it really should have been; it deserves that kind of distribution.

I hope to hear their next album out on a major metal label.

 

[Volcane]

What do you get when you cross dark symphonic music with beautifully sorrowful vocals? You get the latest creation by Mercury Rain, St. Matthieu. Upon first listening I was impressed by the overall production of the album. As many who read the reviews here on Metal Reigns, I am very critical on the productions. St. Matthieu is a well rounded record that should appeal to fans of The Gathering, After Forever, and Lacuna Coil. You will not hear brutal riffing, or aggression coming from Mercury Rain, but you will hear melodic sophisticated song writing with stellar vocals. When you have a beautiful woman fronting your band with enormous talent. You will definitely be recognized just as Mercury Rain has, as well as many other band's.

While the brutal nature has not found it's way into Mercury Rain. The heavier side of Mercury Rain comes from the song, Eldritch Mirror. The fastest paced song on the album. The rest of the album is very moody with some heavy riffs, and flowing melody. The strings and choirs don't offer anything innovative, but they incorporate them well within their music. Something I have been drawn to since fist hearing symphonic music several years ago. This album could most likely be the soundtrack for an opera. Something several bands out today seem to posses. While I do like the heavy and brutal nature of metal. I also enjoy the sorrowful melodic music of the symphonic bands as well. St. Matthieu is an album that can take you through a journey of sorrow, passion, and heart felt music that can cause mood shifts upon listening. I have to admit I was a little reluctant to listen to this album, and now I am pleased I have.

Join Mercury Rain as they take you on a trip through the symphonic landscape of St. Matthieu. A journey well worth taking.

Rating: 8/10