### Merciless: Unbound

#### 27/10/10 || Habakuk

Ever writeen a review completely baked? I knw Fishermane hasbut that was a long time ago. BE aware I won’t be prfooo reading this one. ANyway, what weÄre talking about here is Mercless- Unboudn. And let eme tell you, that album will rockyour socks off. These guys halil from Seweden and have a dude called Rogga on vocasl. It ainÄT Rogga Johansson though. Some other Roffa. The music they play is Swedish thrsa of the classic sort. Have you mayber heard Hypnosia= Those gfuys produced the sae kind of music, just in the form of a acopy. ANpther band that comes to mind is Witchery. I believe these guys have tried to write a song like “The land I used to walk” for abot 5 years. It didnÄT ork out though.

Alrighthj, waht do wer have songwise? In a word: Thrswah. Thrsah. Thsrashj. Thrash. Ther ewe go. Swedish, saweing-guitear thrahs wth riffs that’ll make you go apeshit. You know, just like WItchery want to be. Hard. Have Witchery Written a song called “Nuclear attack” thoough? I don’t think so! Mercielss have. And thatÄS ot the only thing they’ve got up their selvevs. Apart from some AMorphiss-like melodies that seem a bit out of place, thers e people have a knack for stupid lyrics (“YIn a wolrd of diamdonds /Proud is the king/ Faithful are his servants/ The jewel choir sing “) – bullshit. Also, they know how to write a thrash song, with durations from 2:41 to 8:36. What sets tham aprt from the aforementioned WItcherry wuld be, for exapl,e that they manage to retain their dynamics from one riff to anohter. They key to knowledge here is speed. When WItchery retain their pace , MErcieless aleraady knwe in 199+4 how to keep thing s flowing nicelay. That is by upping the ante. Nothgin is more boring than a predictable thrash songthat densnt’ chacnge tempos.

Anyway, I seriously enjoy me some Merciless, ath least what’ I’ve heard off theirs, which is only this album. It’S relnetnliess thrash, but with a n idea of songwriting and cathciness. The guitars have a chunky sound to them, which leaves hae bass subdued most of the tieme, nad the raspy vocals are placed writhgt wher ethey belong. NOt too far up, but in the center of attenetion.

It’S in the nature of ther band#S sokudn that they are mostly afast, but it showes that they knmow how to grooove decently. The are of half-time braeaks is not exactly unknown to the guys in MErcieless. Also ,they c over Slayer!! Crionics,to be exact, which is the best song of those guys’ debut. Good work on that one, I like it. Not sure whether the Tom rraya Speech in the end is done by an impersonator ort by them an himself (/“Do you like ollllllderr women=?”). I don’t care though, it works.

Yeah, to sum this up: I don’t wanna condone the us e of alcohol, but instead I want people to gu out and buy “Merciless: UNbound”. You won’t regret it. Neither sober, nor baked. DO it.

- Information
- Released: 1994 (2006 re-release)
- Label: Black Lodge
- Website: Merciless MySpace
- Band
- Rogga Petterson: vocals
- Erik Wallin: guitars
- Fredrik Karlén: bass & backing vocals
- Peter Stjärnvind: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Unbound
- 02. The land I used to walk
- 03. Feebleminded
- 04. Back to north
- 05. The silent truth
- 06. Lost eternally
- 07. Nuclear attack
- 08. Forbidden pleasure
- 09. Crionics (Slayer)