MERCILESS DEATH

Realm of Terror

Heavy Artillery
rating icon 9 / 10

Track listing:

01. The Abyss
02. Realm of Terror
03. Evil Darkness
04. Tombs of the Dead
05. Death Warriors
06. Cult of Doom
07. Tormented Fate
08. Fall to the Pentagram
09. The Gate
10. Summoning of the Ancient Ones


So you think California retro thrashers MERCILESS DEATH are just some flash in the pan that made one outstanding old school album called "Evil in the Night" in 2007? They're just part of that whole trend of youngsters that started playing 80's thrash metal when they found some old vinyl in their parents' basements and it will soon end in a shit storm of watered down mall metal detritus, right? Bullshit, I say! MERCILESS DEATH are the real deal — playing what they love, when they want, as loud as they want, and tactfully inviting the detractors to go fuck themselves. And damn it, listen to "Evil in the Night" or the equally enthralling new album "Realm of Terror" and it is mind boggling to think that the band elders (guitarist Dan Holder and vocalist/bassist Andy Torres) are friggin' 22 years old! I'll be the first to admit that there is a lot of great thrash metal being played by kids who were tadpoles when the genre was born, but MERCILESS DEATH continue to kick the dog crap out of most of 'em. Besides, how many of you would have bitched about the next "trend" in metal being vintage thrash?

As for "Realm of Terror", it is an outstanding sophomore effort and every bit the masterpiece that is "Evil in the Night" without sounding like a mere clone of its predecessor. Take everything you love about "Evil in the Night" — the razor wire guitar riffs, nasty tone, wild 'n wooly solos, loose, yet not sloppy, rhythm section, totally organic sound, memorable tunes, and venom spitting vocals — and add a darker atmosphere, fuller bottom end, and lower register vocals from Andy Torres and you've got "Realm of Terror". Oh yeah, replace Ed Repka with Andreas Marschall (KING DIAMOND, SODOM, RUNNING WILD, DESTRUCTION, OBITUARY, etc.) for the nefarious cover art too.

One might even say that MERCILESS DEATH took the melting pot of German, Canadian, and U.S. thrash styles heard on "Evil in the Night" and added a little POSSESSED to ensure that every last bit of prettiness has been demolished. The interesting thing about MERCILESS DEATH — and it really comes across on "Realm of Terror" — is that the music is largely devoid of traditional melody, the band seeking to cut out the throat rather than warm the heart. Yet there are just enough tiny hooks and/or memorable lines on songs such as "Death Warriors", "Summoning of the Ancient Ones", or the title track (that hellish shout of "Phantasm!" will send a shiver down your spine) to make each track immediately recognizable after only a couple of spins.

An eerie intro ("The Abyss"),outro (closing seconds of "Summoning of the Ancient Ones"),and an evil-as-fuck chant-vocal/macabre-effects interlude called "Fall to the Pentagram" not only add to the disc's bleak feel, but also fit snugly in the overall flow; the album wouldn't seem right without them. "Realm of Terror" is about as good as it gets. How could any true thrash metal fan not love this album?

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).