Mercyless - Those Who Reign Below

Mercyless are a cornerstone death metal band for the scene.  These French demons formed way back in 1987 and released their debut demo in 1988.  Their first two full-length albums, 1992’s “Abject Offerings,” and 1993 “Coloured Funeral” are classic death metal bands.  Things got a little weird after that and they released a string of  subpar albums.  But 2013 saw the band take back their crown with “Unholy Black Splendor.”  It’s been nothing but greatness since and once again they return after four  years with  their eighth full-length album “Those Who Reign Below.” 

The ever stalwart vocalist/guitarist Max Otero leads the lineup through 11 songs and a 43 minute runtime.  At this point, you know the drill:  old school band playing old school sounds.  And there isn’t a goddamn thing wrong with that.  There has been a huge OSDM revival for awhile now–I enjoy the hell out of it.  However, all these new bands playing the whole style, while awesome and please, please give me more, just doesn’t have quite the same charm as a band from the actual original scene still putting out visceral death metal.

The production, the riffs, the rhythm…everything here sounds like it comes from time that once was.  But it doesn’t sound like a cash grab, forced, or tired.  If anything, the band is as energized as they have ever been.  Groove, chugs, and thrashy moments clash together as the band hammers out one song after another. If I have any complaints, it’s the oddly placed last song, “Zechariah 31,” which seems like it would be better served as an intro or interlude.  

That minor quibble aside, there is a lot to like here.  The opening song, “Extreme Unction,” opens with a faster tempo to introduce the album in a direct way before switching to a slow groove…and then speeding back up again.  This whiplash is very effective and makes every moment seem even more effective. 

Mercyless is a band that has always been great at controlling the ebb and flow of a song without compromising anything in the songwriting process.  No matter what type of riffs they throw out or what tempo they choose, it’s always effective and it always makes sense for the song.  In that regard, nothing has changed for “Those Who Reign Below,” and that is definitely a compliment.

“Evil Shall Come Upon You,” embraces the murky production.  The riffs are fast and full of hellish groove but there is a certain sulfuric atmosphere on top of the song that just works.  As a result, the song is, of course, brutal but also urgent and more than a little dangerous.  The solo is absolutely perfect and so are the sinister as hell riffs behind it.   

“Thy Resplendent Inferno,” sort of has a doom-ish vibe to the opening riffs—dense and deep.  The frantic bursts of wildness between those riffs builds the song up for the explosion of speed that happens around the 43 second mark.  The bulk of the song alternates between the two tempos and is never anything less than arresting.  The mid section is surprisingly melodic but it doesn’t last long—and why should it?  The band knows not to get too comfortable and is on to the next attack. 

The later half of the album maintains the momentum.  “Chaos Requiem,” begins as a stalking, lumbering beast from which there isn’t an escape—and the drums compliment it profoundly.  The band zeroes in on their speed and rages with a forward thinking idea of doing nothing but going for the throat.  After the solo, the riffs open up a bit for one of the best moments on the album–the guitars give it their all and it’s a hammering. 

Not counting the short outro, “Sanctus Deus Mortis” is the final song.  This is perhaps my favorite song on the album because it really captures the magic of the original underground death metal scene—this song could have fit on their earlier albums with ease. 

Mercyless’ “Those Who Reign Below,” is a prime example of how a band that was there for the early days of the scene can still be relevant in today’s metal world–and still show the younger generation how it is done.