If you possess the hell-unleashed debut album by these lunatics, than you know what to expect from the new one. I'm talking 'bout Evil In The Night, an album delivering pure 'evil' Thrash mayhem the 80s way, by a band in-honor certified (by both Thrash Metal maniacs and the Metal Press) as the most 'vivid Thrash' new band in the globe. Woa...three times 'Thrash' mentioned in five lines...oops...four. Or five?... THRAAASSSHHH!
If you want to play 'underground' music, then - at least - the following are needed (in random order): no will for compromising with a big label, no will to follow current trends, no will to cut your hair, no will to act 'retro' on purpose, no will to 'not follow' your heart. MERCILESS DEATH has it all; in addition, a wicked name. Dunno if they got it from the DARK ANGEL opus, but - surely - the bond is strong with the malignancy of the makers of Darkness Descends. Meaning: if you try it only for some Bay Area groovy Thrash or some technical NY City playing or some Arizona politics-focusing deliverance, then you will not find enough of joy. And I re-shout only, because both Evil In The Night and Realm Of Terror do not include such sectors. Things here are primarily evil...
SLAYER, (early), DARK ANGEL (said it again, xaxa!), (early) EXODUS, SACRIFICE, RAZOR...that's the American blend. Add, too, the rotting flavor of DESTRUCTION, EXUMER, ASSASSIN, DARKNESS and (early) ONSLAUGHT and you got the deal. Ah, three maniacs in the lineup, right? Add the chaos of VENOM and/or WARFARE, just in case...
Comparisons between the two albums of these California demons? None. They both stand tall in filling your vicious Thrash Metal hunger. The Abyss acts like the intro ceremony for your trip to hell, Realm Of Terror spews outta Hades in ultra fast drumming and some 'summoning' vocals by Andy Torres, Evil Darkness serves the 'feast' soundtrack for the virgin girl with its double-bass demonic intro and the sick riffs afterwards, Tombs Of The Dead will remind you of the primary POSSESSED days, Death Warriors will squeeze your balls due to its non-stop chaotic blast, Cult Of Doom's pace shall make no compromise regarding your altar amputation, Tormented Fate shall bombard you with some ultra-speed riffing and perilous singing (the breaks are banging, too!), Fall To The Pentagram is the intermezzo your tormented soul would not avoid entering hell,  The Gate sees a WHIPLASH-related morbid riff co-exchanging lunacy with ONSLAUGHT's 1985 savagery, and - last but not least - Summoning Of The Ancient Ones wraps up the CD in the same 'retro' fuzzy sound full of neckbreaking riffs and CELTIC FROST-meets-NECRONOMICON psychosis. What a blast...
Not more than twenty-eight-and-a-half minutes of Thrash nausea; MERCILESS DEATH just released their second full-length and if you think CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR and SOILWORK and IN FLAMES and THE HAUNTED and I-dunno-who-else are playing extreme Metal music, then...haha...the dead shall rise and sink your body into pools of blood to the hearing of  Realm Of Terror. You've been warned; not for whimps. Our idols from the 80s days (DESTRUCTION, SLAYER, KREATOR, EXODUS etc) do not seem capable of overlapping their monumental releases now. Thankfully, MERCILESS DEATH act as the perfect methadone. If you liked the album of WARBRINGER, then this one is way much better. Death...Death Warrioooors!
P.S.: Can't wait for my vinyl copy...Cover artwork by Andreas Marschall...