Warning! DO NOT listen to anything else for the period of one week after listening to the latest Mercenary album. It would not be fair for any other band to be compared to this one! In case you are wondering if these dudes have managed to overcome the genius previous album 11 Dreams, let me just say that The Hours That Remain sounded to my ears like an amplified by ten times version of 11 Dreams!
How exactly do you describe the music of a band like Mercenary? There are just too many influences to put in a logical order. Let's say these guys have an extreme (call it Death Metal) base. From there on anything goes. From Power Metal to atmospheric and even progressive / technical Metal. And don't think that they're afraid to experiment with Pop tunes. Hell, their Music Non Stop cover version of the hit single by Pop singer Kent (included in their previous album) will prove you wrong. But how come all these elements crafted under one solid sound, that makes many leaders of the aforementioned genres run for cover, works?
I did mention that the lads in Mercenary are geniuses, right? In fact I am pretty sure that if they weren't musicians they would probably be Math or Chemistry professors or something like that. Boy does it take time and endless repetition in order to decode the countless layers of riff / solos / keyboards / vocal lines that craft the maze of songs included in The Hours That Remain. I know that titles like The Eternal Instant or Obscure Indiscretion bring in mind some hideous acts of extreme technical music but Mercenary are definitely not boring or show-offs like many of their colleagues. Their ability to swap moods from death frenzied patterns to melodic refrains will amaze even the more demanding fans of technical music.
And that's not all. The album comes with such a solid production that I still wonder how much punishment my speakers (and the ears of my neighbors) can handle. Damn it, the guitars sound like mini nuclear explosions. Still everything is amazingly distinct and clean for the listener who takes the time and follows the progress of each instrument. Just in conclusion let me add that the album will also be released in a limited edition including a bonus DVD with more than 120 minutes of video footage. Light-years ahead of any competition...