Catharsis Through Chaos
Merciless Reign
Death Metal musical explosive insight has a great potential to hooking extreme Metal fans. That's the main reason behind the legions of passionate fans for the style. Yes, behind those grunts, abrasive guitar riffs and thundering bass and drums, there's a catching feeling that can bind your minds. And many bands knows to use this in favor of very good works, as "Catharsis Thorough Chaos", the first album from North American quartet MERCILESS REIGN.
It's a powerful and extremely aggressive way of playing Death Metal in the most traditional vein. But these guys Thrash Metal influences as well, especially in terms of guitar riffs and some chorus. And it's not a band of one kind of speed, for they're using some fast paced tempos in some of their songs, and some slower ones on other ones. Good guttural grunts contrasting with high pitched screams, along with some excellent wall of abrasive riffs and a very heavy work by bass and drums in creating the rhythmic basis. It's nothing new, but is very good.
The production is pretty good, giving them weight and aggressiveness their music needs, but it's clean as well, so we have no difficulties at all to understand what they are playing. But it could be better, for in some moments, we can feel it a bit too raw than the needed.
Musically speaking, the band can do better. Besides the final result is nothing bad, their music is still a bit primitive in some moments. But songs as the abrasive "Duplicity" (with some very good riffs and event brutal melodies arising from the guitars), the very good blow called "Catharsis Through Chaos" (with changes between slow and fast tempos, and a powerful work done by bass and drums), the bitter and abrasive "Flames Of Determination" (all played with slow tempos, with good vocals and riffs again, with perfect dynamic between both guitars), and the totally insane "Destinated To Burn" are songs that are showing clearly that they can become a giant into extreme Metal scene.
Good band!
7 / 10
Good
"Catharsis Through Chaos" Track-listing:
1. Arise
2. Duplicity
3. Catharsis Through Chaos
4. Flames Of Determination
5. Thrash Fuck Kill
6. No Remorse
7. Destinated To Burn
8. Seventeen Years Of Hatred (Unleashed)
Merciless Reign Lineup:
Billy Paxton - Vocals & Rhythm Guitars
Stephen Wanca - Lead Guitars
Phil Trudeau - Bass
Chris Krucker - Drums
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