Emerging
initially in the '90s as a midpaced melodic death-thrash
metal four-piece around songwriters Kral (bass & vocals)
and Jakob (guitars), it wasn't until the year 2002 which
saw Danish band MERCENARY takes a giant leap forward
with the release of the album "Everblack". Recruiting
additional clean-vocals-style singer Mikkel Sandager and
his brother Morten on keys changed the band's sound drastically
towards a new and rather unusual combination of melody and
aggression, which lead to praising media feedback all over
the globe for their challenging and quality delivery. MERCENARY
gradually evolved their sound into a fusion of diverse inspirations
ranging from progressive and 'classic' metal to (Swedish)
melodic death metal. Balancing memorable atmospheric passages
and choruses with equal amounts of drive and aggression,
the band took a definite turn towards focusing on songwriting
rather than plain riffing. This "trademark" mixture
earned the band much attention and praise, eventually leading
to a new worldwide deal with Century Media Records.
Marking
the debut of newly recruited drummer Mike Park and lead
guitarist Martin Buus, the new MERCENARY album "11
Dreams" showcases a new found band energy and crystal
clear production courtesy of Jacob Hansen (Invocator, Raunchy,
Hatesphere, etc.) as well as suitably atmospheric artwork
courtesy of Niklas Sundin (Dark Tranquillity, In Flames,
Naglfar, etc.). Following up on the band's strong diversity,
the new album's material, including a cover version of Kent's
hitsingle "Music Non Stop", draws upon the members'
widely different inspirations and personal musical backgrounds.
The mixture of these individual different approaches into
an integrated whole, displays the band's development as
songwriters and defines the uniqueness of MERCENARY's sound:
Multi-layered vocals and intricate ideas merge into simple,
catchy song-structures, while delivering by far the band's
most aggressive and powerful expression and production yet.
By weaving a touch of almost symphonic Scandinavian melancholy
into their particular blend of the atmospheric with the
aggressive MERCENARY has, however, taken their trademark
expression even further.
Check
out the band's homepage for more detailed information and
to listen to some samples.
Band homepage
