MERCURY RISING — Building Rome

MetalMusicArchives.com — the ultimate metal music online community, from the creators of progarchives.com

MERCURY RISING - Building Rome cover
3.88 | 4 ratings | 1 review
Buy this album from MMA partners

Album · 1998

Tracklist

1. Cathedrals (5:45)
2. Building Rome (5:28)
3. The Occurence of Tomorrow (6:17)
4. A Narrow Door (5:22)
5. Moment of Truth (5:24)
6. Of Lesser Men (5:10)
7. Renaissance (4:15)
8. Think (5:39)

Total Time: 43:24

Line-up/Musicians

- Clarence Osborne / vocals
- Mike Evans / guitars
- Judd Rizzo / guitars
- Chris Brush / bass
- Jeff Moos / drums

About this release

CD Noise Records (1998)

Thanks to colt, UMUR for the updates

Buy MERCURY RISING - BUILDING ROME music

More places to buy metal & MERCURY RISING music

MERCURY RISING BUILDING ROME reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

UMUR
"Building Rome" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Mercury Rising. The album was released through Noise Records in 1998. It´s been 4 years since the release of the debut album "Upon Deaf Ears (1994)" and there have been a couple of lineup changes as guitarists Gary Goldsmith and Hal Dolliver have been replaced by Mike Evans and Judd Rizzo.

The music style has also changed a bit since the debut album. "Upon Deaf Ears (1994)" featured a sound that was a combination of guitar/vocal driven progressive metal and US power/thrash metal but "Building Rome" is more strictly a progressive metal album. The music is still guitar/vocal driven with very limited use of keyboards. There are lots of distorted guitar sections layered with clean guitars on the album and that element is very similar to the way Fates Warning arranged their songs in the early nineties. The harder edged riffing on the album remind me of early Dream Theater at their heaviest.

So "Building Rome" is a "classic" progressive metal album in almost every respect. Unfortunately the band neglect to write memorable tunes and especially the vocal lines come off as unremarkable. The fact that the sound production lacks a bit of bite isn´t exactly a contributing factor to a positive listening experience either. But it is first and foremost the songwriting that´s the issue. While that may all sound very negative, "Building Rome" isn´t a horrible release by any means. In fact it´s rather enjoyable while it´s playing and as the musicianship is generally on a high level, there are still some quality factors that save the album.

Compared to the debut album I´m definitely disappointed though. I guess I miss the more imediate heavy metal/US power metal element that was a big part of the sound on the debut. The focus on progressive ideas and playing have not worked in the band´s favour. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

Members reviews

No MERCURY RISING BUILDING ROME reviews posted by members yet.

Ratings only

  • Beyonder
  • KatiLily
  • Colt

Write/edit review

You must be logged in to write or edit review

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us