Modrigue
Less mesmerizing than the first one, but still good
Sometimes the cover art say all. With "Beg for Forgiveness, Pray for Your Life", THE MEZMERIST has a bit lost its personality here. First, the music is less mystic, gloomy and more straightforward metal. Second, Tommy Mezmercardo abandons his childish falsetto tone in profit of a clearer voice. More conventional, but nonetheless efficient and less cleaving. Finally, there is no Bill Ward here. However, these points does not prevent the band from delivering good stuff.
The nice opener "Kingdom Of The Dead" is pure 80's traditional doomy heavy metal, slightly epic. The best track is undoubtedly "No Family, No Friends" with its devastating riff and aggressive tune. Tommy's singing even sounds punk! As it title suggests, "The Jam Song" is mid-length instrumental jam, which is not that common in the world of metal. Despite lesser recording quality, it features cool guitar soli and bass playing.
Although the overall atmosphere is less original and a bit different than on "The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty", the compositions remain inspired and direct. There are no reason for 80's heavy metal not to give this EP a listen. Again, it just makes you wish THE MEZMERIST had released more albums...