DOCTOR MIDNIGHT & THE MERCY CULT — I Declare: Treason (review)

DOCTOR MIDNIGHT & THE MERCY CULT — I Declare: Treason album cover Album · 2011 · Industrial Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Time Signature
I declare: metal...

Genre: metal

The newly formed Norwegian super group Doctor Midnight & the Mercy Cult (which I think is a friggin' awesome name) are just about to release their debut album with the title "I Declare: Treason", which is scheduled for release in early June. And, people, you have something to look forward too.

This album reflects that it is a super group with musicians from different rock, metal, and even electronica genres in that it is characterized by professionalism and determination all the way through and then it is very difficult to classify in terms of genre membership as it has influences from all over the metal gamut.

This does not mean that "I Declare: Treason" is a messy and unfocused affair; there is a red thread throughout and the style is quite consistent as is the dark atmosphere. One of the things I like is that DMTMC manage to be both retro and contemporary at the same time, and then they incorporate elements from many genres into each track.

Just check a track like "Sign My Name" with its power-thrashy chucking verse riff which is combine with a classic metal driving chorus (with guitar harmonies to boot) and a heavy and kind of groovy bridge. And the title track "I Declare: Treason" is centred around series of groovy riffs, while the chorus is rather melodic and has a 90s alternative metal feel to it riffwise. Other tracks like "Bleed Idiot Bleed" and "Victorious" are almost thrashy, and other tracks again, like "Ok (We're Just About to Die" and "Glory (Throw the Axe)" have a doomy feel to them but combined with an almost grunge-like alternative metal approach. Thus there are groovy, doomy, classic, thrashy, deathy, alternative and so on riffs to be heard in most of the tracks on this very strong debut album.

The vocals have a certain volatility to them, but there is also a sort of raw street rock 'n' roll snarling quality to Hank von Helvete's voice (what a brilliant pseudonym, by the way) which, once you've gotten used to it, fits the music itself very well, which - due to the unpolished quality of the production - has a racking rawness to it.

"I Declare: Treason" is a very solid debut and delivers dark rocking metal bound to kick your ass.
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