ALBUM REVIEW: The Mother Of All Plagues – Mercyless

Hailing from eastern France, death metallers MERCYLESS are entering their 33rd year of blasphemy. Their distaste for Christianity made a name for them early on and it’s served them well down the years. They’ve brought in newer elements outside of old school death metal since reforming in 2011 and have been enjoying a creative renaissance. With so many miles under their collective belt, can they still bring the noise, or has the well run dry?

The Mother Of All Plagues started life around 2018 and the title has grown only more prophetic since. In the midst of a global pandemic, MERCYLESS are here to rail against organised religion in brutal fashion. Cramming 11 songs into a short 36 minute blast of hate, there’s not an ounce of fat here. From squealing harmonics in the opening of Rival Of The Nazarene to the vicious blast beats of All Souls Are Mine, the band don’t waste a moment. The ambient intro Infection sets the scene for the chaos to come with waves of feedback and a distorted voiceover before Rival Of The Nazarene crashes in. Use of simpler song structures work in their favour, as do memorable riffs. The filth-encrusted vocals retain plenty of coherence.

Simpler structures don’t mean simple ideas though. MERCYLESS shift tempos often enough to keep interest and use a variety of riffs without overwhelming. Banished From Heaven also features a brief but tasteful guitar solo before sinking back into the mire. Bring Me His Head flirts with melody and Descending To Conquer features tasty double bass work and clear thrash influences. The band combine old school death metal with the genre’s thrash roots and a blackened edge to create something altogether uncomfortable and compelling.

The Mother Of All Plagues isn’t without fault, though. Midway interlude Contagion accomplishes little other than robbing the album of its momentum up to this point. It’s also an uneven listen, with most of the better songs tucked away later in the album. Listener fatigue also sets in as production is loud, though not brickwalled.

Despite its issues, The Mother Of All Plagues is a strong release, continuing the hot streak MERCYLESS have been on since their reformation. It’s a short, sharp burst of white-hot fury that rages against the poison of religions that damn mankind to ignorance and eventual destruction. It’s blasphemy wrapped in old school death metal, switching things up enough not to go stale and shows a band that, 33 years into their illustrious career, are as fired up as ever.

Rating: 7/10

The Mother Of All Plagues is out now via Xenokorp.

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