Customer Reviews

11 Dreams

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

while i don't expect many to read this, i must voice my opinion on this fantastic danish metal band.

mercenary have been around for some time, but 11 Dreams is by far their best album (and the most critically acclaimed). this is one of those albums that immediately grabs your attention and only grows on you the more you listen to it.

what makes mercenary so great is that they flawlessly blend several genres of metal: some extreme, death, power, and dare i say iron maiden-esque melodies. the vocals are so thick and layered, which really makes each song an interesting listen, they're are 2 vocalists (one that does the screaming, and one that sings fantastically). while the drums aren't anything revolutionary, they fit the music perfectly, and they seem to follow the guitar throughout most of the album. they also weave in some nice piano throughout the album ('firesoul' is an excellent example of this).

the production is crisp, every instrument (except for the bass) can be heard clearly, and no instrument really dominates over another. the variety of vocal delivery is fantastic, and each song sounds unique, so you won't be wondering if you've heard the same song twice as you're listening to the album. another great aspect is that each song keeps your attention, which is quite an accomplishment considering that most of the songs range from 6-8 minutes in length.

don't believe me? well, recently mercenary won 3 awards in the danish metal awards, including:

Album of the Year
Vocal Performance of the Year: Mikkel Sandager / Kral
Guitarist of the Year: Martin Buus

they also split second place for best live performance. its really too bad that these guys will probably go unnoticed in the states. this really is some unique and original material. still not convinced? jump over to mercenary.dk and listen to 'firesoul' and the s/t track.

no metal fan should be without this, i can't put it much simpler. buy this, support this great band!

Congratulations, you have officially proven to yourself that you are a hardcore metalhead. That's right. This underrated band has created an awsome album along the lines of progressive, slightly power, and death. If you are familiar with Into Eternity, Mercenary reminds me of them. It's sad to see that only 2-3 people might be reading this over a few weeks or months.

Great album. Melodic with very strong choruses. This is metal, but if you took out the double bass drumming and the relatively infrequent use of extreme vocals, you'd have something closer to a progressive hard rock record. Great songs, lyrics, music and variety combine for what is a must-have for fans of melodic metal. This is one that your girlfriend might even like. But don't be put off by that. This is a great METAL album. I llke Carcass, Morbid Angel, Deicide, and many other extreme metal bands. Although this is not death metal, it most definitely is metallic. So if you like melodic metal, you need this.

2004's 11 Dreams was the third album from Danish metal band Mercenary, and the band's first for Century Media. Mercenary was one of the first bands to bridge the gap between melodic progressive/power metal and death metal, and 11 Dreams was their breakthrough album.

On 11 Dreams, Mercenary perfects the sound they unleashed on their previous album Everblack. Piercing clean vocals, progressive metal technicality (with lots of keyboards) and a great sense of melody are matched with crushing rhythms and screaming/growling harsh vocals for a sound that's somewhere between the heavier power metal of Tad Morose and Brainstorm and Gothenburg-style melodic death metal. It's totally compelling and addictive, and really captures the best elements of a variety of metal styles. Highlights include the title track, the blistering "Firesoul" (nice female vocals on that one), "Sharpen the Edges" and surprisingly a cover of Kent's poppy "Music Non Stop," but honestly the whole album just kills.

11 Dreams remains my favorite Mercenary album, and is just a great example of how to blend melody and aggression in metal. I'd absolutely recommend it to fans of the In Flames/Soilwork/Dark Tranquillity sound, and would also encourage open-minded progressive and power metal fans to check it out. If you're already into bands like Into Eternity and Scar Symmetry, this is an absolute winner.

Edition Notes: The US version of 11 Dreams includes a couple of alternate versions of the song "11 Dreams" as bonus tracks.

Indeed, this is a band to watch for. On this album they present a range of styles from extreme death metal to some almost Helloween-like power metal material, and it all fits together wonderfully well. It is clearly a labor of love, a CD that has been laboriously thought through and deeply felt. The song "Firesoul" is a true death metal masterpiece, both ferocious and melodic, and reminiscent of "Master of Puppets" in its structure. I particularly like the fact that they don't rush things, with several fairly long 6-8 minute songs that take their time to evolve while still not losing urgency. I highly recommend this album to all metsl fans - it's one of those CD's that immediately strikes you as interesting, and then only keeps improving the more you listen to it.

The best album of the year, so far!!! Great musicianship, crushing guitar riffs, fantastic vocals. What more can I say? Progressive metal at is best!!!! If you like Jag Panzer, Judas Priest and Strapping Young Lad, this album is for you.

Their music is just epic...I've heard people classify it as certain genres, and I listen to music in that genre and it just doesn't add up to Mercenary...they are just freakin' EPIC!!!!

I love "Hours that Remain" and "Metamorphosis", but this is my go to Mercenary album.

Buy it! Support this Band!!!

i had never heard of mercenary before getting this album. while i have been into heavy metal since 1987, this band just never popped up on my radar. i got this cd for free, as a promo, when i worked for the virgin megastore here in orlando. i was looking through the promos one day and came across this album, simply a cd in a cardboard sleeve with the cover art on the outside. no booklet, no lyrics....nothing. the cover art got my attention so i figured, why not? it's free so i'm not really risking anything. so i took the album and went on my merry way. a few months went by before i even listened to it, and i stumbled across it one day while looking for music to listen to on the bus on my way to work. realizing that i hadn't listened to it yet, i figured, what the hell. i took it and popped it in my cd player and began my trek.
the cd opens with the slow instrumental track 'into the sea of dark desire' before ripping your ears to shreds with 'world hate center', and the album doesn't let up after that. every song is powerful and bombastic metal bliss. heavy, melodic, dramatic, are just a few of the words you could use to describe this masterpiece. the guitars shred, the drums kill and vocalist mikkel sadager is in top form here, delivering soaring vocals that cover many octave ranges.
the only bad song on this album is a track called 'music non stop', which seems out of place on this album. it's a mid tempo track thats kinda boring and pointless. it just doesn't fit with the rest of the music here.
overall this is a fantastic metal opus that should not be overlooked by metal fans. this album will kick your butt and have you begging for more.

How a band this good can, for the most part, go unknown is criminal. This is the first time I have heard non death vox vocals in a melodic metal band (for a whole song - not just the chorus) and it was never sounded like dragonforce or any other cheesy power metal singer. This guy is really good, and so is the guy does the death vox guy. The music is flawless, brutal, and beautiful. Do your self a favor and pick this up if your a fan of old inflames, insomnium, scar symmetry, Disarmonia Mundi. You will not be disapointed.

This CD is a Masterpiece from this Danish band....From the Clean powerful vocals to the harsh dark growls, to the Synth filling in the gaps, while the Guitar and bass are chugging along with the awesome drums! A Combo of Melodic Death, Power Metal, Thrash, and just plain Heavy Metal every song on this cd rocks...not one bad song. Highlights are: World Hate Center, 11 Dreams, Firesoul ! wow.. if you love Metal pick this up