Customer Reviews

Architect of Lies

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

 

 

These guys have mastered the art of slick sounding, nearly genre crossing, metal. While a good listen with some catchy hooks, there is nothing that just jumps out at you and takes your breath away - but there is also nothing that will make you stop listening (grating death vox, poor production, ect..). If your looking for something new to add to your collection then this is definitely a safe bet. Revolutionary no, but some high caliber melodic death , most definitely.

Since their second album Everblack was released in 2002, Denmark's Mercenary has released another high quality, hybrid metal album every two years like clockwork, the latest of which is 2008's Architect of Lies. As with previous releases, this album combines elements of melodic death, progressive, and power metal into one cohesive sound.

They may not have changed their formula much with Architect of Lies, but it's hard to fault them for that when the formula is working so well. The same intense energy and killer melodies are still in place, but the band is still improving in terms of songwriting and technical proficiency, and they're obviously a much tighter unit than they were when Everblack was released. There are some nods to the still-popular metalcore genre on this album, and I can see how the average Between the Buried and Me fan would enjoy Architect of Lies after listening to Colors, but it doesn't go too far in that direction.

Architect of Lies will not disappoint Mercenary's growing legion of fans, and should appeal to a wide range of metal fans as well. Whether you're into power metal bands like Brainstorm and Tad Morose, melodic death metal icons Soilwork and In Flames, or similar hybrid acts Into Eternity and Scar Symmetry, Mercenary's sound has something to offer.

Each progressive Mercenary album is better than the last. This is no exception. Their quality has never diminished, and this is a band that could last for a lifetime. I can't even pick out a particular song to talk about because each provides a fresh sound all it's own, and they all sound incredible. People who like melodic death metal, progressive death metal, or death metal in general that have never heard Mercenary don't know what they're missing. If you're into this style of music and you don't have this album, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Mercenary is a band that can be likened to Into Eternity, Scar Symmetry, or even Opeth as a band pushing the envelope on "hybrid" genre-crossing metal. Their break-through album 11 Dreams was an epic, ground-breaking slab of metal. Everyone was curious to see what direction Mercenary would go after after 11 Dreams, and The Hours that Remain was; while not as ground-breaking, a front-to-back solid album. Here we have the third release after 11 Dreams, and there are certainly similarities to their last two releases.

The album kicks off with the amazing "New Desire" with some ambient keyboards soon followed by some ferocious guitar riffs. Upon hearing these, I immediately smiled. I immediately thought I was in for a treat of an album on the level of their last two. Well, unfortunately, it was a bit pre-mature as the somewhat mall-core vocals soon afterwards made me second-guess myself. Luckily, the amazing chorus managed to redeem the song. "Bloodsong" sounds a bit like filler to me (maybe I'm the only one). The vocals sound awfully Halford-esque, but nothing about the song much sticks out. "Embrace the Nothing" has some vocals that sound awfully mall-core...I can't get that thought out of my head while listening to it. But, alas, the song is still a guilty pleasure, which is to say it is actually one of the highlights on the album.

After some good (but not great) songs, "Black and Hollow" opens up with some booming guitars and keyboards only to follow up with some very welcome vocals that are reminiscent of 11 Dreams. "Execution song" is a very heavy affair, but still only manages to be solid. That is until 3:24 when the song suddenly shifts into a very brutal and catchy direction. The best song on the album is very easily the closer that opens with some ridiculous guitars and the best chorus to be found on the album. The song changes drastically about 2:30 in and slows down the pace and morphs into a rather ballad-esque and beautiful song.

To sum the album up, I would have to say that this is most certainly still Mercenary. Just not as good as they can be. Highlights are definitely the opener and closer with some good ones sprinkled in between. Fans of Into Eternity, Opeth, Scar Symmetry, Dark Tranquility, In Flames, Children of Bodom, or any other genre-bending melodeath band can find something to appreciate on this album.

I love this album. I don't listen to a lot of progressive rock but I love this album. I had bought "The Hours That Remain" and it didn't leave my cd player for almost three months. I didn't like "11 Dreams" that much. I just didn't like the guys voice. But this is a work of art. I can't get over how good the singer sounds. It is a rare find in the music industry to hear a singer like that who trys metal and makes it sound that good. If you like a good singer in front of a powerful sound this is a must have. BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!

Being a huge fan of bands like Soilwork and Dark Tranquillity
I was surprised I had not come across these guys before now.
I was searching for bands like the aforementioned and this album came up in the results for me. I have to say I was blown away by this bands ability to combine certain aspects of the growling/power metal/melodic metal sound. Musically a bit like Soilwork but with a sound their own.
While I dislike saying that one band sounds like another due to it not really giving a lot of credit, if I really had to compare these guys to someone I would throw Mnemic out there as a really close example. And while this is their most recent album I am definitely not going to bypass going back and catching up on their past works.

I have listened to this album many times, and I must admit that "The Hours that Remain" is still their best album. I love " 11 Dreams and Everblack".. Architect of Lies is like the median of Mercernary's Greatness they could have done way better.

Let me start off by telling you that this album is in no way better than The Hours That Remain which I feel was their best album by far. But it is a good album to say the least. If you like Mercenary then get this album. I feel they failed to capture the "Lost Reality" feel in this album. Hooks sound generic. Anyway that's my view. Still by the album though. Maybe next time we can get another The Hours That Remain.

My first impression of this album, to be honest, was not so good. The first song I heard off of Architect of Lies was Embrace the Nothing, which started off with the clean vocals of the new bass player/singer, Rene Pedersen. Immediately, I was turned off because the sound of the voice was not in any way comparable to the sound of Mercenary. Luckily, for my sake and the band's sake, that was the only portion of the entire album when those vocals turned up; they just happened to be the first vocals I heard. I was definitely worried until I listened to the whole album. Whew...

With that being said, Rene Pedersen did not do a half-bad job of coating the tracks with some good guttural vocals, although he doesn't quite have the same impact as Kral did.

The album is good overall, but lacks complete awe-invoking power; I can't say it is as good as past albums. However, there are some very impressive and memorable tracks, including Isolation, Endless Fall, and Public Failure Number One. Some of the other "filler" tracks go somewhat unnoticed, which is why this album isn't fully up to par with the past productions.

Sharkchild
Author of The Dark Verse, Volume I: From the Passages of Revenants (Imitation Leather)

Haven't heard anything as amazing in a long time.Every song is a number one song.