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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
surpasses nicely, August 22, 2006
Mercenary have been around for quite some time frollicking around the melodeath scene(In Flames, Dark Tranquillity et el?), and with 11 dreams they had shown promise with a polished sound even though it had been weakenned somewhat by overboarding keyboards and a bunch of the same keyed choruses. Overall 11 dreams laid the groundwork for mercenary driving them into the limelight for a change. Now at hand with a new bass player/singer, lead singer Kral and the gang plow into new territory with The Horus tha Remain and follow in more of a progressive sound with complimenting thrash elements. Wonderful standouts are "lost Reality", "Soul Decision" which make excellent simplistic compositions but dont falter on the line of being ot catchy. Both guitarists sunchronize well with one another with blazing melodies creating an epic mountain climbing journey that makes your blood pump. Still on this opus are some of the same keyed choruses but instead of being to noticable...the keybaords dont make poppy chops, they only create an ambient texture. The album opener "Redifine me" reminds listeners of Mercenarys noticable sound..but any other notions soon fade away. Look deep into numbers such as "Eternal Instant" and find galloping muted riffs, and "Obscure Indiscretion" for a breakdown and solo area where another world opens up..these musicians are out for blood. The albums closer being the title track is in my opinion the best track whic sums up every element of the new album and doesnt give either musician more then their fair share. as an Elitist, and an artist myself I enjoy groups which blend genres into one..but for those who arent as openminded, you may talk trash about a group who could put you in your place...enjoy this album its worth every penny
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Progressive, Aggressive, Melodic Metal!, September 14, 2006
I just got into these guys, I am a big Metal fan ( since Sabbath 1972 ) This cd never stops, great melodies, Nice guitar work, and I love the vocals simply awesome this group does have alot of Nevermore/Maiden/Thrash sounds... a definite must have in your Metal collection!
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Mercenary yet, but still missing something....., November 5, 2006
This is a good album. Scratch that, it's a really REALLY good album. But it's not great, amazing, or groundbreaking. The biggest change on this album from Mercenary's past releases is the absence of bassist/singer Henrik "Kral" Andersen (quit before album came out). In my own opinion, this is the best thing that has happened to this band. The songs on this album really feature lead singer Mikkel Sandager's great vocal range and delivery, providing numerous memorable hooks and some really tight harmonies, really pushing the singing aspect of this band to a new height.
And then of course there's the bad. Well, not so much the bad as much as the "under-realized". While the vocals on the album are great, the music can get rather "bleh". No real steps foward have been taken in the musical aspect from 11 Dreams, and I feel this album features at least 2, if not 3, throw away tracks. But again, it's not nessecarily a bad thing. The album drags in the middle, like many albums tend to, but the good eventually outshine the bad on this offering.
So, in conclusion, it's a 3.5, but on the high side, so I'll go with a 4. Recceomended listening: "Redefine Me", "My World Is Ending", "Soul Decision", "My Secret Window", "Hours That Remain"
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by Mercenary 
