This is the softest of their cds, but when you read the lyrics to the first song on here, they address that and how to some ignorant people softer=sell-out. face it joshua joe, haste is 10 times better than your precious killswitch engage. haste writes better lyrics and creates better music, simple as that. This is far from being BS people, what jj said is the only BS present.

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Thomas J. Bejgrowicz

The blood washes us clean.

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2003

After merely one listen you'll understand once and for all that there is no way to confine HASTE to a single genre of music. "The Mercury Lift" is an album for lovers of all true alternative music (hardcore, metal, punk, emo) - and it mixes them all together to create a sound like no other out there today. And while the album features outstanding co-lead vocal cameos by Jeff Jenkins (Codeseven) and D. Randall Blythe (Lamb of God) it's the band themselves that have stepped things up to a whole new level this time around. That goes for a superior performance, vastly improved production and mixing, tighter song arrangement and everything in-between. It's easily their heaviest release to date while also being their most accessible - that's what happens when you push yourself to grow and become a better band. HASTE made the record they needed to and "The Mercury Lift" will easily reign as one of my favorite albums of the year.

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2004

Wow, this is my type of music. I'd classify this as Metal/core with a melody. Here's a track by track rating.
1.With all the pride and joy of a drowning swimmer(14/10) Fantastic opening to a CD. Verses are all screaming and the chorus is very melodic singing.
2.Evidence of Wasted Ink(11/10): One of my favorite songs. Most melodic probably. No screaming on this song.
3.The Rescued(9/10): Not as good, screaming verse, soft singing chorus.
4.Houdini has lost his key(10/10): Much slower song and all singing. Very melodic.
5.The Death of Stars like the Sun(15/10): best song on the cd. Very heavy screaming in verse, melodic chorus showing off the singers range.
6.Room 134(10/10): All singing on this song. Very melodic.
7.Aspartame(10/10): All singing on this as well.
8.A God Reclaims his throne(10/10): No singing on this song. Very heavy metal/core
9.Stutter(10/10): Kick-ass guitar riff. All singing. no screaming
10.Force is always an option(10/10): All screaming. Heavy song.
11.Revenge tastes like blood and broken teath(7/10): Worst song on the CD but still awesome. All screaming.
There ya have it. Get this CD if you want a more melodic Killswitch Engage

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ohnjayjdp

BIG changes -- for the better

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2003

Boy oh boy -- Haste really changed their sound on "The Mercury Lift". For some bands in '03, this strategy has not worked -- for others, it has worked well. And Haste? For them, it has worked exceptionally well. The first Haste CD that I purchashed was "When Reason Sleeps", an above-average hardcore CD with lots of high-low screaming from the 2 lead singers. However, some tracks such as "Confessions of a Lesser Known Saint" included normal singing which proved to work well for Haste. On "The Mercury Lift", singing from the vocalists constitutes most of the CD with very little screaming at all. The best of the tracks is "The Rescued" which really showcases the range of the vocalists and the band in general. The best of the heavier tracks is "A God Reclaims His Throne" which boasts a guest appearance by Lamb of God singer D. Randall Blythe (if you haven't yet, check out their CD -- it's amazing).
A big change in the band's sound for sure, but in this case, a change for the better. One of the year's best.

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Firekid

Haste plain rocks

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2005

Well..I've been listening to all kind of "heavy music" since an extensive amount of years now and this album is simply the best stuff I've ever encountered so far.Everything you could possibly ask for is here, heartfelt lyrics, poignant melodies, the perfect amount of heaviness, great musicianship (no they're not Meshuggah but man, they rock.), perfectly balanced production, and what may seems like a detail, a tasty artwork (can't say that so often!).Every time I put that cd on I just can't help to wonder why this band is so underrated..but whatever, if you're into melodic, sincere, intelligent heavy rock (couldn't really describe them as metal), go buy this cd now, go,go!

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Andrew Richards

A little different than the usual, but still great

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2003

When I first popped the cd into my cd player the first song woke me up real quick. It was great. Such an amazing song. As the cd progressed I felt that every other song was just a mellow version of the hardcore band I love. It wasn't what I expected. It even took me a few listens to get used to it. Every song on this cd is great. The music is intense at times, and mellow others. The bass is a lot more audible in this cd than others by Haste. The vocals are amazing. The drums are great. The whole cd is just great. If you don't have it go out and get it now!

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Gabriel

They just keep getting better

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2003

This band is one of the best new metal bands out there. They have 2 lead singers, 2 guitarists, a bassist and a drummer all very talented. For those of you wondering if this is anything like the first 2 Haste CDs I'd have to say it is and much better. THey have matured as musicians and made more melodic songs with more singing.

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