Mother of Mercy “III” CD/LP

8.3.2009

Mother of Mercy - III From Six Feet Under Records comes "III", which I believe is the debut full-length from Pennsylvania's Mother of Mercy, who I assume is named after the Samhain song (a much better choice than "Human Pony Girl" would've been). The cover art was also done by E. from Watain. Intriguing. Thankfully, though, these potential outside influences don't filter into the band's material (pretty much anytime a band tries to go for a Danzig kinda thing, they'll completely suck at it), so their brand of aggressive metallic hardcore puts them right up there with the cream of the crop in terms of being one of those contemporary hardcore bands that very effectively draws inspiration from the best elements of the 90's scene. So, yeah, expect a good dose of chugging power chords, but in a way that retains a hardcore base as opposed to venturing too far into metal territory. There's an excellent sense of groove, absolutely hammering basslines (helped along by a great recording/mix), and the vocals have some character, so they don't just sound like generic shouts or what have you. Most of the material takes more of a midpaced turn, but then there are explosive bursts like "Ghost" that offer more of a traditional hardcore approach. There are a few more obvious variances as well, such as the rocked out swagger of "Slip", or the comparable dual guitar runs that pop up in "Suffer", etc. Those elements definitely take a back seat, though, and the overall energy/force of the songwriting definitely hits the spot here. Nicely done...