Mercyless
The French stage Death-Metal gave birth to a trio of trainings today acknowledged at international level: Massacra, Loudblast and Agressor. It is to forget quickly number of other trainings of type which formed towards the end of the years 80 / beginning the nineties with the intention of breaking all necks vigorously in mile from here and besides. Number of them, however promising, others disappeared in limbs after some démos, manages to take out an album before splitting up and then there is Mercyless, group which was considered for a long time as the French relay of the three legends.
Formed in 1987 in Mulhouse under the patronymic of Merciless (that they fast had to change because of homonymy with the Swedish legend of Death / Thrash), Mercyless is then composed of Max Ottero (growling and guitar), (low) Stephane Viard (guitar), Boris Mandavis and Gerald Guenzi (drums).The group alternate between local concerts and repetitions, recording 2 démos which make speak about him ("Immortal Harmonies" in 1988 and " Visions From The Past " in 1989). influence of their music is rather classical for epoch: Death-metal typical of the US/Florida style, with a big dose of german Thrash.
It is nevertheless this démos which allow the group to make point out, with some others, by the quality-label Jungle Hop (a sub-division of the mythical Punk label New Rose) which is thinking to build up a Metal sub-label. This one, named Virulence Records, will make its first (and alas last) weapon with a today mythical compilation in the French extreme Underground: " Total Virulence ". Regrouping what the French scene included of better as well as non-signed groups (Aleister, Mestema, Frayeurs[future Crusher], Death Power, Scrotum, Braindeath and Loudblast for the deposit " known group "), under an artwork cover from Denis Grrrr, this compilation affords of sales impressive enough (well, let us stay in norms : they sold it 1000, which, considering those days, for extreme metal and especially for French groups, was indeed huge) and allows Mercyless to sign with Jungle Hop for 1 EP ("Vomiting Nausea" in 1990) and an album.
When "Abject Offerings" is released in 1992, it's like a huge paving in the stagnating murky pond of Death-Metal. Boris leaves the band and is replaced with Rade Radojcic for the recording of the album. First French group to be produced by Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse), Mercyless break the boundaries and get at the same time the approbation of the fans and the press everywhere in Europe as for considered then to be the best debut album never released by a french newcomer. Mix of US and English (especially Benediction) influences with one (un)healthy dose of French Touch, "Abject Offerings" bring Mercyless towards an European tour which will see them signing with nothing less than Century Media, of which they will be (and the only) French group..
It is there that everything begins going bad : Century Média takes out the second opus in 1993 " Coloured Funeral ", while the group has once again just changed bass player (arrival of Didier Strenz) and to recruit a full-time keyboardist. Compositions are more raw, the texts are better written : despite that, the reception of the press is terrifically cold. Death Metal is nearly comatose, if not dying, bluntly disemboweled by Grunge. The album is marked by more intense compositions and of more well-manicured texts. Mercyless boards then in 2 European tours: the first one with Death and Anacrusis, the second with Morgoth, Unleashed, Tiamat and Samael.
It is not sufficient: At the beginning of 1994, not much satisfied by sales of the album and seeing that Death Metal is not then any more a viable type, Century Media drop off the band. Mercyless does not get confused and begins inserting other influence into its new titles. Pieces are cold, heavy and dark and the band decides to take time really to create and rehearse. Sporadic appearances on compilations remind of us that the group is always alive (and with still a new bass player and percussionist, respectively Pierre Lopes and David Kempf) but it will be necessary to wait for 1996 so that a quality-label decide to sign them: it will be Thunder Productions (today Thundering records). " C.O.L.D. " is released and positive reviews return, although still little numerous. The group is nevertheless absolutely dissatisfied of the promotional job, and finally the album is withdrawn from sales and the band disappear.
Not for a long time for in 1999 the band resurface with practically the same line-up that on the previous album (arrival of Tintin as the new drummer). "C.O.L.D" is re-released on the German label Impact Records, and it is System Shock which produces the new album in 2000, "Sure To Be Pure". The Death Metal influences have then practically been gone to make room for a more powerful Thrash style with some HxC tempo, influenced by bands such as Pantera or Machine Head. The result fails to convince the fans, despite rather positive reviews in metal magazines : the public absolutely does not follow the new musical direction of the band, which is completely ripped off by their label, and the album is a complete failure abroad (which is somewhat a shame, considering that the album finally stood the test of time, and listening to it nowadays, it's a solid piece of modern Thrash, unworthy of the bad fate it got when it was released).
Cooled down by this reception, Mercyless call it quits in a general indifference in 2000. The remaining band members now have created a new band called Day Off Sin, in a Trip Rock vein, which I must say is pretty well done. Check them if you're open-minded enough for this kind of Nnon Metal music, you won't be disappointed. For the others, let this page be a tribute to one of the most underrated and overlooked Death metal bands there was in France : rest in pieces, Mercyless.
Formed in 1987 in Mulhouse under the patronymic of Merciless (that they fast had to change because of homonymy with the Swedish legend of Death / Thrash), Mercyless is then composed of Max Ottero (growling and guitar), (low) Stephane Viard (guitar), Boris Mandavis and Gerald Guenzi (drums).The group alternate between local concerts and repetitions, recording 2 démos which make speak about him ("Immortal Harmonies" in 1988 and " Visions From The Past " in 1989). influence of their music is rather classical for epoch: Death-metal typical of the US/Florida style, with a big dose of german Thrash.
It is nevertheless this démos which allow the group to make point out, with some others, by the quality-label Jungle Hop (a sub-division of the mythical Punk label New Rose) which is thinking to build up a Metal sub-label. This one, named Virulence Records, will make its first (and alas last) weapon with a today mythical compilation in the French extreme Underground: " Total Virulence ". Regrouping what the French scene included of better as well as non-signed groups (Aleister, Mestema, Frayeurs[future Crusher], Death Power, Scrotum, Braindeath and Loudblast for the deposit " known group "), under an artwork cover from Denis Grrrr, this compilation affords of sales impressive enough (well, let us stay in norms : they sold it 1000, which, considering those days, for extreme metal and especially for French groups, was indeed huge) and allows Mercyless to sign with Jungle Hop for 1 EP ("Vomiting Nausea" in 1990) and an album.
When "Abject Offerings" is released in 1992, it's like a huge paving in the stagnating murky pond of Death-Metal. Boris leaves the band and is replaced with Rade Radojcic for the recording of the album. First French group to be produced by Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse), Mercyless break the boundaries and get at the same time the approbation of the fans and the press everywhere in Europe as for considered then to be the best debut album never released by a french newcomer. Mix of US and English (especially Benediction) influences with one (un)healthy dose of French Touch, "Abject Offerings" bring Mercyless towards an European tour which will see them signing with nothing less than Century Media, of which they will be (and the only) French group..
It is there that everything begins going bad : Century Média takes out the second opus in 1993 " Coloured Funeral ", while the group has once again just changed bass player (arrival of Didier Strenz) and to recruit a full-time keyboardist. Compositions are more raw, the texts are better written : despite that, the reception of the press is terrifically cold. Death Metal is nearly comatose, if not dying, bluntly disemboweled by Grunge. The album is marked by more intense compositions and of more well-manicured texts. Mercyless boards then in 2 European tours: the first one with Death and Anacrusis, the second with Morgoth, Unleashed, Tiamat and Samael.
It is not sufficient: At the beginning of 1994, not much satisfied by sales of the album and seeing that Death Metal is not then any more a viable type, Century Media drop off the band. Mercyless does not get confused and begins inserting other influence into its new titles. Pieces are cold, heavy and dark and the band decides to take time really to create and rehearse. Sporadic appearances on compilations remind of us that the group is always alive (and with still a new bass player and percussionist, respectively Pierre Lopes and David Kempf) but it will be necessary to wait for 1996 so that a quality-label decide to sign them: it will be Thunder Productions (today Thundering records). " C.O.L.D. " is released and positive reviews return, although still little numerous. The group is nevertheless absolutely dissatisfied of the promotional job, and finally the album is withdrawn from sales and the band disappear.
Not for a long time for in 1999 the band resurface with practically the same line-up that on the previous album (arrival of Tintin as the new drummer). "C.O.L.D" is re-released on the German label Impact Records, and it is System Shock which produces the new album in 2000, "Sure To Be Pure". The Death Metal influences have then practically been gone to make room for a more powerful Thrash style with some HxC tempo, influenced by bands such as Pantera or Machine Head. The result fails to convince the fans, despite rather positive reviews in metal magazines : the public absolutely does not follow the new musical direction of the band, which is completely ripped off by their label, and the album is a complete failure abroad (which is somewhat a shame, considering that the album finally stood the test of time, and listening to it nowadays, it's a solid piece of modern Thrash, unworthy of the bad fate it got when it was released).
Cooled down by this reception, Mercyless call it quits in a general indifference in 2000. The remaining band members now have created a new band called Day Off Sin, in a Trip Rock vein, which I must say is pretty well done. Check them if you're open-minded enough for this kind of Nnon Metal music, you won't be disappointed. For the others, let this page be a tribute to one of the most underrated and overlooked Death metal bands there was in France : rest in pieces, Mercyless.
