The Mercy House are the latest British band causing a stir and for once it's maybe justified........
 
For those of us old enough to remember 1992, it'll be an interesting listen. Cast your mind back all that way and remember that GnR and Metallica were massive, Faith No More released the classic 'Angel Dust', Ministry released 'Psalm 69', Def Leppard and Bon Jovi were still trying to keep hair metal alive with 'Adrenalize' and 'Keep The Faith' and all the while you had Rage, Megadeth, Suicidal, NIN, Motorhead and Pantera keeping us in line with their vulgar displays of power. The Mercy House seem to have soaked up this great year and made it all relevant for 2012.

Did I forget to mention Alice In Chains' 'Dirt'? They wouldn't have forgiven me.
 
Opening with 'A Broken State Of Bliss' - an atmospheric instrumental of haunting melodies - which then breaks into 'Greed' and from this moment on you'll get the '92 comparisons as they churn out a heavy, slow paced song that will not only remind you of AIC but will remind you that back in the day, Axl Rose had the best lungs in the business - a raw and rare shriek that they have more than replicated to such a great effect. 'My Disease' follows it up and you'll again hear the comparisons but they do it with such class that it doesn't make you head straight to your cd collection, instead it'll make you turn this fucker up!

'Blind' is okay until it gets to the instrumental break where the band unleash some serious riffage to full effect and turns this song into another slice of quality before 'Lead The Way', with its roots based firmly in the classic rock stable, hits you over the head with a Seattle sounding Deep Purple sound. 'The End' (not the Doors song) brings a totally different vibe, a mellow and reflective song where all the macho bravado of metal has been stripped away to reveal a layer of emotion that is new to this album....before they dive straight back into heavier territory. A low end, almost doom led riff eases us into 'Hayt' before they take head back down the 'Dirt' track that is their home.
 
The rest of the songs on this album are all worthy of your time and ears with 'Weight', 'Inversions' and 'Unclean' easily hitting the mark and the level at which this London five piece have set themselves.
 
The Mercy House have got that uncanny and unusually rare gift of playing in a style that you've heard a million times before but make it new, heavy, fresh and, most importantly, relevant to the here and now. Not an easy task but one at which they seem to have flourished.
 
Worthy.
 
www.themercyhouse.net