I have to admit, these guys are good friends of mine. This is a review however, so that flies out the window. Luckily for them I like this ha ha "Mercyless Brutality" contains seven tracks clearly influenced by the glory days of 80's metal, mainly bands like Sodom and Venom! This release consists of fast guitar playing, really good solos, and lyrics centering mainly around war and being a metalhead!!!!!!!! From the opening track of "Slave To Hell" you know what you're in for. The songs are well written, fast, and relentless. This isn't a Johnny come lately or "retro" band. Their love of metal comes across loud and clear, and it seems these guys are out to have a great fucking time. The music just hits you, and then moves on to the next thrashing anthem. They do mix things up by slowing things down on "Heavy Metal Destroyers," and singing in a cleaner vocal style on the excellant "Raise Hell." The latter is also written with a slightly different approach. Though still fast, Hammerwhore slowly work their way into the song. "Raise Hell" is also the main track where Hammerwhore's crossover influence is most obvious. They're definitely not a hybrid, but you can clearly hear the influence of bands like D.R.I. in their music. The songs may seem a little too remeniscent of each other in certain parts at times, but this isn't even a complaint. The songs aren't carbon copies, and Hammerwhore is still a young band with a hell of a lot of potential. "Raise Hell" also comes into play here, as it was written awhile after the other six songs. The growing maturity of Hammerwhore's songwriting is clearly evident in the structuring of this song. This is by far the track with the most going on. The only thing that may put people off about "Mercyless Brutality," is the drum machine, although it doesn't sound bad. Use of the drum machine was due to lack of being able to find a drummer, but one has now been secured. Hammerwhore has a very strong base to build upon, and will only get better and better if they keep cranking out quality material like this. Standout tracks are "Curse Of The Living Dead" and the title track. All in all, this is an excellant CDR release that you should give a listen to. Especially if you're an old school fanatic. Oh, and there's a short little tune at the end that many will recognize from Destruction's "Mad Butcher" EP......or from watching t.v. ha ha
