Courtesy of motorbiker.org
The Mercy House is a heavy fist-to-the-face for anyone who has heard them. This London –based band incorporates heavy guitar riffs reminiscent of Alice in Chains and a singer whose voice resembles Rob Halford from Judas Priest, or a hint of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. The band delivers heavy riffs from Daniel Edwards and Danny Serrano, gritty bass by Mick, heavy drumming by Yam and outstanding vocals from Drew Davies. Together, the Mercy House creates a sludgy kind of metal that incorporates socio-political lyrics with a pissed-off attitude.
Their debut album, “A Broken State of Bliss,” was released in 2012. The albums’ intro is a soft start leading into the groove-like riff of the all-out jam, “Greed.” With the Alice in Chains-type riffs, the singer starts his Layne Staley-esque vocals. It’s not long after until the singer starts belting out the pre-chorus and you realize the vocal range of Davies. When you hear “Here you are now, you’ve gone too fast,” the Chains influence is evident.
“My Disease” is an even heavier song with power driven by the whole band.The vocals in the verses and bridge are more Staley-like, but the choruses of the album are full of heavy, high vocals that make other singers envious. “Blind” and “The End” are good, slow songs, but be prepared to get your face kicked in by The Mercy House’s powerful choruses.
“Lead the Way” starts off with a gritty bassline and explodes in the chorus. The only thing to do is head-bang to the riff and guitar solo. The tracks, “Weight” and “Unclean,” give influential head-nods to the late 80s/early 90s grunge as the tracks rock you up to raise your metal horns.
Great guitar solos in “Hayt” and “Inversions,” (not to mention the vocal genius of Drew) improve the continually growing power of the album. The final track, “The Price of Dying,” is a final blow to your already whip-lashed head and neck. This 7-minute song pushes all of the metal flowing through your veins to the outside world as you jam, rock out, stomp, jump or pump your fist in aggression.
The London 5-piece band has raised eyebrows with their masculine brand of rock music since “A Broken State of Bliss” in 2012. They have pushed the aggression from their socio-political lyrics into a treasured live show. The Mercy House has a unique sound that resembles, but never copies, their influences, which makes for great performances in the studio and at live shows.
Vocalist Drew stated, “We are currently working on a new album for next year and some other new releases, basically we are planning on a very busy 2015 and 2016.”
The upcoming years should be interesting starting with the release of their new single, “Conflict.” The song has the familiar heavy riff that the Mercy House has made their own. Videos I found:
