Merciless
The Treasures Within

July 2004
Released: 1991, Black Lodge
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

What exactly warranted the re-release of this CD? Merciless is sub-par thrash in the vein of Dark Angel (hence the name, I’m guessing), but make no mistakes, they are similar in style only and not quality. THE TREASURES WITHIN was originally released in 1991 and frankly, it should have stayed there.



There is absolutely nothing remarkable whatsoever about this CD. This is standard Euro thrash with harsh vocals played over blazing guitars and frantic drumming. Given that this is a re-release and re-releases typically get remastered and cleaned up sonically, I would hate to hear the original release, because the sound here is dreadful. I’ve heard better sounding old black metal stuff! Everything bleeds together into a mush that not only takes away from the overall intensity of the music but is a crime to whoever paid the producer to slap this together. There are two highlights here: “Act of Horror” and “Nuclear Attack.” The rest is a complete waste of time and effort.



Merciless may have taken a stab at the thrash market but they clearly missed their mark with this release. THE TREASURES WITHIN is a very deceptive title, indeed.



KILLER KUTS: “Act of Horror,” “Nuclear Attack”