Year : 1989 (Roxx Records Limited Edition 2023)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 127 mb
Bio:
Band formed in 1985 in Wayne, Michigan, USA.After demo "Mercy Rule" (1987) they released the album "Overruled".The late 80s were not without a few ironic eventualities, the chief among them being that when the glam craze was at its proverbial fluffiest it fell to a number of Christian heavy metal acts following the example of Stryper to keep some semblance of metallic edge going within said end of the spectrum. To be sure, there were a growing number of thrash and death metal acts that were preaching The Gospel while laying down the riffage, but it wasn't uncommon to hear a band sporting a hair band image yet was musically closer to the grittier NWOBHM sound while banging out power chords for The Lord. Among the later entries to the scene that were influenced less by Look What The Cat Dragged In and more by The Yellow And Black Attack was a short-lived Michigan project known as Mercy Rule, who's lone debut Overruled may not have been a particularly hot item on MTV back in 1989 due to the lyrical content, but was nevertheless a solid example of what heavy metal was before image was emphasized over music.To be clear, this isn't quite of the same heavy caliber as vintage Judas Priest or W.A.S.P., but it's not a full on hard rock affair like Ratt or Great White either and makes a point of wearing its metallic guitar nature on its sleeve. The vocals Aaron Byrnes are a key factor in this album being of a slightly softer demeanor, as his lofty tenor and crooning tendencies have more of a Michael Sweet meets Don Dokken character rather than a scratchy, sleazy rendition of Halford or Lawless. In fact, the barbershop quartet character of this band's vocal harmonies during the chorus segments of their highly tuneful anthems has something of a gospel choir feel to it that is quite rich and soulful. This provides a very interesting contrast with the crunchy riff work and the blaring lead guitar lines, which have a fairly aggressive character in line with mid-80s Maiden. A few select offerings such as "Black And White" and "Stand Up On The Rock" flirt with vintage speed metal at times and could almost be mistaken for select quicker numbers off of Screaming For Vengeance were it not for the ultra-smooth vocals.This album's greatest weaknesses, which also proves to be one of its unique charms, is that it basically listens like a 1983 album that was recorded with 1985 recording practices in a year when this style of metal was largely considered old hat next to the booking thrash metal scene and the looming avant-garde sound being pushed by Faith No More and a few others. This is particularly noteworthy during the album's two ballads "Real Love" and "If You Only Knew", both of which have that sort of mid-80s atmospheric aesthetic common to Malmsteen's and Dokken's balladry from said time period, and sort of clash with the late 80s' growing obsession with southern blues and jazz influences, though they aren't without a certain degree of pizzazz and edge despite being fairly subdued. Similarly, straight up rockers such as "You Lied To Me" and "Don't Cha Know" could have been radio hits in '85, but not so much in '89. The real high points of this album is where the metallic fury is at its peak, namely in the previously noted two speeders, along with the riff happy "There's A Love" and the crunchy groover "Black And White".If Stryper is one's bag, then this would be a decent addition to one's repertoire, and even old school metal fans who don't like a bit more melody and soul to go along with their riffs will likely find the lion's share of this album to be enjoyable. It's not quite album of the year material by the standards of 1989, and within the smaller Christian heavy metal spectrum it's a bit on the derivative side, but there is definitely more good than bad going on here. The lyrical message shows a strong degree of nuance and introspection, only occasionally breaking out into overt devotional music, though it's still light and positive enough to likely turn off anyone who wants their metal raw and filthy after the mold of Insides The Electric Circus or Girls! Girls! Girls!. The early 80s nostalgia with a slight helping of mid-80s atmosphere should play well with anyone who enjoyed the classic 80s soundtracks of such horror/comedy films as Nightmare On Elm Street 3, The Blob (1988) and Attack Of The Killer Clowns, though the message is definitely serious and the musical content is far from horrific.
Album:
Mercy Rule ‘Overruled’ was released back in 1989 on vinyl, cd and cassette through R.E.X. Music.But prior to that the bands debut release was actually a 4 track cassette only demo back in 1987, which caught the eyes of Regency Records who subsequently would add the track ‘Cities Are Burning’ to the 1988 classic metal compilation ‘Underground Metal.’ It is impossible to find a copy of that long out of print album at a decent price these days, so you will want to score one of these while you can!Mercy Rule ‘Overruled’ will have a limited edition vinyl release as a part of the ‘Roxx 100 Series’ containing all the original tracks from ‘Overruled’ plus the bonus track 'Cities Are Burning' from Underground Metal. As well, a limited edition CD pressing fully remastered and including all the bonus tracks discussed above! That’s right you will get the original 4 track demo and the track ‘Cities Are Burning’ fully remastered for your maximum listening pleasure.Check out the just released remastered version of ‘You Lied To Me’ and get ready to rock as pre orders for Mercy Rule ‘Overruled’ launch this Friday April 28th at 7am PST, with a release date of May 26th on limited edition vinyl and CD.
Line Up:
Aaron Byrnes - Vocals, Guitars - See also: ex-Feast Eternal
George Favazza - Guitars, Vocals (additional),
Bruce Tordrup - Keyboards, Vocals (backing), Bass
Rich Favazza - Drums, Vocals (backing),
Tracklist:
01. You Lied to Me 03:08
02. Cecilia 03:28
03. Real Love 03:35
04. Lonely Heart 03:32
05. Don't Cha Know 03:50
06. Black and White 04:38
07. Prodigal 03:18
08. If You Only Knew 05:50
09. There's a Love 03:07
10. Stand Up on the Rock 02:48
11. Cities Are Burning 04:05 (Bonus Track)
12. Cities Are Burning (demo) 03:55 (Bonus Track)
13. You Lied to Me (demo) 02:54 (Bonus Track)
14. Cecilia (demo) 03:21 (Bonus Track)
15. Lonely Heart (demo) 03:25 (Bonus Track)
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