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IN the list of
instruments least likely
to open a metal album,
the bagpipes would have
to rank pretty high.
Mendeed give a nod to
Scottish patriotism with
a stirring opening track
that could have slipped
quite easily onto the
Braveheart soundtrack.
But before you get too
comfortable, that’s
where the pretty sounds
and niceties stop.
Mendeed are loud – very
loud.
And whether or not their
brutal assault on the
senses is your cup of
tea, there is no denying
Mendeed are amongst the
finest purveyors of
metal in the UK.
As if attempting to
immediately distance
themselves from the
surprising opening
track, they launch
straight into an intense
and savage tirade on the
Bush/Blair war machine
on Beneath A Burning
Sky.
If you’re going to get
political, this is the
way to do it.
David Proctor growls
angrily: “In a world of
hate with bodies soaked
in blood we are a living
tragedy.”
And the album follows a
similarly gloomy lyrical
theme throughout, but
Mendeed’s music wouldn’t
lend itself very well to
tales of puppy dogs and
summer picnics. Make no
mistake, this is not an
album for the
feint-hearted – you’re
parents certainly
wouldn’t approve.
But it’s not all double
bass drum and
ear-piercing guitars.
The Mourning After
starts off in an almost
funky, bouncing guitar
riff before setting off
into more familiar
territory. It’s this
willingness to flirt
with ideas foreign to
their genre that sets
Mendeed aside from the
countless other death
and black metal bands
that so often fail to
inspire.
The highlight is the
simply astounding For
Blasphemy We Bleed. It’s
a true epic with a
guitar riff reminiscent
of Metallica’s Black
Album glories and an
almost celestial chorus.
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