This week, as they say, has been a great decade. For those of us ready to say “fuck it” and watch the world burn, Unmerciful has a bludgeoning new anthem.
“Miracle in Fire” is the opening salvo from Devouring Darkness, out May 23rd on Willowtip Records. In a word, the track is relentless. If you accidentally left the volume turned up on your headphones, hearing damage will ensue. If you’re driving grandma to the grocery store, be prepared to apologize. Unmerciful has, well, no mercy.
Opening with a harsh growl from new vocalist Josh Riley, “Miracle in Fire” is all killer, no filler. The furious pacing recalls the earliest days of death metal, when bands were driven by the pure desire to just play faster. A hair-raising riff echoes the warning call of a siren before sprinting into mind-bending ferocity. Guitars and drums briefly unite for a few heart-pounding moments, pummeling the ears with calculated intensity before jagged rhythms break the tension. Now on their fourth album, Unmerciful confronts with bloodthirsty confidence, channeling the iconic sound of Deeds of Flesh into sonic warfare refined for maximum damage. This is brutal death metal done right.
Pre-order Devouring Darkness on Bandcamp before the album drops on May 23rd. Happy hunting.