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By GREG MAKI
Mercy Fall’s debut, For the Taken, has within it about half of a great album. The opener, “Insurmountable,” throws us straight into its huge, instantly memorable hook. Add to that the Southern-style groove, screeching guitar solo and aggressive vocals of “Hangman” and you have a fantastic one-two punch at the start of the disc. It’s so good, in fact, that most of the songs that follow cannot meet the standard set here.
Simply put, vocalist Nate Stone sounds a hell of a lot better singing lines like, “Well I’ve got anger/And it’s in my soul” on “I Got Life” (a hard-edged number that does live up to the first two) than he does on the softer “Fade,” crooning “Could it be I miss you.” The softer tunes aren’t bad, but they become tedious as they follow one after the other. The album starts to take on more of a generic, rock radio feel. “Here I Am,” in particular, reminds me of Live. But on the plus side, the pair of mellow tracks preceding “Hush” enhance its slow build, adding to its already impressive dynamics. That song also features some great rock n’ roll screams courtesy of Stone.
I’m hopeful that Mercy Fall will more fully embrace the aggression that fuels For the Taken’s strongest songs. Album number two could be something truly special if they do. This band has enormous potential.
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