MERCURY RISING
"Building
Rome" (Dominion Records)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Years ago I'd caught the name of Mercury Rising as a prog-metal band
that was worth hearing. However, I never did manage to see the band or find their CD, until recently. I found Mercury
Rising's sophomore effort "Building Rome" at a vendor's table at a recent metal festival
and without hesitation purchased it to see if the hype was true.
I was happy to find that the reputation Mercury Rising had gained from "Building Rome" was
supported by what I heard. One immediately realizes that Mercury Rising combine the best of the
guitar/keyboard balance of "Images And Word"-era Dream Theater, late-'70s Rush influences, and
the pulse quickening rhythms of late-'80s thrash. Mercury Rising never forget that true heaviness
comes from allowing the music to breathe, balancing light and dark, quiet and heavy, warm human
elements versus harsh cold reality, and simply rocking out when appropriate.
Luckily, the band has omitted the use of excessive "noodling" to prove their skills as many 'progressive' bands are quite often wont to do. Granted, the men of Mercury Rising have chops and they aren't afraid to display them; the song structures of "Building Rome" allows the band to find opportune times to dictate the use of technical wizardry to shine in the spotlight as the inherent progressive elements flow.
Mercury Rising is a progressive band with a soul. The eight tracks here are presented in a compact 43 minutes with dazzling work throughout. Combining the truly progressive with heaviness is no easy task and Mercury Rising meet the challenge and then some.
Hopefully, Mercury Rising is still a working band; I would certainly like to hear more from Mercury Rising in the years to come.
Mercury Rising is Mike Evans and Judd Rizzo on guitars, Chris Bush on bass, Clarence Osborne on vocals, and Jeff Moos on drums.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
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