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Merciless β€” The Treasures Within

  • intothewellsabyss
  • Jun 30, 2023
  • 2 min read

π…π‘πŽπŒ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 π‚π‘π˜ππ“π’ - π‚π„π‹π„ππ‘π€π“πˆππ† 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 π€π‹ππ”πŒ 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐧 𝐭𝐑𝐞 π‡πˆπ’π“πŽπ‘π˜ 𝐨𝐟  𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 π‘πŽπ‚πŠ & π‡π„π€π•π˜ πŒπ„π“π€π‹β€¦


31 years ago today, Merciless unlocked β€œThe Treasures Within”!



On this day (June 30) in 1992, Merciless released their second full-length studio album, β€œThe Treasures Within” via Active Records.


Overview:

Originally formed in 1986, Merciless, which are from the Stockholm suburb of StrΓ€ngnΓ€s, were one of the leading pioneers of the Swedish Thrash-Death Metal scene! Their late β€˜80s demos, β€œBehind the Black Door” (β€˜87) and β€œRealm of the Dark” (β€˜88) were highly sought after by Metalheads in the underground tape-trading world. This led to Merciless becoming the very first band signed to Deathlike Silence Productions, where they released their debut full-length, β€œThe Awakening” (1990).


Their second album β€œThe Treasures Within” was recorded in June and July 1991 but it was not released until a year later due to the mismanagement of their new label Active Records (the label folded one year after its release). This delay cause the departure of drummer Stipen who was replaced by Peter StjΓ€rnvind in February 1992.


β€œThe Treasures Within” features a similar amount of energy and intensity as β€œThe Awakening”, but with a more precise and technical attack. This time around though, Merciless find themselves moving closer to the realm of Death Metal, with less of the Thrash aesthetic that was displayed on β€œThe Awakening”. Dissimilar to their unrefined debut, the songs displayed here are a tad more intricate. In lieu of an all-out Thrash assault, we find a conglomeration of variable time signatures and technical structures. This is not to say that the album is weaker by any means. On the contrary, β€œThe Treasures Within” is a knockdown, drag-out, adrenaline fueled, headbanging, fist-pumping offering of pure aggression! β€” E.N. Wells


Re-issues:

The album was reissued in 2003 with alternate artwork (a skeleton with a glowing yellow light emanating from its chest, on a black background) by Black Lodge records on CD (and Floga records in 2011 on LP). A near-perfect reproduction of the original LP was released by Temple Of Darkness records, 2012.


Personal Note:

There is nothing like seeing Merciless perform songs like β€œThe Treasures Within”, β€œDying World”, β€œPerish”, and β€œBranded by Sunlight” in a live performance. The intensity they bring is sheer madness! Hopefully, they make it stateside again sometime. I would definitely love to have that experience again! β€” E.N. Wells


Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to β€œThe Treasures Within” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-treasures-within/270684013


Click this link to listen to the Henry Fries & Friends demo’s β€œThe Treasures Within” via Spotify: The Treasures Within https://open.spotify.com/album/0WMteWDtQPUIp9coeD8kGz


Click this link to follow Merciless on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mercilessofficial-835524339886852/


Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. β€” E.N. Wells



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