| I received two re-issue's from Rising Records regarding the Scottish band Mendeed. Before Mendeed signed with Nuclear Blast, they made records for Rising Records. When they released their first album for Nuclear Blast in 2006 they were received as an OK band, but when the follow up came out in 2007 they were hailed as a big promise and the future of metal. Too bad the band disbanded not much later, after a fight with their management.
One of those two re-issue's is "From Shadows Came Darkness". Originally released in 2004 and re-issued 4 years later. Just like my intro suggests, this band went through an immense growth. Their first and second records for Nuclear Blast were miles apart in regards of quality and relevance to the metal scene. If you rewind this growth process what will you get? Yes, albums of less quality than their first Nuclear Blast platter. On “From Shadows Came Darkness” you can already feel the potential, but you'll also find a band struggling to find an identity and - even more important - a sound of their own. They're already trying to hatch their egg filled with thrash metal and melodic death metal here, but the hatching just won’t happen. It's even worse than that, the music on offer here is boring and washed out. This album is far too raw and aggressive. Most of the singing on this CD even reminds me of some random hardcore punk singer. Not something that really fits the music well.
The question I have is: why did Rising Records release this? It's totally not relevant. It might be for collectors or for fans that the band once had, but then again, why would you buy a re-issue this bad? I mean... where are the extra's to brighten up this re-issue? Liner notes, bonus tracks, anything! If you don't have this record yet and you want to know what Mendeed once sounded like, be my guest. If you're low on cash; Please spend your money on something you might actually enjoy. |
