Mercyless is a name I heard a few times but I somehow never found the opportunity to dive into their music. Having been founded 3 decades ago they have produced a few full length albums and a lot of splits, EPs and even some live albums. By accident I stumbled across their latest full length record “Pathetic Divinity” and I am really glad I did as this is a seriously outstanding piece of Oldschool Death Metal. The sound of Mercyless is a good mixture of some of the best elements of the genre. Influences from different regions can be found here. The riffs are sharp with the rhythm guitars having a nice buzz-sawing tone reminding of some Swedish heroes. The chords range from the traditional Scandinavian ones stoically sawing in the background to straight-forward and faster ones having more in common with some of the old US bands. Also the lead guitar work is quite technical in places with some impressive outbursts of more complex arrangements. The drumming is very tight and precise alternating between ticking like a clockwork in the background and some ferocious blast-beat sections. Each song has a few tempo and rhythm changes that are seamlessly performed by the musicians. The guys are able to completely slow-down to create a gloomy and eerie atmosphere with subtly melancholic harmonies just to steamroll the listener a few moments later. These different tempos and moods have been woven into the songs in a way that the natural flow of the album is never hurt. The songwriting shows the experience of the band members. They know exactly how to place the single tracks and the various parts throughout the album to avoid any moments of boredom. The music has a nice feeling of being not too simple but accessible at the same time. Mercyless present their own fresh take on OSDM combining a lot of well-known trademark pieces with some slightly modern elements. Singer Max has a perfect voice for that kind of music reminding of e.g. Martin van Drunen. He is roaring and belting out the lyrics with power and aggression but makes sure that each word is perfectly understandable. It is not least because of him that I feel reminded of the US band Skeletal Remains whose singer has a similar tone and who are also trying their best to honor the old guard while injecting their own DNA into the music. The sound is raw and powerful with just enough grit to satisfy Old School aficionados. However, the mix is crystal clear and there is nothing muddy or washed-out but all elements are audible. Especially the guitars have a nice crunchy tone lending the whole music some additional intensity. There is nothing really new or innovative about this record and most fans of OSDM might have heard most that is on offer here more than once before. That being said this is a band that started out at the same time as e.g. Obituary or Dismember so nobody can call them copycats. I anyway do not care as the result presented on “Pathetic Divinity” is an amazingly executed piece of OSDM and just great fun.