The Innocent, the Forsaken, the Guilty

I'll start by saying that in some ways, the Mezmerist is one of the strangest metal projects of the 80's. A bold statement I know, but all the proof you need is here in these 7 songs. Shadow Kingdom has dug up some obscure relics before, but surely this must rank among the rarest vinyl albums to be re-released by the seminal label. In fact, its quite possible that the only reason this has found a re-issue is because it features the drumming skills of metal's most important percussionist, a man whose very involvement cloaks the project in an even more mysterious haze.

The full length CD at hand is comprised of the band's two EP releases from the 80's, with "The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty" being up first, and yes, its true, BIll Ward IS the drummer on this release. How and why Bill came to be involved with The Mezmerist is another story entirely, but it would be fair to say he is probably this reissue's main selling point. Anyway, the bands first EP is quite the strange trip indeed, with a cheesy, yet enjoyable spoken/ambient intro that paints images of fog machines and barbarian warrior posturing. "Dead Ones Cry No More" reveals the Mezmerist's true identity, a pounding, psych-metal machine with some of the weirdest falsetto vocals imaginable. I have seen comparisons to Mercyful Fate, an influence the singer denies but it is a pretty fitting description as they are quite theatrical, and also could be very divisive for listeners of the band. His other vocal style is relatively normal by comparison, a mournful doom howl that is far more appropriate. The band's music is a mix of traditional Sabbath/Zeppelin with some prog, psych, and doom thrown in for good measure, and I must say it is quite different and enjoyable. A band like this probably would have made more sense as a 70's hard rock band than an 80's metal band, not that they come up short in the metal department.

The 1st EP is indeed full of twisting rhythms overlaid with heavy riffs and and some truly exotic sounding lead guitar, which when mixed with these insane vocals, creates a truly unique atmosphere. The whole first release has the appeal of a gritty sword and sorcery movie from the time period, which works in its favor as fans of cult metal are usually fans of cult movies. "Arabian Nights" perfectly captures the imagery of dueling scimitars and caravans, and has quite the busy structure. Bill Ward is great as usual, his early swing style meshing well with his more harder hitting later period style. "Victim of Environmental Change" is a real standout, with its galloping riffs giving way to a jammed out lead section, with guitars that sound like a wailing saxophone.

The 2nd EP, "Beg for Forgiveness, Pray for Your Life" was recorded a couple years later, with a different rhythm section, but actually takes a step forward in both recording and song quality. The falsetto vocals are mostly gone, along with some of the band's more plodding tendencies, being replaced with a greater sense of majesty and confidence. Some epic Maiden-esque riffs are apparent, but they still contain plenty of Hendrix inspired moments, with the riff from "Hey Joe" even making a startlingly appropriate appearance. "Kingdom of the Dead" has awesome vocals and a frantic pace that gives way to an excellent doom riff, while even the final number, "Jam Song", (which is just that, a jam) is urgent in it's delivery and features excellent performances all around, with the bass playing being particularly nimble.

The Mezmerist is a truly a unique entity which should be experienced by a greater number of metal fans, just know that the vocals have that love em' or hate em' element. Everything comes well packaged with the covers of both EP's, liner notes and lyrics, and a DVD interview with the band's main man, singer/guitarist Tommy Mezmercardo, who sheds some much needed light on the project. Tommy himself seems quite the odd character, which makes sense given the band he is in, but he is interesting none the less and I completely agree with his stance on Looney Tunes. But seriously, if you are an underground fanatic, or you just dig Sabbath, Cirith Ungol, and especially Sad Wings-era Priest, then the Mezmerist should have you under it's spell in no time.

Given that it is a rarity that has only appeared on ebay less than 2 dozen times and fetches between $150-500 the physical rarity and monetary value of this 12” EP from 1985 doesn't need to be elaborated much more than that. However this records's appeal I believe is as much to do with its backstory and character as its extreme rarity, so while this CD reissue won't affect those high prices it seems almost a shame to allow such a mysterious Metal artefact to be pressed onto that ignoble format. This looks and sounds like a deleted episode of Doctor Who in which the Doctor arrived to earth in 1983, disguised himself as a California guitar-wizard with a skullet called “Thomas Mezmercado” (a man who nothing is known about except for this release), replete with his usual outrageous fashion sense, somehow managed to recruit Bill Ward (yes, that Bill Ward) on drums and then record this 4 song EP, which has been bumped with 3 songs from a later unreleased demo for the benefit of those who already have the vinyl.

The intro track titled “The Forsaken” is a piece of pure Hawkwind worship with its poetic fantasy narration, particularly their Warrior At The Edge Of Time LP, and this old Psych/Prog influence is spread through the soloing on all these tracks and begs comparison's to Paul Chain Violet Theatre at every turn. The Doom side of the equation that begins on “Dead Ones Cry No More” is very similar to early Cirith Ungol rhythms, both in the drumming and the basslines, and the percussive claps give this an irresistibly catchy vibe in spite of how off the wall it is. What separates this from other bands in this style and of that era though is the crazy vocals, a child-like nasal early Mercyful Fate-style falsetto.

Those comparisons to the Danish Metal kings don't stop at the vocals on “Arabian Nights” which sounds like a really demented, trippy outtake from around the time of “Nuns Have No Fun”, and “Victim Of Environmental Change” provides a similarly leftfield on a standardised Metal sound by adding a slightly Nu Wave robotic vocal approach to it's Witchfinder General-meets-Jameson Raid vibe. As the bass gets funkier in the second half of this track it seemingly pre-empts what Faith No More would be doing a few years later, and this bizarre clairvoyance rears its head on the bonus tracks again when the Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden gallop of “No Family, No Friends” gives way to riffing that is a dead ringer for Nirvana- half a decade before Grunge was incepted. The more I think about it, maybe my Doctor Who theory isn't so unlikely after all... Either way, this is one of the true unique relics of Metal history. It has its pointers, but on the whole it is quite unlike anything that has gone before or come since. [7/10]

From WAR ON ALL FRONTS A.D. 2013 zine- www.facebook.com/waronallfronts