Search - Mercury Switch :: If You Love Me

Pleasant Surprise!

junkmail4bill | Sherbrooke, QC | 09/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mercury Switch came to me as a pleasant surprise! This very special New Hampshire quintet just released a debut full-length album, strangely titled "If you love me, you'd take me to the city", but everything becomes clear so once you take a closer look at what they're all about.To make your place in today's over-capacitated metalcore world, your band has to be one of two things: unique, or damn good. In Mercury Switch's case, they bring of these attributes home. The uniqueness of this band comes mainly from the fact that not one song is similar, as they resorted to very different songwriting strategies from one track to the other. It's pretty hard to explain, it goes from flat out brutal metalcore like Unearth does so well to spaced-out Smashing Pumpkins tracks such as "Tonight, Tonight". Other tracks include techmetal tricks that remind this listener of Everytime I Die, and some deathmetal riffs a la Living Sacrifice.Much like Underoath, Mercury Switch also employs a full-time keyboards musician who also acts as the band's second vocalist. He comes off as a bit of contrast to their main vocalist, as his voice hits deeper with a louder tone.The cover is a delight to look at; it features evil art that resembles very much that of Pushead's. Lyrics are laid out in alternating coffins, easy to read, but not exactly easy to figure out. The main idea here is that Mercury Switch are a "Christian band". Some lyrics are personal while others such as "Man Of Sorrows" are pretty clear: "May your heart understand this man of sorrows: He's walked your path, he bares your scars and he's felt your pain."I for one am charmed by the extensive amounts of variety featured on this CD, but fans of more traditional genres may be instantly turned off by the sheer diversity."