Mercury Tide - Why?
Century Media
Melancholic Metal
12 songs ()
Release year: 2003
Century Media
Reviewed by Ben

In between the breakup and reformation of Angel Dust Dirk Thurisch had time to write some songs and release them in the form of Mercury Tide. In all fairness this is a Dirk solo album and like most solo albums it has a style that is at the same time similar to his former / current band Angel Dust yet it has enough differences to set it apart from his former work. Why? is a pretty dark and melancholic album, there is a sense of anger and depression rolled up in the songs and there is also a forerunning piano aspect to them as well. The title track that begins the album is also the most Angel Dusty. It also reminds me of the song Bleed as well, just faster and not as good. Why? has a great atmosphere to it but it doesn’t have that special something that Angel Dust has. Most of the songs on the album are slow to mid paced, a few fast numbers would have helped out the album a lot as after awhile listening the entire way through becomes a chore. There are highlights though Dirk hasn’t written a crap album, and Lost and Torn is one of them. It’s heavy and has some quiet reflective interludes that break it up and really bring across the feeling of desolation and betrayal. The acoustic driven ballady Save This World is another good, good not great, song and so is the closer Alone. Both start off soft and take awhile to kick in and when they do you go, “hey that’s cool,” but its nothing that kicks your ass and makes you jump up and down and shout,” HELL YEA!”

That right there is the biggest drawback of Mercury Tide. They never go all out and tear things up, they just keep it slow, keep it safe. While I can enjoy slow songs and piano driven bands, Mercury Tide don’t throw any curve balls or surprises at us and that’s a shame. With Dirk at the helm singing and playing guitar and Bernd Aufermann filling in for guitars on four of the songs I was expecting a brilliant album. Instead what we have is a simply “ok” album, one that if I found at a cd store used I would walk away feeling like I got a deal but not if I had to pay full price. A definite “try before you buy.”

Killing Songs :
Why? and Lost and Torn
Ben quoted 66 / 100
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