Mendeed: This War Will Last Forever (gold disc reissue)

Active between the years 2000 and 2007, Mendeed were a Scottish metal-core band who released two albums, This War Will Last Forever and The Dead Live By Love, before splitting up. A couple of years back, Poland's Metal Mind Productions took it upon themselves to reissues both as 'gold disc' editions, limited to 2000 copies. Truth be told, neither are particularly difficult to hunt down and with no mention of a remaster or mix, I'm not really sure why the pair were chosen for the gold treatment. However judging by This War…, if nothing else, this band certainly deserve another chance to gain some fans. Yes, what they exude is straight up metal-core and yet with an All That Remains bent to their attack, there's no denying they do so with enough intensity to hit hard and make a long lasting impression.

Kerrang!/Classic Rock scribe Dom Lawson provides a vocal on "For Blasphemy We Bleed", however for the most part vocalist David Proctor proves a real strength, even if he doesn't really stand out all that much from the crowd. Most of the twelve tracks nip neatly through the gears, ripping riffs broken up by clean sections where a decent, although as with the growls, hardly distinctive vocal from Proctor allows guitarists Steven Nixon and Steph Gildea to show the diverse nature of their attack.

Oddly the album opens with a selection offering uilleann pipes and low whistles (which means Troy Donnockley's in the house!), and with snatches of viola, cello and violin in evidence, there were signs that Mendeed had their sights set on something quite grand. However in the end it all feels a little disconnected from the album itself and, truth be told, rather pointless. Interestingly the album closes out in a more melodic fashion, an Avenged Sevenfold side revealed as the lead guitars soar and the drums pound. Again it's hard to suggest that either "The Reaper Waits" or "The Black Death" offer much that sets Mendeed apart, however if metal-core with a side of more traditional metal is something you hanker, you could do much worse. This War Will Last Forever is a solid album and one which illustrates that Mendeed had much to offer. It's worth checking out, although you'll maybe want to investigate the many cheaper options out there, than this full price, if perfectly good, reissue.

Track Listing
1. What We Have Become
2. Beneath a Burning Sky
3. Stand as One and Fight for Glory
4. Remains of the Day
5. Chapel Perilous
6. The Mourning Aftermath
7. Poisoned Hearts
8. Withered & Torn
9. Resurrecting Hope
10. For Blasphemy We Bleed
11. The Reaper Waits
12. The Black Death

Added: December 12th 2015
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Metal Mind Productions
Hits: 1559
Language: english

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