Track listing: The Merciful

What on earth has Relentless Pursuit done?! I've listened to quite a bit from this project out of Somerset, Kentucky and it's tended to melt my brain. The band is heavy, dark and, well...relentless. So then the beautiful piano intro begins from their latest single "The Merciful." I wait for the hammer to fall, for the drop-D machine-gunning rhythm guitar to shred my skull. But it hasn't happened yet.

Enter the vocal. What?! Matthew Konradt enters with the bravado of the vocal stylings of Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits. Deadpan. Calm. There's nary a guttural scream to be found. I'm still waiting for the pause before the inevitable blast-beats shake the plaster off my studio walls.

Now here comes the synthesizer. This is almost like a ballad from Christian hair metal band Stryper. Except it's not. Sure, the music is sweet and sullen. You might even say "pretty," though I can't believe that word is about to be immortalized in my review of a Relentless Pursuit song. But there's a darkness to this song, as well. It's heavy--just not heavy in a way you hear from many (any?) metal/deathcore artists.

Slayer never released a power ballad, did they? If not, they missed out. And, no, "The Merciful" never does explode with a soaring guitar solo or anything of the like. Instead, you're just there, with your headphones, listening to the message Konradt set out to convey. "The Merciful" isn't about putting lyrics to a musical onslaught. It's about conveying a message. It's weird to say, but Relentless Pursuit has written a really gorgeous song. But the appeal of the dainty instrumentation compared to their previous work doesn't overwhelm the lyrical power found within. 

Nicely done, Relentless Pursuit. Staying true to your darkness, whilst wrapping it in a beautiful melodic gift box.

"The Merciful"

We all want a hero to step in and save the day. There are doubts that flood my mind. Why does this cancer shed the innocence within? Could we start over again? Please fill the hollow inside. Are we all just destined to fail? Submitting ourselves to our flaws. We are more special than we know. Worth way more than gold. He cries countless tears for His children. We all want a hero. We all want a hero. We all have a hero. We all have a hero. He is our hero. He is our hero. Our we all just destined to fail? Submitting ourselves to our flaws. We are more special than we know. Worth way more than gold.