{"id":8668,"date":"2022-06-16T17:14:05","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T15:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/cd-recensie\/iris-divine-mercurial\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T16:52:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T14:52:50","slug":"iris-divine-mercurial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kessel-tamerus.nl\/Esthers_Blog\/cd-recensie\/iris-divine-mercurial\/","title":{"rendered":"Iris Divine \u2013 Mercurial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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‘Mercurial’ is the fourth album by the prog metal band ‘Iris Divine’, but the first album to be released through Layered Reality Productions. Drummer Scott Manley took the place of Kris Combs (drums, keyboards and programming) he left the band in the Corona era. That doesn’t mean you won’t hear any keyboards\/programming on ‘Mercurial’. Singer\/guitarist Navid Rashid wrote the parts for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sampled voices were added to the instrumental start of ‘Bitter Bride’. The sarcastic lyrics are about a social unawareness in America (you can read more about this in the interview<\/a>, which I had with Navid on behalf of Maxazine). Occasionally there is a short echo on the vocals, some other parts sound a bit grim. The distribution in the headset is nicely. Throughout the song, there are fun, surprising elements woven in. The unexpected ending is well chosen. Also in ‘Silver Tongued Lie’ you can hear the dynamic drumming of newcomer Scott. But the sound of this is a bit on the faint side, it could have ” thundering ” a bit more at times. Also the bass and guitar could have had a little more body. Then the contrast with the lighter elements would have been more significant. The track is well constructed, the added extras are nice. After a rousing piece, the fade out is a bit disappointing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the first instrumental piece of ‘Thirteen’ you can hear a pleasant amount of “heavily played” strings. This forms a nice combination with the lighter elements a little later. There are bold, exhilarating bass grooves and more than enough details in the music. The fading end of this nice long track is cool. ‘Negative Seed’ also has a nice ending, but this one is sudden. The ending of ‘Breaking The Paradigm’ slowly extinguishes, but is still cut off a little too early. ‘Mercurial’ is about the human emotions of ups and downs, and how they control us if we let them. The combination of music, spoken words, and Andrea Krux’s wordless vocals create a cool, mysterious intro. The pace in the music is a bit slower, but the whole thing continues to captivate. The fade out is quite unexpected. Since this is the last song, the sudden silence feels a bit uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the contrasts in the artwork regarding the shroud and flowers, you might expect great contrasts in the music as well. The differences in volume, rhythm, and light versus dark are certainly there, but at times they could have been a bit grander. Now the sound comes across as somewhat compact, losing a bit of intensity. The distribution between guitar, bass, and drums is good, as is the amount of added elements. Scott’s way of drumming fits into the whole. Although the sound of cymbals is sometimes too tinny, you can regularly hear the pitch differences in the drums. The songs are not mega complex. Yet it takes a while before you get to know the songs a little better. They are accessible and yet surprising enough. The pace of the music is sometimes quite high, uplifting parts are alternated with more tightly played parts. While listening you can almost feel the vibe that the songs will give when played live. The metal is not too heavy, so the (prog)rock fans will most probably appreciate ‘Mercurial’ as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(75\/100) (Layered Reality Productions). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Social media<\/strong>:
Website: Iris Divine<\/a>
Facebook: Iris Divine<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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