Barely out of the dark, Mr.Kill strikes again!
Founded in 2017 in Australia, the band composed of Justin Ks (guitar/vocals), Toni Radi (bass), Jordan Michael (drums) and Scott Henderson (guitar) drops its first demo in 2019, followed by The Day of Reckoning, the first EP. And we listen to it now.
First contact with The Descent, a worrying introductive sample that quickly throw us on Annihilation. Without a doubt, the band’s Melodic Death Metal is qualitative! Melting old school riffing, modern mix and a piercing sound, the song is as catchy than effective. Harmonics are raining, howlings fit to what we can expect and the rhythmic is heavy without being boring. Same feeling on the chorus, where saturated voice meets clean vocals, while focusing on guitars. Hatred is the next one, and it’s once again a sharp melodic lead that hits on a groovy and fast rhythmic. Whether Thrash influences can be heard, we can also notice some pig squeal touches before a heavier final part.
Valiant Amusement, the next track, plays with ice-cold and massive finnish-like influences while smashing more and more the listener under an impressive sound. Bitter harmonics come from everywhere and this dissonance wonderfully completes the band’s universe. We are immediately caught by the storm until Oblivion, the last song. In the same way than the previous one, this song also includes some female choirs that give the sound another dimension before coming back on a raging shred during speeding parts. The two musical aspects finally meet, creating a melodic hurricane that only cease to let place to Elegy, a keyboard outro that allows us to breathe while some epic sounds float around us, switching off in the void.
After a first qualitative production, Mr.Kill had no choice but to do it again. And they did it right with The Day of Reckoning, an EP with a strong potential. The band’s Melodic Death Metal is rich, and the pioneer’s legacy that they cleverly exploit allow them to create a place for themselves.
85/100