The Mercy Kills – New Rule (Golden Robot Records)

The Mercy Kills is a fast and furious garage/punk/sleaze rock band from Melbourne, Australia with a number of interesting, high energy rock albums behind them. Velvet Thunder recently reviewed their X EP which was a sort of ‘best of’ with seven tracks remastered from their five albums to date from the last ten years and a real blast this EP is too. They have obviously been around now for a long time and have truly honed their talents to become a note perfect rock and roll band delivering shots of short, sharp and direct sleaze direct to the cortex.

The band likes to shock but they do it with talent and a fresh glitz that ensures they stand out and, above all else, you take notice of what they have to say. Taking their name from the line ‘it was a mercy’ in the much celebrated Rocky Horror Picture Show, this is a band that has embraced counter culture and could almost be described as the new Ramones for the post punk generation.

The New Rule EP is an interesting affair as it was actually the band’s debut release back in 2010 and issued as a short run CD which didn’t receive an official release. The band has now returned to this fine and interesting EP to release it with the backing of Golden Robot Records and it is sure to stimulate a lot of interest and shows their special brand of garage sleaze in its finest form. The band still has the same line-up with Mark E on vocals/guitar, Jen X Costello on bass/vocals, Nathalie Gellé on guitar/vocals and Josh Black on drums they sound remarkably fresh and fully formed on this EP and it is easy to see why they have built a solid career and fan base with their instantly hitting fine rock and roll.

The band has maintained a high level of intensity, aggression and a great deal of skill throughout the last eleven years and it is neat to hear these old recordings to see where the band came from. Do not expect anything rustic or stilted just because these are early recordings, this band is the real deal with a huge sleaze swagger and just the right amount of glam which hints at the wonderful British glam rock band Sweet at their early Seventies best. Check out the video of Fall and admire the band’s intensity.