Mercenary (band)
Encyclopedia
Mercenary is a metal
band from Denmark
that was formed in 1991. Although they are usually labelled as a melodic death metal
band, they use aspects of power metal
in their music, as well as thrash metal
in their earlier work.
song, "Ghosts of War
". After the release of two demos, Domicile (1993) and Gummizild (1994), they were able to sign with Black Day Records, and released a four-song EP, Supremacy (1996). In 1997, they were signed to the Danish label Serious Entertainment, and in 1998 they released their full-length debut, First Breath
.
In 2002, the band decided to expand their sound with the addition of pianist Morten Sandager, who greatly contributed with his keyboard as well as his brother Mikkel, who helped expand their songs with vocals into their songs. This new line-up added new dimensions to their sound, blending more melody into their more aggressive heaviness.
That year, Mercenary played at the ProgPower
music festival in the United States
and released their second album Everblack
. It was after this that the band fired drummer Rasmus Jacobsen, thinking he invested too little time into Mercenary and too much into other projects. During this time, guitarist Signar Petersen also left the band, due to personal reasons. Two old friends of Kral’s (drummer Mike Park Nielson, whom he had met in 1993 at a concert in Copenhagen, and Martin Buus Pedersen, whom Kral knew since he was seventeen years old and working in a music store, when Martin was testing a guitar) would soon fill in the two spots, and with this new lineup, Mercenary were signed to Century Media Records
.
In 2004, Mercenary released their third full-length album, 11 Dreams
. This proved to be their most commercially successful album, earning much international attention from fans and critics alike. That year, Mercenary toured as a supporting act for Evergrey
, and then later with Brainstorm
who were on their first headlining tour in Europe. They also played on the 16th Wacken Open Air
in 2005, and supported Nevermore
on a European tour later that year.
It was at the end of March 2006 that the band announced that Kral left the band. Mikkel Sandager said in a recent interview that Kral’s departure was due to “being away from his family and...trying to make it with the band for 15 years. I think that he simply got tired of trying and trying."
The band went about writing and recording their fourth full-length as a five-piece, with Mikkel Sandager performing all vocals, and the album’s producer Jacob Hansen handling bass duties. On April 7, 2006 the band finished the recording at Jacob Hansens Studios. Shortly after this, the band managed to snag bassist/vocalist René Pedersen to fill in the void left by Kral.
At the May 19-20th Saegfestival (held in Greding
, Germany
), Mercenary had their first live performance with René. It was at this show that they played Soul Decision, a song from their upcoming fourth album. On August 1, 2006, Mercenary released a compilation of their early demos, titled Retrospective, and on August 22, their new album, The Hours that Remain
, was released.
In September 2006 Mercenary joined numerous other bands such as Evergrey
, Epica
, and Jørn Lande
in the ProgPower USA
festival. It was there that they covered Pantera
's Cowboys from Hell
at the request of the show's promoter.
On October 21, 2007 they announced a follow up album to The Hours that Remain
was being recorded and produced. On December 12, 2007 the band announced on their myspace page that the new album is complete. Eight days later, the band announced the title of the new album to be Architect of Lies
. It was released on March 25, 2008.
November 11, 2009, it was announced that Mikkel, Morten, and Mike had left the band. According to Jakob in a press statement: "we no longer share the same vision and enthusiasm about the direction and the future of the band".
On November 23, 2009, the band announced via Facebook, that a new complete lineup had been established.
On December 23, 2010, the band released a song off of their upcoming album, Metamorphosis.
* Jacob Hansen is not a member of Mercenary, he is the producer for all 5 albums and filled in as bassist for the recording of The Hours that Remain. He provided no vocals for the album.
Their official homepage's media section has the videos available for download http://mercenary.dk/media.php
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
that was formed in 1991. Although they are usually labelled as a melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band, they use aspects of power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
in their music, as well as thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
in their earlier work.
Biography
Mercenary formed in Aalborg, Denmark in 1991 as the brainchild of Henrik "Kral" Andersen. The band name was taken from a lyric in the SlayerSlayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
song, "Ghosts of War
South of Heaven
South of Heaven is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on July 5, 1988, the album was the band's second collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on Slayer's previous album Reign in Blood had helped the band's sound evolve.South of...
". After the release of two demos, Domicile (1993) and Gummizild (1994), they were able to sign with Black Day Records, and released a four-song EP, Supremacy (1996). In 1997, they were signed to the Danish label Serious Entertainment, and in 1998 they released their full-length debut, First Breath
First Breath
First Breath is the first album released by the band Mercenary. With this album, Mercenary showed their death metal roots, along with some thrash metal elements...
.
In 2002, the band decided to expand their sound with the addition of pianist Morten Sandager, who greatly contributed with his keyboard as well as his brother Mikkel, who helped expand their songs with vocals into their songs. This new line-up added new dimensions to their sound, blending more melody into their more aggressive heaviness.
That year, Mercenary played at the ProgPower
ProgPower
ProgPower is the name of four progressive and power metal festivals:*ProgPower Europe , held in the Netherlands since 1999*ProgPower USA, held in the United States since 2001...
music festival in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and released their second album Everblack
Everblack
Everblack is the second album released by the band Mercenary, and the second through Hammerheart Records. This is the first album to include future lead singer Mikkel Sandager and his brother Morten Sandager on keyboards. This is also the only album to feature Signar Petersen on lead guitars and...
. It was after this that the band fired drummer Rasmus Jacobsen, thinking he invested too little time into Mercenary and too much into other projects. During this time, guitarist Signar Petersen also left the band, due to personal reasons. Two old friends of Kral’s (drummer Mike Park Nielson, whom he had met in 1993 at a concert in Copenhagen, and Martin Buus Pedersen, whom Kral knew since he was seventeen years old and working in a music store, when Martin was testing a guitar) would soon fill in the two spots, and with this new lineup, Mercenary were signed to Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
.
In 2004, Mercenary released their third full-length album, 11 Dreams
11 Dreams
-Musicians:*Jakob Mølbjerg – Rhythm guitar*Mikkel Sandager – Clean vocals*Henrik "Kral" Andersen – Death growls, bass*Morten Sandager – Keyboards*Mike Park – Drums*Martin Buus – Lead guitar-Special guest appearances:...
. This proved to be their most commercially successful album, earning much international attention from fans and critics alike. That year, Mercenary toured as a supporting act for Evergrey
Evergrey
Evergrey is a progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was founded in 1995 and released its debut album The Dark Discovery in 1998. Their most recent album Glorious Collision was released in 2011.-Lyrical themes:...
, and then later with Brainstorm
Brainstorm (German band)
Brainstorm is a German power metal band, formed in 1989 by guitarists Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric, and drummer Dieter Bernert, The band features lead singer Andy B. Franck, who is also famous for his other band, Symphorce. They are known to play a somewhat darker style of music than most...
who were on their first headlining tour in Europe. They also played on the 16th Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
in 2005, and supported Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
on a European tour later that year.
It was at the end of March 2006 that the band announced that Kral left the band. Mikkel Sandager said in a recent interview that Kral’s departure was due to “being away from his family and...trying to make it with the band for 15 years. I think that he simply got tired of trying and trying."
The band went about writing and recording their fourth full-length as a five-piece, with Mikkel Sandager performing all vocals, and the album’s producer Jacob Hansen handling bass duties. On April 7, 2006 the band finished the recording at Jacob Hansens Studios. Shortly after this, the band managed to snag bassist/vocalist René Pedersen to fill in the void left by Kral.
At the May 19-20th Saegfestival (held in Greding
Greding
Greding is a town in the district of Roth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 28 km southeast of Roth bei Nürnberg and 32 km north of Ingolstadt.-Geography:Greding is located in the south-eastern corner of Middle Franconia...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Mercenary had their first live performance with René. It was at this show that they played Soul Decision, a song from their upcoming fourth album. On August 1, 2006, Mercenary released a compilation of their early demos, titled Retrospective, and on August 22, their new album, The Hours that Remain
The Hours that Remain
The import version of the CD contains two additional tracks.- Limited Edition :The limited edition of The Hours That Remain includes a DVD. The first song is a video of 11 Dream's Firesoul, songs 2 to 5 are from the live show at Dynamo 2005, and finally, the rest are the official bootleg by the...
, was released.
In September 2006 Mercenary joined numerous other bands such as Evergrey
Evergrey
Evergrey is a progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was founded in 1995 and released its debut album The Dark Discovery in 1998. Their most recent album Glorious Collision was released in 2011.-Lyrical themes:...
, Epica
Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
, and Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer who has sold over 2 million records worldwide. He is probably best known for being the lead singer of the power metal band Masterplan.-Biography:...
in the ProgPower USA
ProgPower USA
ProgPower USA is a progressive and power metal festival held annually in the United States since 2001. Its twelfth edition will be held at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia on September 14 – September 17, 2011, with Sanctuary and Therion as headliners....
festival. It was there that they covered Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
's Cowboys from Hell
Cowboys from Hell (song)
"Cowboys from Hell" is a popular song by heavy metal band Pantera. The song was the band's first single and first appears on the bands 1989 demo album, and later on their major label debut album Cowboys from Hell. The song also appears on the band's compilation album.Pantera used the phrase...
at the request of the show's promoter.
On October 21, 2007 they announced a follow up album to The Hours that Remain
The Hours that Remain
The import version of the CD contains two additional tracks.- Limited Edition :The limited edition of The Hours That Remain includes a DVD. The first song is a video of 11 Dream's Firesoul, songs 2 to 5 are from the live show at Dynamo 2005, and finally, the rest are the official bootleg by the...
was being recorded and produced. On December 12, 2007 the band announced on their myspace page that the new album is complete. Eight days later, the band announced the title of the new album to be Architect of Lies
Architect of Lies
Architect of Lies is the fifth album released by the band Mercenary, but the third through Century Media Records. This is the first album to include René "Renegade" Pedersen on bass and death growls who replaced founding member Henrik "Kral" Andersen who left the band in March 2006...
. It was released on March 25, 2008.
November 11, 2009, it was announced that Mikkel, Morten, and Mike had left the band. According to Jakob in a press statement: "we no longer share the same vision and enthusiasm about the direction and the future of the band".
On November 23, 2009, the band announced via Facebook, that a new complete lineup had been established.
On December 23, 2010, the band released a song off of their upcoming album, Metamorphosis.
Band members
| Role | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Breath | Everblack | 11 Dreams | The Hours That Remain | Architect of Lies | Metamorphosis | |
| Lead Guitar | Nikolaj Brinkman | Signar Petersen | Martin Buus | |||
| Rhythm Guitar | Jakob Mølbjerg | |||||
| Bass and Growls | Henrik "Kral" Andersen | Jacob Hansen* | René Pedersen | |||
| Vocals (Clean/Harsh) | - | Mikkel Sandager | René Pedersen | |||
| Keyboard | - | Morten Sandager | Martin Buus | |||
| Drums | Rasmus Jacobsen | Mike Park Nielsen | Morten Løwe | |||
Current
- Martin Buus
- Lead guitar (since 2002)
- Keyboards (since 2009)
- Backing Vocals (since 2009)
- Jakob Mølbjerg
- Rhythm guitar (since 1995)
- René Pedersen
- Bass guitar (since 2006)
- Growls (since 2006)
- Lead vocals (since 2009)
- Morten Løwe
- Drums (since 2009)
Former
- Nikolaj Brinkman (lead guitar 1993-2000)
- Signar Petersen (lead guitar 2000-2002) (Behind The Curtain, Transparent)
- Hans Jørgen Andersen (rhythm guitar 1991-1993)
- Henrik "Kral" Andersen (bass 1993-2006, also Harsh Vocals 1991-2006, Lead Guitar 1991-1993) (Geronimo)
- Andreas W. Hansen (bass 1991-1993)
- Jakob Johnsen (drums 1991-1993)
- Rasmus Jacobsen (Illnath) (drums 1992-2002)
- Mike Park Nielsen (drums 2002-2009)
- Morten Sandager (keyboard 2002-2009)
- Mikkel Sandager (vocals 2002-2009)
Studio albums
- First BreathFirst BreathFirst Breath is the first album released by the band Mercenary. With this album, Mercenary showed their death metal roots, along with some thrash metal elements...
(1998) - EverblackEverblackEverblack is the second album released by the band Mercenary, and the second through Hammerheart Records. This is the first album to include future lead singer Mikkel Sandager and his brother Morten Sandager on keyboards. This is also the only album to feature Signar Petersen on lead guitars and...
(2002) - 11 Dreams11 Dreams-Musicians:*Jakob Mølbjerg – Rhythm guitar*Mikkel Sandager – Clean vocals*Henrik "Kral" Andersen – Death growls, bass*Morten Sandager – Keyboards*Mike Park – Drums*Martin Buus – Lead guitar-Special guest appearances:...
(2004) - The Hours that RemainThe Hours that RemainThe import version of the CD contains two additional tracks.- Limited Edition :The limited edition of The Hours That Remain includes a DVD. The first song is a video of 11 Dream's Firesoul, songs 2 to 5 are from the live show at Dynamo 2005, and finally, the rest are the official bootleg by the...
(2006) - Architect of LiesArchitect of LiesArchitect of Lies is the fifth album released by the band Mercenary, but the third through Century Media Records. This is the first album to include René "Renegade" Pedersen on bass and death growls who replaced founding member Henrik "Kral" Andersen who left the band in March 2006...
(2008) - MetamorphosisMetamorphosis (Mercenary album)Metamorphosis is the sixth studio album by the Danish melodic death metal band Mercenary. This is the first album, except for their debut, First Breath, not to include the Sandager brothers, Mikkel on clean vocals and Morten on keyboards and Mike Park on drums since 11 Dreams. This is also the...
(2011)
Videography
- Firesoul (from 11 Dreams11 Dreams-Musicians:*Jakob Mølbjerg – Rhythm guitar*Mikkel Sandager – Clean vocals*Henrik "Kral" Andersen – Death growls, bass*Morten Sandager – Keyboards*Mike Park – Drums*Martin Buus – Lead guitar-Special guest appearances:...
) - My World is Ending (from The Hours that RemainThe Hours that RemainThe import version of the CD contains two additional tracks.- Limited Edition :The limited edition of The Hours That Remain includes a DVD. The first song is a video of 11 Dream's Firesoul, songs 2 to 5 are from the live show at Dynamo 2005, and finally, the rest are the official bootleg by the...
) - Isolation (from Architect of LiesArchitect of LiesArchitect of Lies is the fifth album released by the band Mercenary, but the third through Century Media Records. This is the first album to include René "Renegade" Pedersen on bass and death growls who replaced founding member Henrik "Kral" Andersen who left the band in March 2006...
) - The Endless Fall (from Architect of LiesArchitect of LiesArchitect of Lies is the fifth album released by the band Mercenary, but the third through Century Media Records. This is the first album to include René "Renegade" Pedersen on bass and death growls who replaced founding member Henrik "Kral" Andersen who left the band in March 2006...
)
Their official homepage's media section has the videos available for download http://mercenary.dk/media.php