The main riff on The Bottom Line took a couple of rewrites before it sat right. Once it did, Risk It! had the first song written for Mercy For None, and everything else followed at its own pace over the next five years.
The Dresden four-piece dropped The Bottom Line as the album’s first single a few weeks back.
Mercy For None now arrives in full on July 3 via WAR Records, the LA label run by Andrew Kline of Strife and Berthold City. Nick Jett of Terror produced. René Natzel, known from True Blue and World Collapse, came in for drums and stayed hooked on the sessions from day one. Ten tracks that sit in the NYHC tradition Risk It! have worn openly since 2009, pushed into the harder, blockier weight of Bitter End and No Warning.
The record was pieced together across five years, held up by pandemic delays and jam sessions that lost focus more than once. Vocalist Gregor called the recording energy something between band camp and a long argument about song structure, with real laughter in between. Guest vocals surface across the record, including Till Justus Borner of Slow Burn and Gary Gunwald of Naysayer.
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Guitarist Thomas Riechert took the album apart one song at a time.
7.20
“Basically the intro for ‘Shock / Denial’. For your streaming convenience, we made it a separate track. Ha.”
Shock / Denial
“The opening track sets the tone for Mercy For None. We’re taking no prisoners here and taking you on a ride. The world is a mess, but you can decide your own path.”
Numbskull
“Straight-up, heavily NYHC-influenced song. Yeah, you probably figured that out already on your own if you listened to the first single off Mercy For None. Check out Slow Burn.”
Phantom City
“The lyrics are basically the godfather of the cover artwork. Fun fact: the main idea for this track came up during an extended soundcheck. Duh!”
Against The Odds
“This has actually been a part of our live set for quite a while as ‘proof of progress’. I don’t know how we made it happen, but we managed to get the singer of Serpent Of Shiva on this one for a guest spot.”
The Bottom Line
“The first track written for the album. I think the main riff was reworked once or twice before I was finally satisfied, and the ending turned out amazing. That build-up!”
Demons Cease
“One of my favs!”
Upper Hand
“When I listen to ‘Upper Hand’, the first thing that comes to mind is Hardcore. It always comes in circles, and when I think about everyone and everything involved in this track, then this is what Hardcore is all about.”
Exit Strategy
“This song originally appeared on a compilation in a different version that was thrown together pretty last minute. We thought this one was too good for Nothingtown, so we brought it back in an updated version.”
D.C.T.F.
“I think it’s the most progressive song on the record. We wanted to close the record hard, so this one’s for the pit.”
Mercy For None is out July 3 on WAR Records. Preorders are live now.
