The English Tolkien devotees ORCRYPT are around for quite a while now. Yet their only release up to now was a demo called “The Mirkwood Massacre” in 2010. Five years on, they unleashed their first album “Mercenaries Of Mordor”. And after listening to it, I can’t imagine that someone really waited for this. Medium paced Black Metal riffs with drums that sound like a cardbox isn’t exactly brilliant. And with a powerless production and a half-baked mix, the joy of listening is close to zero. Any good approach is lost in that chaos that I will only call a “sound” for lack of better words. Even the only faster song ‘Pure Goblin Black Metal’ (also somehow the band’s definition of their style) is far from being a highlight on "Mercenaries Of Mordor", even though the chaos production fits this song a little better than the rest. And the closing bonus track ‘Skulls’ tips the album definitely over the edge. To put it short: this album is a waste of raw materials! If you’re still interested: www.facebook.com/orcrypt, www.iron-pegasus.com