THE VERY END's sophomore release, Mercy & Misery, is where melody, groove and aggression meet. 

The quintet from Germany is placed in the melodic death metal genre, but groove rock and elements of thrash/speed metal are thrown in for good measure. 

On Mercy & Misery, the Germans play metal of all shades. It's more complete and well-rounded compared with their debut, which was good in its own right. 

It was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, which explains it's rich and modern sound. The cover artwork was created by vocalist Björn Goosses' for his graphic design company, Killustrations. Goosses achieved minor success in NIGHT IN GALES. 

As far as instrumental intros go, "Memonto" is a great lead off piece. It immediately leads into "Ball and Chain," which is a fast-paced rocker with a huge groove-rock riff and Goosses' harsh-yet-melodic barking. Gothenburg-tinged "Rat Nation," the catchy "Dead is the New Alive" and the sludge/groove-fest of "Letters to the Living" let the band play with melody and harmony. There's loads of variation and tempo changes within the 13 tracks. Their rendition of LED ZEPPELIN's "Immigrant Song" is not bad, it's a lot heavier for sure, and Goosses' voice sounds pretty good on it.

There's a lot to like about THE VERY END's Mercy & Misery: Melodic guitar leads, tight riffs, strong drumming, variation in song structures, good harmonies, memorable choruses and Goosses' harsh vocals keeps things moving along nicely.