The Mezmerist is one of the most mysterious US metal releases of all time. Nobody even knows who The Mezmerist is, and to even find an original LP was a chore because the band held on to a lot of the pressing. Originally there was only 500 copies made back in 1985, today those copies have gone for extremely high prices on eBay.
With this re-issue, scheduled for September 3rd via Shadow Kingdom Records, this is basically the first time anyone who knew about this lost gem made contact with the band. The label got lucky finding the mastermind behind the group, Thomas Mezmercardo. Since contacting him, they ended up taking an additional five years to put this release out properly and with all of the parties and work involved. Speaking of all parties involved, one of the most interesting things about this release is that Bill Ward of Black Sabbath did in fact play drums on this release. He played on the first four tracks on the first EP.
The circumstances surrounding the events back then are somewhat of a mystery, even to this day. Thomas sits down and tells the story of how all of this came together on the DVD portion of the release. This is not just any old over-hyped cult release. This is the definition of the perfect lost gem in '80s heavy metal history. It’s too hard to exactly pinpoint what this sounds like, but if you have to label it, call it psychedelic heavy metal. Close to Led Zeppelin, Cirith Ungol and Mercyful Fate, the release is a double EP - released as a full-length album.
1st EP circa 1983
'The Forsaken'
'Dead Ones Cry No More'
'Arabian Nights'
'Victim Of Environmental Change'
2nd EP circa 1985
'Kingdom Of The Dead'
'No Family, No Friends'
'The Jam Song'
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