“Anesthetic” by Steven Mercyhill, a Visual and Aural Masterpiece

DAMN that’s GOOD!!! And, that’s all I’ve been able to say about “Anesthetic” by Steven Mercyhill. Seriously, this second offering from the upcoming “Nonfiction” album has blown me away. I’m speechless. It’s a bundle of exquisite sensations that you need to experience yourself to know where I’m coming from.

First, a little backstory:

“Anesthetic” by Steven Mercyhill was recorded in pieces and parts in four different studios over several months. In fact, the first line was sung in one studio without any other vocals being recorded until six months later.

The musicians for this track:

• Michael Seifert, multi-platinum award winning composer, producer and audio engineer played bass and did the sound engineering with Jim Stewart
• Ron Musarra, the very first drummer for Nine Inch Nails, played drums
• Steven Mercyhill wrote, sang, played all guitars and produced

Sean Beavan (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Pucifer) mixed this track into the festival of aural delights you are in store for. And for the visuals, Steven Mercyhill wrote and directed the video, edited it, and did all the special effects, which are outstanding! Robert Banks was Director of Photography and generously provided a few scenes from his films “Outlet” and “Reduxx” that you can see a little further into the video in the background.

So, are you ready?

Feast your eyes and ears on the video. Then, keep scrolling for the press release and to find out who created the mask!

…. Right? One of the best new releases of the year for sure!

And, as promised, the mask was created by Cleveland sculptor, Damian Vendetti. It was inspired by the robot in Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” for one, very brief scene, in the end sequence.

Oh yes, and kudos to Diane Ziska, the lead actress. She was mesmerizing!

On to the Press Release:

On December 11th, 2020, Alternative Rock, recording artist, Steven Mercyhill is releasing the second song and music video from his upcoming album, Nonfiction.

The song and music video for “Anesthetic” has been described as “ … beginning shoegaze-like before plunging into a nightmarish sonic swirl of menacing hooks with a mesmerizingly ominous bassline and elegantly atmospheric goth textures. The song’s accompanying video is a darkly seductive film short with a stunning, physical genius of a female lead, and intriguing imagery. “ 

— Lorne Behrman (Music journalist Lorne Behrman has written for The Village Voice, Spin, The Alternative Press, and CMJ among many others).

Award-winning experimental filmmaker, Robert Banks, was Director of Photography for the video.

Steven furthers the Cleveland and Northeast Ohio area’s rich lineage of pioneering industrial-spirited artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Prick, and Filter, yet adds his own signature to this tradition, incorporating impressionistic melodic motifs, surreal dreamscapes, a Bowie-esque sense of drama and elegance, and impactfully hooky songcraft.

For the full, 8-song LP, Nonfiction, Steven has enlisted the talents of many respected music vets. His album boasts contributions from such notable producers and engineers as Sean Beavan (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Pucifer), Michael Seifert (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Tori Amos, Fountains of Wayne), Jim Stewart (Welshly Arms, Eddie Levert), Mastering Engineers Tom Baker (David Bowie, Ministry, My Chemical Romance), and Abbey Road’s Miles Showell (The Beatles vinyl remaster, Portishead, The Church).

“Anesthetic” can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TIDAL, and all major streaming services. The video can be seen on Youtube and on the Steven Mercyhill website. For more information, go to www.stevenmercyhill.com.