_The Merciless_ is the first release of the recently formed Tyrant Syndicate label -- created by none other than Darkthrone, and distributed through Peaceville. While Aura Noir may be a reasonably obvious choice for the label, _The Merciless_ achieves much of what it sets out to as far as giving listeners a first impression of what the label is probably going to be about stylistically. Unfortunately, I find the music lacks the ferocity required to carry its occasionally inspired riffing and drumming to a higher level, and ultimately its ability to succeed is considerably limited. Given the record's brevity, I'd say selecting the four best tracks out of the eight on the disc and making a fifteen minute EP instead would probably have been a better option. This is a decent effort, but not the crushing return I had hoped for from Aura Noir.