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A Mercenary’s Fate is the second album from the reformed Siren (and fourth overall), the heavy/power metal band from Florida. They’ve more fully embraced a Euro sound on A Mercenary’s Fate, led by vocalist Doug Lee whose gravelly sneer reminds me of Andy Deris quite a bit. When they are combined with the hooky, melodic songwriting the album is strewn with, I think of Helloween (Deris-era), Gamma Ray, Edguy and that crowd. Whether it’s the huge hook of the chorus on "Soul Breaker" or the sci-fi weirdness of "Slaughterbots", I find myself tapping my foot and singing along. Some of the songs are on the generic side, but they remain energetic and Lee leans into his vocals with the kind of gusto that won’t be ignored. The guitar work is once again quite good though not as flashy as it was on the last album, 2020’s Back from the Dead, and I hope they amp that up on the next one. If you have any affinity at all for crunchy, melodic Euro-styled metal with an ear for accessibility like early ‘80s Judas Priest or current bands like Sin Starlett, A Mercenary’s Fate is an album to delve into.