Song: Mercury

"Bound to the infinity"

Executive summary: totally fucking bonkers composed masterpiece
Arrangement: electric
Lead vocal: Chris
Wild card: grindcore repeating section near the end
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Mercury is a slippery, shifting maze of complex composition and raging rock shred. I think it's their best "progressive" style song, given the amazingly natural way all the constant change fits into a seamless whole. In fact, that idea of change seems lie at the heart of the concept behind the song: the music is always shifting, scattering, and flowing back together, like the element. The structure of the music itself is expressive and part of the meaning of the song. Imagine juggling liquid mercury, slowing and accelerating, twisting and turning as the element flows chaotically through your hands, droplets scattering from your fingertips...also, frequent exposure to Mercury can make you crazy, so the metaphor works on a couple levels. Which is always nice.

The lyrical section in the middle is played at a slower tempo with a slide lead that strongly contrasts with the frenetic nature of the rest of the song. The brief lyrics themselves seem to be a love story told in alchemical allegory.

Since it's so heavily composed, every version I've heard of Mercury sticks fairly close to the same template; but as with a lot of intricate Jambay songs, the improvisation is in the details of the interplay and runs much deeper than might be immediately obvious. Different versions vary in terms of tightness of execution, tempo ("fast" to "blazing") and the details of the various shreddy solos and duets scattered through the labyrinth of progressions. The edgy, dissonant repeating section near the end varies in length to a moderate degree. That part drives some people nuts, but I frakkin' love it.

If you listen to this badass motherfucker loud in the right mood and setting it might just fry your brain in the nicest possible way.