Mental Cruelty

Photo: MC blasphemous Official / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

CountryGermany
Formed2014
StatusActive
GenreBlackened deathcore
LabelCentury Media Records, Unique Leader Records

Mental Cruelty are the German deathcore band from Karlsruhe who have grown from brutal, breakdown-heavy beginnings into a dark, symphonic blend of deathcore and black metal. Formed in 2014, they have released four studio albums, most recently Zwielicht in 2023.

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Mental Cruelty formed in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2014. Guitarist Marvin Kessler is the one founding member still in the band, and singer Lucca Schmerler fronted the group for its first eight years.

The debut Purgatorium came out in January 2018, followed by Inferis in May 2019 on Unique Leader Records. Both were fast, brutal deathcore records that quickly built the band a following in the European underground. A Hill to Die Upon (May 2021) was a turning point: symphonic arrangements and black metal atmosphere moved to the front, and the band’s sound became far more epic.

Schmerler left in 2022, and Lukas Nicolai, formerly of Sun Eater, took over the vocals in 2023. His first album with the band, Zwielicht (June 2023), was also their first on Century Media Records and pushed the blackened, orchestral side even further. A deluxe edition followed in late 2024, and a new album, Echoes of a Forlorn Land, has been announced for 23 October 2026.

Current line-up: Lukas Nicolai (vocals), Marvin Kessler (guitar), Nahuel Lozano (guitar), Viktor Dick (bass), Jonathan Koltun (drums).