| Mental Cruelty | |
| Origin: | Karlsruhe, Germany |
| Years Active: | 2015–present |
Mental Cruelty is a German deathcore band formed in 2015.
The band released their debut demo Sickening World in 2015. This was followed by the release of their EP Pereat Mundus one year later. After signing with Rising Nemesis Records, their debut album Purgatorium was released in 2018. In 2019, Mental Cruelty signed a record deal with the US metal label Unique Leader Records and released their second album, Inferis. This album was produced by Sky van Hoff.[1] On May 28, 2021, the group's third full-length album, A Hill to Die Upon, was released.[2]
On March 2, 2022, it was announced that Mental Cruelty had signed with Century Media Records.[3] At the end of the month, theyannounced that they had parted ways with singer Lucca Schmerler after several anonymous allegations of sexual abuse against him were published on Instagram. Schmerler denied the allegations and stated that he, his friends and family had been threatened since the anonymous allegations.[4]
A new singer, Lukas Nicolai, joined the group in early 2023. In June, they released their fourth album Zwielicht.[5] In October 2024, they released an orchestral version of the track "Mortal Shells" from the album, annoucning a deluxe version of the album would be released in December.[6]