What’s the meaning behind a band name? What’s the meaning behind an album title? Sometimes it is just because the name sounded cool, or something that was thought of quickly and then stuck, but that is not the case behind the new British act. When Bolt Thrower drummer Martin "Kiddie" Kearns passed in his sleep on September 14th, 2015, the members of Britain's longest standing death metal band were bereft. Three weeks later, bassist Frank Healy, of UK death metal legends Benediction, lost his father. All that sorrow left a massive hole in the hearts and minds of the Midlanders. The untimely demise of Kearns forced Bolt Thrower to go on an indefinite hiatus, while Healy was seven years removed from Benediction's last full-length, ‘Killing Music’. Key members of both bands needed an out: a way to cope with the emotional hardship. So, vocalist Karl Willetts and Healy teamed up with ex-Bolt Thrower drummer Andy Whale and riff-master Scott Fairfax to form Memoriam. Originally the guys just wanted to play as a covers band and work through what they were dealing with, but Scott changed all that by asking if they could work on some riffs he had. With three members of the band from old-school death metal, and the guitarist a more recent addition to the scene, they have worked as a unit to create something quite special.
Recorded in just two weeks, this is an incredibly heavy album, as one would expect from those involved, but what id surprise me somewhat is the pace at which it has been played. This is death metal, but not as frantic and frenetic as is often the case, and the lyrics can be easily understood and listened to, which is certainly not always the case. There is a great deal of emotion and passion in this album, but it isn’t overpowering, more that it gives the music an edge and depth. It certainly doesn’t sound as if Andy had to be coaxed out of retirement, as he provides the strong backdrop for everyone else to pit themselves against, always playing with real force but also understanding the need for light and shade.
The band have achieved quite a lot in a short period of time. In just over a year since they announced their creation they have played numerous festivals, written and recorded two 7" singles, a flexi disc [for Decibel Magazine] and an album, so it will be interesting to see what they do in the next year. Anyone who enjoys Death Metal, Bolt Thrower or Benediction, will find this an incredibly powerful album.
