By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Album Type: Full Length
“Rise to Power” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Never Forget, Never Again (6 Million Dead)
2. Total War
3. I Am the Enemy
4. The Conflict is Within
5. Annihilation’s Dawn
6. All is Lost
7. Rise to Power
8. This Pain
The Review:
Memoriam return to further cement their status as a British death metal institution. The band’s work rate is very impressive. “For The Fallen” still seems like a recent album for me, but it is now several releases ago- and dropped in 2017!
So, eight tracks all around the five minute or so mark. This is heavy, slow in places, no blasts, plenty of grooves…. Well, you know what to expect really- it’s not Bolt Thrower but it is of the same bloodline. That’s probably the best way I can explain this. What I can say is that it is slower and more melancholy than the first three albums.
There is an almost gothic sensibility to some of the sounds here- “I am The Enemy” being a fine case in point. In fact, I might even go as far as to say that a lot here is perhaps even death doom! A long forgotten genre, hardly mentioned anymore; but loved by many of a certain age. Check out “The Conflict Is Within” for some deathly and doomy splendour.
When the band put the kick pedals to the metal, as they do on “Annihilations Dawn”, it has a great effect. It’s neck snapping stuff, in the vein of, well, you know who. “All Is Lost” is slower but equally heavy with some nice syncopated ride work to complement the off kilter riffing. As the album progresses through the title track, it settles into a pattern- fairly maudlin riffs and leads, melancholy and doomy vibes, combined with the bursts of bullish firepower.
The album delivers one epic in This Pain and it features some acoustic work to start and then kicks off. While this is slower and more doomy than the previous albums, this is still recognisably Memoriam and recognisably of the members’ alma maters. Overall, it’s another solid and battle-hardened record and another credible entry into the band’s canon (cannon?!). Cool artwork, too. If you wanted to check the band out, start here. If you are a long-time follower, you won’t be disappointed. Business as usual, then!
“Rise To Power” is available HERE
