Memoriam

THE SILENT VIGIL

NUCLEAR BLAST UK DEATH METAL DIEHARDS LAUNCH A SECOND CAMPAIGN A simple, monstrous pleasure in a scene that often tries too hard to be clever, Memoriam’s first album struck an immediate chord with both those mourning the demise of Bolt Thrower (vocalist Karl Willetts and drummer Andy Whale’s alma mater) and those bored with the shiny conformity of much modern extreme metal. Second time round, the production here is even more dry-as-a-bone, which means that while the likes of Soulless Parasite and

From The Flames are undeniably heavy and infused with the early spirit of grind, there is little atmosphere or grandeur to counteract the grit. That stripped-down approach still yields otherworldly magic, though. Those churning, circular riffs imbue brutal epics like Bleed The Same and No Known Grave with an oddly hypnotic quality, like some brand new, punk-asfuck form of psychedelideath. Clever old bastards.

FOR FANS OF: BOLT THROWER, TAU CROSS, OBITUARY

DOM LAWSON