And here we have the first independently released EP by death metal band Memorium hailing from the metal hotbed of Canada. Will this upstart death metal band rival the extremity and proficiency of their powerhouse Canadian peers and take a standing next to the international monoliths of the scene? In all honestly, the answer is no.
After an inane waste of time intro, Memorium gets straight down to business and launches into the fairly impressive “Triumph of the Origin” which features some great riffs blending the tension of more melodic death metal with the all out aggression the majority of you have come to love over the years. “Total Abrupt” features some chunky groove ala Aborted mixed with some more standard melody and aggressive riffing but really lacks the memorability needed to make it a good song. What I would personally love to see from this band is for them to stay away from the Slipknot influences and abandon the drab style delved into on “The Nameless City” along with the hardcore edge of the Hatebreed tinged “Bornrest.” Granted these are just stylistic differences I hold with the band but I’m particularly fed up with bands playing these styles unless they’re actually going to add something meaningful to the genre instead of playing a half rate copy of a style they don’t fully grasp.
The most impressive aspect of this album is the production despite the expense budget for the gloss of a big studio. The sound is incredibly warm and full with all instruments cutting across with a clear, distinctive sound. This and the musicianship are both pretty professionally done when you get right down to it.
The music isn’t particularly bad per se, but nothing was particularly gripping or interesting after “Triump of the Origin” with the rest of the material failing to really sink its teeth into me in any meaningful way. Too much of the material on Triumph of the Origin sounds like filler done by bands you’ve already heard. If all the material was up to par with the versatility of “Triumph of the Origin” on this EP there’s a very promising future for this band all things considering. Albeit with a bit more experience under their belts and a more focused approach, I'll be expecting a hell of a more promising result.