![Review: Memphis May Fire – Challenger [Album]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/1/2/8/3/8/memphis-may-fire-2012.jpg)
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Another record to have recently risen from the er, Rise Records camp and into my hands, is Challenger from Memphis May Fire of Dallas, Texas. It was just over a year ago that this rambunctious metalcore troop released their first LP for the label, The Hollow; their evolving style and presence garnering more attention, alongside Rise’s champs of the moment Of Mice & Men and Miss May I.
Since their formation in 2006, the quintet have played with southern rock and post-hardcore before settling on the aggressive yet melodious force that we hear today. “Challenger is a crystal clear representation of our growth as a band” frontman and vocalist, Matty Mullins confidently stated upon the album’s imminent release. So, with a new album, the band who are completed by lead guitarist Kellen McGregor, drummer Jake Garland, bassist Cory Elder and new rhythm guitarist Anthony Sepe (formely of Decoder), are fighting to be heard. It’s a no-brainer that it’s a tough time for a metalcore band to truly make a mark in today’s world; especially in a scene which has seen more bands sprout from the earth recently than Mother Nature herself would allow. Challenger therefore seems to represent more than just a name in this case.
With producer Cameron Mizell at the helm once again (The Hollow) and a couple of guest vocal slots courtesy of buddies Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens) and Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria), I was more than a little excited to hear just how much the band have in fact “grown”. Well, nothing could be more of a declaration of intent than Challenger’s theatrical opener, ‘Without Walls’. “This is who we are! These are the roads we paved, the strength we found and the mistakes we made along the way” is chanted several times as a piano-led intro looms against bell chimes and a tense march-like beat.
It quickly fires into action; Matty at the front of the pack roaring with such intensity I was blown away. It follows swiftly into ‘Alive in the Lights’; the band’s chugging riffs, progressive rhythms and uncompromising energy triumphantly maintain the album’s intense start.
Underneath the barrage of ferocious and unrelenting metalcore are a few new sounds which act like a cushion for the hefty blows felt at this point. Subtle synth notes and manipulated vocals are a cool contrast and are perfectly paired with big melodies. First single ‘Prove Me Right’ has equal amounts of aggressive power and chirpier sing-a-long moments. The lyrics are focused on the band’s views towards the industry and certain people “sucking the blood out of artists and killing the art” as Matty bluntly puts it. “I’ve seen the greed in their eyes. Well I guess I’m nothing but a dollar sign!” is one particularly venomous line that hits home. Musically it’s nothing that’s not been heard before, but Memphis May Fire’s commitment to the style is so strong that it makes others look lazy. Much like on the ruthless ‘Red in Tooth and Claw’, they shine when it comes to quite literally breaking down walls with their music. A couple of fun yet hugely hostile breakdowns combined with rapid-fire riffery cut like a well-sharpened blade.
Newest single ‘Vices’ follows the same structure in that it pulverises you with stabbing rhythms, discordant chords and crazed untamed vocals in its verses, before quickly settling into a friendlier post-hardcore stance in its choruses. Again, it’s something that a lot of bands do, but the difference is that these guys do it well; the changes are clean and the production is top-notch. They have definitely been more influenced by electronic sounds (as has literally everyone this year).
British bands like Yorkshire’s Bring Me the Horizon and Asking Alexandria have long experimented with sampling and synth, and this five-piece have started using it in small doses (which is just enough for me). Talking of which, Danny Worsnop brings a British grit to his role in ‘Losing Sight’; brutal beatdowns and gruff two-man vocal assaults galore.
There’s an admirable honesty in their more than relevant words; the two firing lines back and forth like pros – “Maybe I’ve gone blind from always being in the spotlight. I always said I’d never waste a single second of this, but sometimes I find myself slipping through the cracks”.
Taking a break from beating the shit out of you, the band take a step back and soften things up with ‘Miles Away’. Kellin Quinn and his tenore leggiero range (or lightweight, ball-grabbingly high tenor to most) move smoothly against the electronic pulses and sampled rhythm. It’s a little schmaltzy; the lyrics especially – “I know they say that no-one is perfect, but I swear she’s perfect for me. And that makes it so much harder to leave” the strawberry-blonde frontman croons in his parts. It does feel a little too much like a token midway ballad on the album rather than a fully-committed track, but it’s a fairly pleasant respite.
As quickly as he’s complimenting the female of the species, he’s laying into a certain lady named here as ‘Jezebel’ – “I can feel her staring at me from across the room. She’s got the worst intentions and she smells like trouble and cheap perfume” the singer spits whilst glitchy samples bubble underneath Jake’s hard-hitting double-kick drum beats and the two axemen’s combined thrashing.
‘Generation: Hate’ is a more focused number with the pace reigned in and more emphasis on the song’s lyrics. Many bands have to deal with the difficulties of the social networking generation, simply because it’s part of being in a band in the public eye. “So full of things to say when you feel safe. Maybe I’ll listen to you whine the day you wanna say it to my face!” is one particularly poignant line which more than voices the opinion of most on the subject. As long as there’s music, there’ll always be those who’ll gladly voice their un-researched opinions on bands they don’t like from “behind that screen”. It sticks to a simple yet catchy melody throughout and brings back those same bell chimes from the album’s intro which is a nice dramatic touch. It overall reminds me more of Craig Owens and his recent supergroup/side-project, D.R.U.G.S in which colossal melodies on top of slick yet aggressive instrumentation were the soup du jour.
Talking of the flair for the dramatic, I really like the instrumental outro, ‘Vessels’. The fitting sounds of torrential rain and muffled shouts echo the sounds of workers at sea, and as it builds with piano, strings and pounding beats it becomes wonderfully cinematic; a mature ending to an album which confirms my feelings of the album as a whole.
Memphis May Fire aren’t an original band with a new sound, but for the ‘field’ they’re in, they’re now at the top of their game. Challenger is a step up from The Hollow and does show a growth in their songwriting ability as well as a new-found confidence in themselves. Aside from the odd repetition and said token ballad, their third full-length cements them as a fully-qualified melodic-metalcore band. They just need to keep up the standard if they’re to stand out against the newbies that are rising thick and fast.
Worth Listening To...
Since their formation in 2006, the quintet have played with southern rock and post-hardcore before settling on the aggressive yet melodious force that we hear today. “Challenger is a crystal clear representation of our growth as a band” frontman and vocalist, Matty Mullins confidently stated upon the album’s imminent release. So, with a new album, the band who are completed by lead guitarist Kellen McGregor, drummer Jake Garland, bassist Cory Elder and new rhythm guitarist Anthony Sepe (formely of Decoder), are fighting to be heard. It’s a no-brainer that it’s a tough time for a metalcore band to truly make a mark in today’s world; especially in a scene which has seen more bands sprout from the earth recently than Mother Nature herself would allow. Challenger therefore seems to represent more than just a name in this case.
With producer Cameron Mizell at the helm once again (The Hollow) and a couple of guest vocal slots courtesy of buddies Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens) and Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria), I was more than a little excited to hear just how much the band have in fact “grown”. Well, nothing could be more of a declaration of intent than Challenger’s theatrical opener, ‘Without Walls’. “This is who we are! These are the roads we paved, the strength we found and the mistakes we made along the way” is chanted several times as a piano-led intro looms against bell chimes and a tense march-like beat.
It quickly fires into action; Matty at the front of the pack roaring with such intensity I was blown away. It follows swiftly into ‘Alive in the Lights’; the band’s chugging riffs, progressive rhythms and uncompromising energy triumphantly maintain the album’s intense start.
LISTEN // ‘Alive in the Lights’
Underneath the barrage of ferocious and unrelenting metalcore are a few new sounds which act like a cushion for the hefty blows felt at this point. Subtle synth notes and manipulated vocals are a cool contrast and are perfectly paired with big melodies. First single ‘Prove Me Right’ has equal amounts of aggressive power and chirpier sing-a-long moments. The lyrics are focused on the band’s views towards the industry and certain people “sucking the blood out of artists and killing the art” as Matty bluntly puts it. “I’ve seen the greed in their eyes. Well I guess I’m nothing but a dollar sign!” is one particularly venomous line that hits home. Musically it’s nothing that’s not been heard before, but Memphis May Fire’s commitment to the style is so strong that it makes others look lazy. Much like on the ruthless ‘Red in Tooth and Claw’, they shine when it comes to quite literally breaking down walls with their music. A couple of fun yet hugely hostile breakdowns combined with rapid-fire riffery cut like a well-sharpened blade.
WATCH // 'Prove Me Right' Official Lyric Video
Newest single ‘Vices’ follows the same structure in that it pulverises you with stabbing rhythms, discordant chords and crazed untamed vocals in its verses, before quickly settling into a friendlier post-hardcore stance in its choruses. Again, it’s something that a lot of bands do, but the difference is that these guys do it well; the changes are clean and the production is top-notch. They have definitely been more influenced by electronic sounds (as has literally everyone this year).
British bands like Yorkshire’s Bring Me the Horizon and Asking Alexandria have long experimented with sampling and synth, and this five-piece have started using it in small doses (which is just enough for me). Talking of which, Danny Worsnop brings a British grit to his role in ‘Losing Sight’; brutal beatdowns and gruff two-man vocal assaults galore.
There’s an admirable honesty in their more than relevant words; the two firing lines back and forth like pros – “Maybe I’ve gone blind from always being in the spotlight. I always said I’d never waste a single second of this, but sometimes I find myself slipping through the cracks”.
LISTEN // ‘Losing Sight’
Taking a break from beating the shit out of you, the band take a step back and soften things up with ‘Miles Away’. Kellin Quinn and his tenore leggiero range (or lightweight, ball-grabbingly high tenor to most) move smoothly against the electronic pulses and sampled rhythm. It’s a little schmaltzy; the lyrics especially – “I know they say that no-one is perfect, but I swear she’s perfect for me. And that makes it so much harder to leave” the strawberry-blonde frontman croons in his parts. It does feel a little too much like a token midway ballad on the album rather than a fully-committed track, but it’s a fairly pleasant respite.
As quickly as he’s complimenting the female of the species, he’s laying into a certain lady named here as ‘Jezebel’ – “I can feel her staring at me from across the room. She’s got the worst intentions and she smells like trouble and cheap perfume” the singer spits whilst glitchy samples bubble underneath Jake’s hard-hitting double-kick drum beats and the two axemen’s combined thrashing.
‘Generation: Hate’ is a more focused number with the pace reigned in and more emphasis on the song’s lyrics. Many bands have to deal with the difficulties of the social networking generation, simply because it’s part of being in a band in the public eye. “So full of things to say when you feel safe. Maybe I’ll listen to you whine the day you wanna say it to my face!” is one particularly poignant line which more than voices the opinion of most on the subject. As long as there’s music, there’ll always be those who’ll gladly voice their un-researched opinions on bands they don’t like from “behind that screen”. It sticks to a simple yet catchy melody throughout and brings back those same bell chimes from the album’s intro which is a nice dramatic touch. It overall reminds me more of Craig Owens and his recent supergroup/side-project, D.R.U.G.S in which colossal melodies on top of slick yet aggressive instrumentation were the soup du jour.
LISTEN // 'Generation: Hate'
Talking of the flair for the dramatic, I really like the instrumental outro, ‘Vessels’. The fitting sounds of torrential rain and muffled shouts echo the sounds of workers at sea, and as it builds with piano, strings and pounding beats it becomes wonderfully cinematic; a mature ending to an album which confirms my feelings of the album as a whole.
Memphis May Fire aren’t an original band with a new sound, but for the ‘field’ they’re in, they’re now at the top of their game. Challenger is a step up from The Hollow and does show a growth in their songwriting ability as well as a new-found confidence in themselves. Aside from the odd repetition and said token ballad, their third full-length cements them as a fully-qualified melodic-metalcore band. They just need to keep up the standard if they’re to stand out against the newbies that are rising thick and fast.
Challenger is out now
Worth Listening To...
- Alive In The Lights
- Vices
- Jezebel
- Losing Sight (feat. Danny Worsnop)
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