Would you like to know what’s one of my favorite aspects of metal? It’s that it’s too goddam stubborn to ever go away. As long as there is breath in a metalhead’s lungs they’re going to find ways to tune lower or crank in even more blast beats into a song. As To The End (Reaper Entertainment) roared from my car’s stereo is when I realized that Memoriam is Karl Willets’ latest musical endeavor despite already having a hall of fame run with Bolt Thrower. Bless that man.
Memoriam Requiem for Mankind (Nuclear Blast) is Memoriam’s third album in as many years. The first album For the Fallen was great if a bit slow, punchy drums, thick guitar tones wrapped up with some nice production. The follow-up to The Silent Vigil was personally somewhat disappointing, a lot faster and more aggressive songwriting, which is always welcome, but it failed to capitalise on the excellent ideas with a quite thin production. Continue reading
Fresh off of their appearance at Bloodstock Open Air 2018, Bloodbath has announced the release of a new album, their fifth overall, coming this fall via Peaceville Records. The delightfully evil sounding The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn will release on October 26th. The kvlt supergroup is comprised of members of Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Opeth and Craft. The album also features guest vocals from Carcass’ Jeff Walker, Bolt Thrower/Memoriam singer Karl Willetts and Cancer’s John Walker.Continue reading
I think it’s fair to say that no-one expected Karl Willetts to journey too far outside his musical safe zone. That Memoriam bear more than a passing similarity to Bolt Thrower is so obvious that pointing it out feels like bad journalism, but it’s worth noting because the very factor that makes The Silent Vigil (Nuclear Blast) so worthwhile is how masterfully it captures its chosen style. Continue reading
Following hot on the heels of their second EP, The Hellfire Demos II (Nuclear Blast) released just a few short weeks ago, Midlands based Memoriam now drop their highly anticipated, and appropriately titled, début album For The Fallen (Nuclear Blast) on us like a Death Metal atom bomb.Continue reading
With Birmingham-based Death Metal act Benediction on a seemingly indefinite hiatus, and fellow Midlanders Bolt Thrower having officially called it a day, it doesn’t come as any great surprise to find the two regional bands putting their creative heads together to produce some good old fashioned, balls out Death Metal. Combining the sound of both bands and adding the cantankerous thrash of criminally overlooked Brummies Sacrilege into the mix, Memoriam have arrived to make your neck wish it had never been born.Continue reading
