I had no idea what to think as I started listening to The Memorials Self Titled album, but I believe I have come to a conclusion now. The whole album never really has a focus on any one of the members or instruments, it is very evenly dispersed as far as when and what instruments are played or heard. The near legendary drummer Thomas Pridgen, and in talking about him, there is no way to describe how spectacular he is at drumming, goes from standard beats to complex fills and uses them continually throughout the song without losing time, and is mind-blowing. Pridgen with Viveca Hawkins, whose voice is unique but feels familiar and likeable without having to try and convince yourself; and Nick Brewer, whose guitar is placed well in every song, no matter how simple or complex the part, the sound fits like it should have always been there. They have done an excellent job in making such a unique sound in so little time. There is also a good blend of metal influenced breakdowns and classic rock solos, as well as multitudes of other elements throughout the songs and album.
Throughout the album there is high energy background music, whether it be yelling or complex guitar riffs. Even though it sounds good for the most part, during some of the songs, you can easily get lost because of the sheer amount of noise that is going on at any one part. The synthesized keyboard in the background of “Day Dreamer” gives the song a strong feeling of day dreaming because the noise itself is something you want to focus on but blends so well with the song, leaving you in a state of absent-mindedness if you try to follow it too long.
“GTFOMF” (Get the f*** out my face), starts off hard but as it goes into the verse, it turns more into flowing rhythmic and calm vocals, and continues to build as it gets closer to the chorus before the tempo slams back to the hard styled intro music with driving lyrics and the finale to the chorus is “Get the f*** out my face!” The bridge is one that you would expect out of a rock ballad but then moves into a phenomenal build from the drums and back into the chorus and into a solo that is in the same style sound as the bridge.
There is something for everybody on this album, between the Hard-Rock/Thrash sounds to the Pop/Rock melodies, you will find it and instantly love it.
Track Listing:
1. We Go To War
2. Natural Disaster
3. Day Dreamer
4. Westcoast
5. Give Me The Stuff
6. Enough
7. GTFOMF
8. Real
9. Lets Party
10. Dream
11. Why Me?
12. Born to Shine
13. I Remember You
