Memphis May Fire

Memphis May Fire

Sleepwalking

[3.5/5]


This Texas band have one self-titled EP to their name already, but the majority of the hardcore-speaking world will be encountering them for the first time with this disc. It’s a strong first impression. Sure, they grip tightly to genre parameters (clean vocals, shouty parts, breakdowns aplenty), but they’ve got a rock ’n’ roll swagger, a skilled drummer in Jeremy Grisham and a load of attitude–enough to compete with slightly older peers like Every Time I Die and Underoath. They’re not quite as backwoods as Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster, but there’s definitely some cowboy in their sound (and not the “on a steel horse I ride” kind). The title track and “You’re Lucky It’s Not 1692” offer surprisingly bluesy guitar riffs and punky aggression alongside the usual screamo/hardcore noise. The delicate guitar interplay that opens the album’s final track, “Speak Now I’m Listening,” brings it damn close to being their genre’s equivalent of a power ballad–before the stomping groove kicks in one more time. Memphis May Fire are an impressive young band. (TRUSTKILL) Phil Freeman



GO DOWNLOAD: “You’re Lucky It’s Not 1692”

Categories: