Hardcore has certainly evolved in recent years. While the contingent of bald blokes in camo shorts is certainly still present, movements such as ‘The Wave’ (for the uninitiated: think La Dispute, Touche Amore and Kerouac) have brought a newly musical lease of life to the genre. Australia’s De Memoria are the latest addition to this new school of heavy, but perhaps the first indication of its impending stagnation.
Sitting neatly between Defeater and Misery Signals on the scale of angsty angry blokes with guitars, De Memoria are wholly inoffensive. Under most other circumstances, that would be a compliment. However – sidestepping lengthy, boring debate on what is or isn’t ‘true hardcore’ – the genre De Memoria inhabit is at least supposed to show some bite. An inability to provoke any real reaction is a sure-fire way to get lost in the deluge of identikit modern metalcore bands, which is sadly where De Memoria reside. On the evidence of debut full-length ‘Tales’, they are seemingly unable to showcase any passion without resorting to the kind of one-dimensional screaming that is two-a-penny in the hairspray metalcore scene, and with that the album swiftly fades to background noise.
That’s not to say ‘Tales’ is completely without merit. Second track ‘Harmonies’ thunders out of the gates following a slightly comatose opener, and this pace is maintained throughout the track’s four minute duration. Disappointingly, the majority of the album’s ten remaining tracks end up a wall of similar-tempo, high-gain noise. Their occasional attempts at dynamic variation are appreciated, but on this evidence De Memoria seem to be clinging desperately onto a single song structure, scared to dip their toes into anything truly experimental or innovative.
‘The Lion’s Paw’ and title track ‘Tales’ – both of which clock in at under a minute and a half – competently showcase the raucous and reserved sides of the band’s sound respectively. However, their shorter duration ultimately serves only to make the rest of the album drag even more, and highlight just how thinly the musicianship is spread.
The production is crisp, the lyrics are suitably poetic and the gain on their amps is set to ‘very high’. All the elements are in place, but unfortunately that’s all there is. De Memoria need to find an individual spark if they want to stand out in a hardcore scene that’s currently packed to the rafters.
TOM CONNICK