Album brings vein-jolting music

Nuclear Blast death metal band Memoriam was founded in 2016 by former Bolt Thrower singer Karl Willets and Benediction bassist Frank Healy. Together the band has released three albums with To the End as album number four. Memoriam has done a great job with this album, showcasing Willets’s powerful vocals while he sings, the guitar playing from Scott Fairfax and Healy shakes the atmosphere with hard-hitting notes, and the drum playing from Spike T. Smith causes havoc with fast-paced drum beats. To the End is a great piece of death metal, and fans will not be disappointed.

“This War is Won” is a classic, dynamic song with an amazing vocal performance by Willets. His vocal range stays on one pitch, and the sound of his voice is impressive with how he talks out the lyrics with his authoritative voice. In some ways, how Willets talks out the words gives the audience a perspective of the seriousness of this track. “This War is Won” is one of the tracks that give an insight into what Willets is capable of while singing.

Erratic “Failure to Comply” is a righteous piece with insane drum playing by Smith. In death metal, the drums play an important part, and this tune has a heavy dose of the death metal element with Smith’s drum playing matching the style fans want to hear. The enjoyable part of this tune is hearing how fast Smith can play on a high-speed musical structure. Hearing Smith smack the cymbals and drum heads adds more wildness and it sounds like Smith is showing off his mastery by creating heart-pounding beats. “Failure to Comply” expresses how powerful Smith is while playing on the drums.

Gloomy “Each Step (One Closer to the Gave)” showcases Fairfax’s talent as a guitarist. At the beginning of the song, strong guitar riffs welcome listeners to Memoriam’s dark world. What is noticeably enjoyable is how Fairfax can create high-strung emotions within his playing because each guitar note provides a feeling of doom lingering in the air. Fairfax has done a wonderful job with creating sharp guitar noise in “Each Step (One Closer to the Gave).”

“Mass Psychosis” is a maddening track that shakes the souls of those who are listening due to Healy’s bass guitar playing. Throughout the entire composition, fast-paced bass guitar riffs shake the background with great authority, and the vibrations from the notes can cause people’s veins to shake while they listen to the music. Healy does a fine job contributing to the craziness of “Mass Psychosis” with his solid bass guitar playing.

The closing song, “As My Heart Grows Cold,” gives listeners an idea of who Memoriam is as a band and what they stand for through their music. Fairfax stuns people in this tune with blazing notes, which bleed death metal alongside Healy’s shredding bass guitar notes that can be felt through the speakers. Smith’s drum playing is firm with ear-piercing drum beats, and Willets’s vocals keep this tune together with his dominant voice. “As My Heart Grows Cold” delivers impactful vocals and instrumentation that present how much the band has grown through their music.

To The End is a great album that proves how Memoriam does have their feet on the gas pedal while performing death metal music.