With nu-metal making somewhat of a resurgence lately, it’s been compelling seeing heavy music wash away its guilty pleasure genre and bring about a more groovy, involved listen. From top to bottom, whether it’s the chaos of Omerta/Tallah or the nuances felt in Sleep Token, you’re sure to have heard it somewhere recently. For Garry Brents, it’s this genre that gets a sleek new polish in his project Memorrhage with his upcoming self-titled debut album. It’s a blessing, too – Brents has explored so many other styles in his other projects like the cybergrind of Gonemage and the skramz in Cara Neir. The buck doesn’t stop there, either, as Brents somehow manages to rapid-fire these releases; with Memorrhage, though, there’s rumblings all around social media for how impactful this release could be, so let’s hone in on Memorrhage.
The bounce riffs kick off Memorrhage instantaneously in “Memory Leak” to set the stage of controlled chaos that will be prevalent throughout this debut. Brents shares: “A thematic foundation about this album is that each song is episodic in nature. Each song is a different POV of cybernetics, androids, technology, futuristic utopias/dystopias, etc.” Sprinkling in subtle electronics and making full use of production tactics are the name of the game on this record to craft the immersion that’s set up further with the grisly pixel art cover. That includes binaural guitar runs in “Exit” that will reward headphone listeners who can pick up on its intricacies amidst the fast-paced nu-metal soundscape.
The tempo switch in “Reek” is a solid attention-grabber and probably caught the attention of Big Money Cybergrind who helped release this awesome single. Those turntable scratches are a staple of nu-metal but somehow never seem to get old and mix right in with the closing breakdown, one of the best moments on Memorrhage. Panic chords welcome in “Finesse” as some of the more left-field moments come to fruition, definitively worth an immersive listen for the synths really stealing the show here. It’d be remiss to not mention that clean vocals make an appearance in “Old Wave”, a track about “an old model of an android coming to grips with being outdated. It upgrades through means of black market avenues but is still reeling from feelings of an inferiority complex.”
I love tracks with a shorter length, and Memorrhage has just that in “Lost” clocking in at 1:37. With an even faster pace than usual, the Slipknot inspo is indelibly infused into this rager of a midway point for the record. Meanwhile, the groove is the focus in “Knurl” as things slow down with some dreamy reverbed cleans and a busy bridge to switch things up. And past that, it gets downright drone-y within “Brain Wield”, showcasing the sheer range across metal employed in this debut. The most emphatic singing is present on “Lunge” as Memorrhage throws everything at the wall in this song – and it somehow manages to stick! An easy personal favorite on Memorrhage – if you’re not showing friends that one, the most accessible track is “Utility”. Memorrhage wraps up with “Ex-Sprite” with rapping of all things, and again, it works. Everything Garry Brents attempts, manages to work. Some tracks shine brighter than others, but there’s a lot to enjoy in Memorrhage’s first release. Expect to hear some buzz about Memorrhage when it releases 6/16/23.
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