reviews
FLAMING APE'S HEAD, THE DREGS, SHADOW OF MEMORIES
The Cardigan Arms, Leeds 2th February 2004
By Mark Skinflick(MWJ)
Again the scenic (lost) route to find an obscure venue that some of the locals hadn’t even been to before. Upstairs, function room type thing with ornate mirrors and fireplaces to admire while wondering what the bloke on the mic was actually up to. Thought he was a compere introducing the bands but it (very) slowly dawned that he was a "comedian". Well, a variety show then, that’s a novelty. I’d missed half of it but as it was a bit strained, maybe a blessing.
First up were Shadow of Memories, very much from the dark side of metal, but more in a sombre, atmospheric rather than evil way. The drawn out song structures and complex melodies reminded a bit of those other broody Yorkshire folk My Dying Bride. Mellower sections crashing into heavy riffs, with explosive drums that were really striking in their power. All fronted in fine style with their female singer who, despite being new to the band, showed great confidence with her soaring, strong vocals. An interesting twist amongst the many metal sub-cults, good stuff.
Arsing around for an eternity tuning up etc. made me worry (needlessly) for what we were about to receive from Leeds based The Dregs. When they finally kicked into gear it was a high one, fast paced hardcore punk and with a professional polish to their songs. The music bundled along, but the interaction between the main and backing vocals was stand-out, songs such as "believer" and "what’s wrong with you" really having a hook to them. More successful with their between song comedy as well. Threw in an almost obligatory skank for "this is hardcore" (which did turn into hardcore) and gave an all round supercharged show. Invited them over to North Wales so you can see for yourselves.
Playing last when it was one members birthday session made things a bit more chaotic for Flaming Ape’s Head, but still enjoyable. Besides, they’d come over from Liverpool so why not enjoy it? Three-piece playing very angular, jerky, almost dissonant tunes, I think falling into punk or post-hardcore style, not far from the Dead Kennedy’s or Bangor’s much missed Vaffan Coulo. Lyrically they were just as obscure with songs "Mint Rhino" and closer "Pesto", and vocals also chopped and changed between the guitarist and bassist. Pushed a fine line of drunken insanity but all in all a good humoured end to the evening.
Out into 15 feet of pure white snow, well a bit anyway and trekked off for other entertainments of the night…
SHADOW OF MEMORIES
"Demo"
From Raw Nerve Promotions
6 Tracks 27 Mins
I have witnessed Shadow Of Memories a few times live now, and really like what they are doing. There are still some tweaks, as with all young bands, in fact, as will ALL bands, and of course seeing someone play live is completely different to a recording, and so I was excited to hear this.
During the early strains of the "Intro", already their sound oozes professionalism. The production is really crisp and clear and helps bring to life the atmospheres, the wonderful simple melodies and all the dynamics are there, which lead into the first full song "The Usual Spin" really well, where the introduction of floaty, dreamy female vocals occurs. At times it is hard to believe whilst listening to this recording the age of the band, certainly they show off a lot more of a talent than established and older bands will ever possess, and are incredibly tight within their sound.
This band are appealing to fans of bands such as The Gathering, Opeth, Lacuna Coil, Katatonia and the like to sit up and listen to them. Although, they are not just a "gothic-rock" band, there are influences from many angles, be it progressive black metal bands such as Ven Buens Ende, Arcturus and Burzum (certainly in the hypnotic rhythms), or the metallic edges of The Haunted, In Flames, Megadeth, but the whole thing has a very relaxed and beautiful vibe to it. There are some awesome little harmonies and hook lines within the songs, excellent delicate lead flicks and patterns, and so much feeling in the music as well, all topped off with big grooves, such as the second half of "As we are".
Joey's vocals certainly come across as far more confident on record than she appears to be when on a stage. Sometimes that is the downfall for the band when in a live setting, although sometimes that is part of their appeal, but no problems here on record, as her voice is crystal and spot on for virtually all of the recording, and fits perfectly with the mood filled dramatic music its accompanying.
Shadow Of Memories will go far. They are playing a style of music that still hasn't been done that much, and are doing it well also, and now with this, they have proved that they put together a strong recording. I can only imagine how well they are going to sound a few years down the line.
Paul Tangaroa
Shadow of Memories + Eborsisk + Foruta Monday, 7 April 2003
Live @ Joseph's Well
From Leeds Music Scene
Tonight is a 4 band line-up featuring Botulus Canis, Foruta, Eborsisk and Shadow of Memories. Due to my bus situation I arrive just at the start of the second band, Foruta; so unfortunately I can't review the first band.
I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by Foruta, because from what I'd gathered I expected them to be inexperienced and probably not that proficient. What I heard however, was tight, powerful metal played with a decent amount of skill. The two singers managed to blend harsh growls with more melodic phrases with interesting results. The riffs were also clearly audible, something which can to be a problem for some of the more extreme type metal bands playing in pub venues. But these guys managed it. The sound was good, and they certainly impressed me. They were obviously very young, and once Foruta have played a few more gigs and finished growing their "in between long and short" hair they will definitely be a band to go and see.
Next up were Eborsisk. These are friends of mine and consequently I've seen them too many times to remember. They seem to change the name of their style every week, but it's something along the lines of "deathcore". Basically it's "punishing" metal with a lot of screaming. It's not my thing, but it's evident from the crowd reaction that many of them are down for these guys. From the start they employed their usual stage presence - moving all over the stage - and off it quite frequently. Frontman, rhythm guitar player and singer Daniel was screaming his lungs off to the backing of pounding blast-beats, chugging bass and guitar riffage, and wailing leads from guitarist Jamie. The crowd at the front loved it, and a guest appearance on a Hatebreed cover from Hardcore Lee (with him and Dan at opposite sides just in front of the stage) went down well. I do have a few criticisms of this band - one being that I always find it hard distinguishing the notes and rhythms of their faster riffs - perhaps partly due to 4 and 6 string basses and guitars being tuned down to A! Also, there are one or two tightness issues here and there, but none of this matters to the crowd. Overall, Eborsisk keep getting better and if nothing else, they are still as LOUD as ever and certainly put on a show.
The final band of the night are Shadow of Memories. Again, these are friends of mine so I've seen them a lot. What they play could be described as gothic, melodic metal, but it's quite diverse and doesn't really fit into one category. Tonight they are on top form, with female singer Joey sounding great and being more confident on stage. Some of the songs seem to have been updated since I last saw them as well, a definite improvement. Another improvement is lead guitarist Mike's new Les Paul - this fits the style much better than his old Strat and makes the sound much less hissy and more precise. One criticism would be that Mike's guitar wasn't quite loud enough, and rhythm guitarist Paul's was a bit too loud, but that's the way it goes. They mix clean arpeggios and almost classical sounding phrases with heavy riffs and fast double bass drumming. The band's stage presence is also improving - new (ish) bass player Mark moving all over the stage. Even Paul who is normally quite still begins to move more than he has done before. This definitely augments the music and makes the band come across as more confident. Shadow of Memories have an original sound and couldn't be compared to one band. My only real criticism would be that too many of their songs seem to almost work to the same formula - and although the formula works and is part of the SOM sound, hopefully we will see a bit more diversity and contrast in the future. This seems to be starting to happen with a new song by bass player Mark standing out from the rest with its interesting riffs and 7/8 time signature. Overall Shadow of Memories played thoughtfully crafted songs with a sense of dynamics and a professional sound. Plus I FINALLY got my free copy of their CD (having been denied it repeatedly), which I think I was owed considering I played on it! Check out Shadow of Memories if you get the chance, it'll be worth it.
Duncan Evans
For bookings, or if you wish to buy the CD, contact the band at: som_band@hotmail.com