There is certainly no kind of shortage in the realm of melodic death metal. Whether it be a slew of albums from renowned bands such as Dark Tranquility or Amon Amarth or new bands coming out with material what seems to be every other week, there’s nowhere near a lack of material that can be heard. Aephanemer is the latter of the two aforementioned types, and while they’re upcoming sophomore full-length album isn’t bad by any means, it’s clear that they’ve still got a ways to go before they can reach the heights of their influences. The ten tracks that make up “Memento Mori” have a nice tasty sound to them that make the overall experience of the album an ultimately enjoyable one. It’s the vocals that, of course, add extra flavors to the music itself as they do for most every band, but to me, it’s the rhythms and the sound of instruments coming together that breed the excellence that comes out of “Memento Mori”. Is what I said a long, exhausting term for “music”? Yes, but when the sound itself transcends a single word and becomes so much more to even one person is where enjoyment is made. That’s precisely what Aephanemer did for me here. And all that being said, there are moments of what I can only call clunkiness, meaning that sometimes the flow disapparated for a quick moment or more leading to what sounds like a rhythmic stumble. Other times, the balancing in the mixing or the contrast between vocals and instrument just isn’t the best, but I believe that’s just me be a picky critic more than anything. Either way, Aephanemer still did a solid job with “Memento Mori”, no question about it, and there’re several glimmers of talent that peek throughout the album that truly make me think these Frenchmen are but steps away from something truly interesting.
“Memento Mori” releases on September 16th! You can pre-order the album, as well as listen to 2 tracks off the record, on Bandcamp here.
