Memorials, The: Delirium

The Memorials are an interesting band. The core of the group consists of three members who attended the Berklee College of Music; Nick Brewer (guitars), Viveca Hawkins (vocals) and Thomas Pridgen (drums, programming), former member of The Mars Volta. Five other musicians round out the band.

This is a diverse record touching on a number of different genres like punk, jazz, funk, pop and soul but at its core this is pretty heavy rock and roll. The riffs are plentiful and metallic throughout so you are sure to get your daily dose of heaviness. Unfortunately, the band does begin with a rather large miscue in the form the pop laden "Dreams". Its bassy synth sound and pop fluff approach really had me taken a back and I was not sure what the rest of the album would reveal. Fortunately the music improves immensely, especially Pridgen's quality drum work. "Fluorescents" has a much more rockier vibe with heavy metallic chords and Hawkin's lead vocals carrying a punkier edge. The sax break a few minutes in works quite well and makes the song that much more adventurous.

The catchiest song is probably the pop inflected "Daiseys" where Pridgen's stick work shines throughout.

The most ambitious track is the jazz/metal offering "I'm So Anti Me". An acoustic intro is followed by jazzy lead vocals and piano flourishes making for a nice reprieve from the heavier riffs which do return in the song's second half.

Aside from the not so impressive first song, Delirium is a solid rock album that covers a few genres making this a little more diverse than your typical rock album. If you dig bands like King's X you may want to give this one a spin.

Track Listing:
1. Dreams (4:11)
2. Fluorescents (7:39)
3. Gone (5:17)
4. Heavyweight (6:21)
5. Daiseys (6:50)
6. Delirium (7:23)
7. I'm So Anti Me (9:38)
8. Mr. Entitled (11:50)

Added: October 10th 2012
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1755
Language: english

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