Haven Of Echoes: Memento Vivere

Two years have passed since Haven of Echoes offered us their The Indifferent Stars debut, an album that found Andreas Hack, the main mover and shaker behind Frequency Drift, teaming up with singer and guitarist Paul Sadler from Spires, for what proved to be an atmospheric, hard hitting and long in memory musical experience. If it ain’t broke, they say, don’t fix it and that, thankfully, is exactly where we find Memento Vivere, this four track (but 45 minute-plus) work picking up from where its predecessor left off. Cleverly, there’s also a stubborn refusal to simply repeat the process, this second outing being evolution and expansion over repetition - something that can also been seen in the album art that fronts both releases.

Admittedly, first impressions leave you fixated on the lush, from the heart and deeply involved sides of Memento Vivere, Sadler’s tones soothing, calming, reassuring as Hack builds synth-driven soundscapes that meld perfectly with the vocals. Continuity would appear to be the order of the day in all aspects here, the ‘guests’ on this album once more the Frequency Drift pair of Nerissa Schwarz (electric harp & keys) and Wolfgang Osterman (drums). And again, as on The Indifferent Stars, Schwarz also writes one of the compositions - the longing, but drum-rattlingly insistent “Ad Infinitum� - with both musicians, and Schwarz’s writing contribution, key to the success of this album.

Spend time in this second Haven of Echoes and new flavours drip into your mind, the middle section of the 17-minute “Non Sum - Non Curo� laced with biting guitars and a force that at first seems to lurk somewhere in the shadows. The nearly as lengthy “It Walks Among Us� almost takes a step into the world of doom as bold guitars stride confidently into the swirling mists of time, but here they are accompanied by clear, melodic synths that herald a deep melancholy at this track’s heart. It’s a beguiling approach and one that reminds me of a comment I made about this outfit’s previous release, in that this approach to progressive music is one very much in prevalence right now. However, this duo really do offer a different, less morose, less single minded and less monotone liberation from what, in the wrong hands, often becomes an overbearing test of stamina. Instead, as piano heralds the closing “Assimilation�, Haven of Echoes retain their ability to offer hope - guitars often bouncing off the quite magnificent vocals and cleverly crafted melodies they sit atop. Here and elsewhere, the album’s tone feels deep, intense and pinpricked with dazzling flashes of light as mood and lyrical theme lean into the fleeting nature of all aspects of life and indeed our very lives themselves.

If you were lucky enough to latch onto the first offering from Haven of Echoes, rest assured that not only have they come up to the high standards they immediately set themselves, but with this album they’ve raised that bar yet further. Memento Vivere is one of 2024’s musical highlights and no mistake.

Track Listing
1. Non Sum - Non Curo
2. Ad Infinitum
3. It Walks Among Us
4. Assimilation

Added: September 17th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Haven of Echoes @ bandcamp
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Language: english

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