Review Summary: Memphis May Fire's debut album is a winner. 'Nuff said.
To keep it brief, this album is a great breath of fresh air for the hardcore scene. Before this album, MMF had one EP to their name, plus an old vocalist, Chase Ryan. This album shows great growth in almost every department, particularly the guitars and vocals. For all those looking for a new type of hardcore to get hooked on, but still keeping that ferocity, this is for you.
New vocalist Matt Mullins immediately earns his spot after his vocal performance on 'North Carolina vs. North Atlantic'. Although slightly criticized, Mullins brings a new rigor to this band with a great combination of screams and clean vocals. It becomes quite apparent that Mullins is a great fit for the band after the cleans on 'Ghost in the Mirror'. Featuring a soaring chorus, this song boasts a newer playing style for guitarists Kellen McGreggor and Ryan Bentley. The southern twang really holds this album together, and the guitars are the backbone of MMF's newly-developed sound.
The next highlight of the album is 'Quality is their Quantity'. Featuring a fantastic riff, this song really showcases the talents of each member of the band. Not to say that this is the "heaviest" song on the album, but it demonstrates a lot more talent on the post-hardcore side of MMF. The chorus soars like its predecessors and the instrumentation is quite enjoyable. Vocalist, Matt Mullins, once again shows off his clean singing voice during the chorus to bring it all home. This track is a winner, for sure.
If I were to compare this to MMF's first EP with Chase Ryan, the overall musicianship is a bit heavier and more fitting for the hardcore scene, here. Ryan's voice, although being a bit more pop-punk friendly, featured higher screams, and very intense ones at that. Mullins really nails the sing/scream combo, but for those who preferred Chase Ryan, it's a tad of an adjustment. The overall feel of the music is very similar, being that the southern influence is still extremely there. I would go so far as to say that the southern twang is a bit more apparent on this album if you can dissect each instrument and hear them out. The guitar noodling is very well executed, and shows a ton of growth. The drumming is tight and ties all the instruments together, exactly as drumming should.
This had been the first recording that I heard from Memphis May Fire, so old fans might have mixed feelings about this one. The musicianship is extremely on par, and quite catchy. The one downside to this album is that the guitar noodling might become a bit too much for an average listener. If you can get into this one, then you will REALLY get into it. The vocals, guitars, and drums stand out so much compared to many of the commercial bands out nowadays. It is understandable for this one to not appease the old fan-base though. Mullins' voice differs greatly from Ryan's, but it definitely ties the sound together better.
'Sleepwalking' leaves very little to be desired on the musical front. The creativity and talent is clearly there, even though the musicianship may seem a tad sporadic at some points. This is not a classic, this is purely the right step in the right direction for a band that is heading in the right direction.
