I’ve followed Mnemic for a few years and on the basis of their energetic brand of “Cyber Metal” bought their first two albums “Mechanical Spin Phenomena” (2002) and “Audio Injected Soul” (2004). Then came “Passenger” (2007). Whilst the first two albums had been a mostly impressive hybrid of Modern Metal styles, occasionally leaving me cold, this album had the heaviness but seemed to lose the interesting bits of its predecessors and frankly didn’t do anything for me at all.
Mnemic are back on track with “Sons of the System”. The appeal of this band is its punchy style. Silky smoothness does not suit them. Instead, the depth comes from musical layer being imposed on musical layer. “Sons of the System” has attitude. This is evident right from the first album entitled track. It is fast, furious and brutal, slowing in the latter stages to an ethereal chorus. The hints of that Cyber Metal are still there. Guillaume Bideau, formerly of Scarve, is the singer these days, adding a brutal French flavour to the Danish mix, and successfully projects the same power and personality that he displays on stage. The brutality runs into “Diesel Uterus”. It’s not without melody, but at the same time it has a whirlwind atmosphere of chaos and an industrial element to back it up.
There’s a track on this album called “Elongated Sporadic Bursts”. This is a good summary of the Mnemic listening experience. The track itself is one of my favourites. A groove-laden riff follows a rare classic opening. The mix of harmony and screams is impressive. It’s industrial and menacing. The beauty of this album is that it’s not a tribute to one style, nor are any of the tracks identical. The control of sound is intriguing. The producer Tue Madsen ensures that tracks like “Mnightmare” have a distance without allowing watery dreaminess to creep in. It’s the opposite in fact, as the roar is thunderous and the wall of sound is as heavy as it gets. “The Erasing” has a sense of drama and has the air of a soundtrack about it. “Climbing Towards Stars” has a slower, driving rhythm. It’s still based on heaviness and is a harsh track, with Mr Bideau’s unbroken screams to the fore. Then comes a mellower track, “March of the Tripods”. For once the chorus is emotive. The one thing I didn’t like about this album was the harmonic chorus line on some of the tracks. It is Hardcore-based but just comes across as whiny. On “March of the Tripods” and “Elongated Sporadic Bursts” this is overcome and the vocals are powerful. Above all, what distinguishes this album is its driving heavy beats and variety.
The band’s site refers to “groove-laden modern masterpieces with a progressive edge and a new-born feeling for melody”. I agree. For me, “Sons of the System” is Mnemic’s best album so far. It’s fresh, heavy and interesting.
http://www.mnemic.com
http://www.myspace.com/mnemic
http://www.nuclearblast.de
