Long before red caps and jocks took over the nu-metal scene the foundations were laid through songs of angst and massively down tuned riffs. Whilst rap metal took the limelight some bands continued to make a marginal living whilst still having originality, dig and integrity to their music. It is in this ground Memorrhage stakes its claim with its self-titled debut album. Garry Brents (Cara Neir, Gonemage, Perfumed Saturnine Angels, Homeskin, Sallow Moth, Parabstruse…) hits into the nerve of the pacing and power of Spineshank, the twisted flair of Mudvayne and the industrial licks of Static-X whilst incorporating scratches and even the emo tinges of the genre. This is nu-metal without Durst, the bros, the costumes and melodrama. Memorrhage isn’t just a tribute, it can stand among those that have passed the test of time.
I still find moments where those old albums fit the situation, The Height of Callousness by Spineshank has journeyed with me through numerous pairs of running shoes and L.D. 50 by Mudvayne has unlocked numerous tedious work tasks. From the off, Memorrhage dives headfirst into similar territory and the opening four tracks hit with great energy and pace. ‘Memory Leak’, ‘Exit’, ‘Reek’ and ‘Finesse’ are full of down tuned guitars, weird Korn like guitar licks, demented vocals, slap bass, and some crazy djing scratches from Mr Rager (Diego Juarez). There are hooks in both vocals and musicianship and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the album.
Brents has covered numerous musical styles in his output but Memorrhage stays firmly in nu-metal and covers nearly every inch of it. ‘Old Wave’ introduces industrial drum and bass type breakdowns, ‘Utility’ harks back to lighter parts of the original scene like 36 Crazyfists or even Hoobastank and ‘Knurl’ has a classic mosh call of “Jump, jump, jump”. These changes all occur around a constant energetic guitar work and tremendously present bass which hardly slow but never fatigues the listener.
In his usual manner Garry Brents has picked a genre and packed a release full of all its aspects without overwhelming. There is a bit of rapping on ‘Ex-Sprite’ but that’s probably the only ingredient not given more light in this nu concoction. With great hooks, mixed vocal deliveries, chunky riffs and plenty of pace this debut by Memorrhage will inject a wilful revision of some classic albums for listeners just as it has for the creator. With half a second album already written this looks like another Brents project which is ferocious in quality and volume of output.
