Memphis May Fire – Unconditional

By Ryan G

600px-Memphis_May_Fire_-_Unconditional_-_from_Commons

One of the unquestionably trendiest bands in heavy music today is Memphis May Fire. Of course, there’s a 99% chance you already knew that if you’re reading this review but the band’s rise has really been something quite remarkable.

Unconditional, in the grand scheme of metalcore, is rather forgettable. This isn’t to say it isn’t fun to blast. It definitely is – but in a world where August Burns Red (unbelievable drumming), Norma Jean (melodic hardcore that doesn’t take itself too seriously) and even Fit For a King (catchy hooks) exist this band could easily be passed over.  Album opener “No Ordinary Love” deviates from the norm, but not really in a good way – rather than give us an adrenaline-inducing intro we get a no frills jump straight into clean vocals that might as well be on any other song on the record. Don’t skip this release though.

You see, this band is going against the trend in their scene – or maybe it’s the perceived trend. People are so quick to decry bands “selling out” in all scenes, but none more-so than in the heavy music scene (the dichotomy spanning pop punk to hardcore). This is especially true with bands perceived to be “Christian.” The Christian community is quick to claim anything they can as their own, no matter how vague the spiritual reference. So, with this mentality so prevalent – when a band acts in way contrary to Christian groupthink, or leaves behind overt spiritual references, it hurts. This isn’t the case with Memphis May Fire. Now, at the peak (thus far) of the group’s popularity, frontman Matty Mullins has penned some of the most spiritually bold lyrics in the genre. Watch out, For Today. I believe this speaks to the genuine nature of Mullins – many bands take advantage of the tendency of Christians to claim things as their own to get a near instantaneous boost in popularity, before abandoning the strategy entirely (*cough* THE CRIMSON ARMADA *cough*).

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKqG2EVzUrg&h=297&w=450]

One of the best songs on the album is “Pharisees,” an aggressive attack on hypocrisy. The song is bold in both its lyrics and structure – which isn’t groundbreaking but in the context of the record demands that you stand at attention. The rough vocals, which kick off the first portion of the song (in contrast to the cleans that begin many tracks of the record) are full of righteous anger. “We are all at the mercy of GRACE!” drives home the point. In contrast, “The Answer” carries one of the most obviously hopeful messages of the record, backed by interesting drumming and the occasional reverb effect.

Unconditional will undoubtedly be eaten up by the masses. I wish the hooks were a bit more memorable. Then we’d have a killer band. Kudos to MMF for being themselves wholly – they’ve found their identity and hopefully they’ll mature within that paradigm.

Score: 3.6/5

Memphis May Fire: Facebook page | iTunes store

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