Your Memorial - Redirect
Rating
RIYL
Misery SignalsIt Prevails
Counterparts
Release Date
07/17/2012
Label
Facedown RecordsTracklist
01. Transfiguration02. Redirect
03. Shipwreck
04. Eternity
05. The Substance of Things Hoped for...
06. Change the World
07. Transform
08. Anthem
09. ...Evidence of Things Unseen
10. Trial and Triumph
11. Cadence for A King
12. Legacy
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Roughly 18 months ago I reviewed Your Memorial’s Facedown Records’ debut and while the tone of the write-up was upbeat overall, there were a few gripes that kept Atonement from being an upper echelon metalcore release. The first issue was the lack of vocal dynamics, except for one song that broke that trend and had some clean singing. The second problem was the lackluster instrumentals that made the album feel short and incomplete. Lastly, the album became repetitive as it progressed and started to lose its appeal towards the end. So how does the band’s latest effort stack up against their previous album and do they address any of the aforementioned issues?
Redirect is a step up from Atonement, albeit a minor one, because even though Your Memorial does improve in some areas, there are still a few issues holding them back. The biggest improvement to the band’s sound is the introduction of clean singing on almost every song. It usually comes in the form of backing vocals during screamed choruses, but works quite well to add some much needed variation. Also, Your Memorial continues to improve their skills at writing metalcore songs. The choruses are melodic and catchy without being cheesy, the verses are upbeat and fun, and the breakdowns are tastefully placed. Standout tracks that exemplify all these qualities are “Eternity,” “Legacy,” and “Transform.”
Unforunately, a few nagging issues still exist and while they don’t ruin the album, they keep it from being completely satisfying. The poorly executed instrumentals return on Redirect, using up over a quarter of the albums length with half-assed songs that are blatant filler material. Once again, I understand the merit in throwing in some instrumentals or slower songs, but Your Memorial proves once again they have no idea how to do it properly. Since the instrumentals don’t do their job in balancing out the album, I found myself losing interest towards the end, which is exactly what happened with Atonement.
The wording of this review may come off more harsh than the rating itself, but it’s all in the name of tough love. Your Memorial is exactly what modern metalcore needs, so it’s frustrating when a band with this much potential has the same persistent problems on back to back albums. Redirect is still one of the better metalcore releases so far this year; it’s just not what it could have been.
--Nicholas Fritz
Comments
Minnesota
I agree 100% with your review, but I absolutely love the songs on this album (interludes = wasted time). Some great stuff.
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Quakertown, PA
It's definitely a good album, but I wasn't sold on all the songs. If they got rid of the interludes and had some more varied types of songs, it would be the 4-star range for me. There are some fantastic tracks though.