Memorial Roots

Here we have Brainstorm’s eighth full-length release Memorial Roots. I actually reviewed this album a couple of years ago when it first came out, so it’s pretty interesting to come back to this one and see how I feel almost three years later. I actually remember saying to myself a few weeks after having finished the first review that I liked the album a good deal better than I said I did.

One thing I will say, and this rings true for how I’ve always felt about Memorial Roots, is that it is one which seriously benefits from repeated listens. The hooks require uncovering like buried treasure, and as a whole the release does require a certain degree of work. Of course, this is all subjective to the individual listener, but on a personal account I’d say this is one of those albums that becomes finer with each listen.

In comparing Memorial Roots to the previous album, Downburst, the production is rather different. Where as Downburst was slick, glossy, and almost mechanical in places, Memorial Roots is earthen and natural, which is something that had turned me off a little. Of course, palettes change over the years, and today I can say that I might have made something of a slight oversight. I’m holding my hands up on this one, as I’ve come to love the natural vibe to the production here.

Strangely enough, Miro and Sascha Paeth were responsible for production, mixing, and mastering on Memorial Roots. I find this a slight weird as I’ve mentioned them a few times over during this rewind and feel of any of Brainstorm’s releases, this album would be the one I would least associate with their style. Or, I could turn everything around on its head: If you recall, in the Soul Temptation review, I stated that album was a product of it’s time, Kamelot, yada yada. Well, in another five years or so we could very well look back to Memorial Roots and see this album as a product of its time, as the production here is similar to the likes of modern Avantasia and Edguy a la Tinnitus Sanctus. It’s a thinker!

Anyway, enough of the crazy talk, let’s get to the meat of Memorial Roots. The album is a collection of eleven very well-conceived and serious songs. The band functions as a tight, cohesive unit without any member taking too much of the spotlight. The vocal lines are graceful and introspective. Songs such as “The Conjuration of 7 Planets”, “The Final Stages of Decay”, and “Would You” have over the last few years become some of my favourite from the band. Brainstorm has tried tracks like these over their career, but never have they been as well done as they were here. The heavier style tracks the band are renowned for don’t hit as hard on Memorial Roots as they could, which is because of the production, but it works and doesn’t really detract as much from the album as I once thought.

Memorial Roots is a highly consistent release, and I think it ushered in a new outlet for Brainstorm. The band has always been serious business, but never have they sounded as mature as they do here. Memorial Roots is certainly a curious album, and I would say this one is best reserved for someone who is familiar with the band; someone who is willing to invest time into uncovering the wealth of hidden treasure on offer. The album isn’t perfect, and those who prefer their power metal to be fast, glossy, and saccharine might find themselves a little underwhelmed with Memorial Roots. The final verdict is a powerful grower of an album, which requires a good deal of inspection.

Originally written for http://blackwindmetal.com

One power metal band who has hit their strides and improved a hell of a lot over their last few releases, Germany’s Brainstorm, are back to continue their recent trend of great work with release #8, entitled ‘Memorial roots’.

Brainstorm first began to be noticed by the metal public around 2001 with their ‘Metus mortis’ CD, which was their 4th full-length release and quite a good one too. 2003’s ‘Soul temptation’ was ground breaking for the band and really helped them set up their popularity that they have today. The band introduced an aggressive element into their sound, whereby the songs became heavier and much harder. Brainstorm’s newfound aggressive sound continued to expand with the releases that followed, 2005’s ‘Liquid monster’ and 2008’s ‘Downburst’. Both CDs were also very good; especially ‘Downburst’, which I consider to be their most consistent and heaviest CD to date.

‘Downburst’ also marked the end of Brainstorm’s contractual tenure with Metal Blade Records. The final CD that Metal Blade has released from Brainstorm to end their business relationship is a 2-disc “best of” compilation called 'Just highs no lows (12 years of persistence)', which was released on November 9th of this year. The first disc covers all their hits over the years, while the 2nd disc is a collection of B-Sides and rarities.

Since leaving Metal Blade, Brainstorm have signed with AFM Records (which is a better suited label for them in my opinion) and ‘Memorial roots’ will be their first release under their name. The band’s sound can not be mistaken for any other metal band out there, particularly with the unique vocals of one Andy F. Franck, whose dark, brooding and emotional tones is just one reason why this band kicks ass. The powerful down-tuned guitar riffs of Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric send chills down your spine while at the same time making your head pound at the same time with your fist raised high in the air. Still quite technical than the majority of European power metal bands, Brainstorm’s powerful blast of heavy sound mixed with elaborate and complex songwriting and structure is indeed a winning combination and the reason why they have improved ten-fold over recent years.

‘Memorial roots’ is yet a further progression of Brainstorm’s recent sound, with the band sounding revitalised and more confident in themselves than ever before. Brainstorm have always had the knack of producing great songwriting; words that come to mind include intricate, matured, inspired and creative. ‘Memorial roots’, as expected, contains these exact qualities in its songs, making for one hell of a CD. I feel that the aggression that has been prominent on previous releases has been toned down somewhat, while now it has been infused with deliberate technical melodies. Take the track “The conjunction of 7 planets” for example. Quite soft and sombre during the verses, sounding like it was inspired by recent Iron Maiden material, the tempo rises during the bridge and chorus, while still keeping the gentle harmonic structure of the track. Lyrically powerful, the track is a great song by all means, and portrays a different side to the band; showing the many faces of Brainstorm’s remarkable songwriting.

The CD overall has quite a dark feel to it (which seems to be the case with the last few Brainstorm releases), with the lyrics bringing up feelings of despair, fear, death, anger, misery, suffering and social change; and also many frequent passages referring to our souls. These references mention the many different journeys a soul can take in life, and how the mark of a person or culture can affect their individual souls; the way we struggle with life and the way we torture ourselves and each other. Very deep and meaningful lyrics, their profoundness really making your mind tick over in constant thought.

The first half of ‘Memorial roots’ is sensational to say the least, with killer tracks like the abovementioned “The conjunction of 7 planets”, the short but strong “Shiver”, the thundering “Blood still stains”, the fast and furious “Cross the line” (which has a definite Angel Dust familiarity to it) and also the great semi-ballad “Nailed down dreams”. With the 2nd half, however, I feel does not match the first in terms of catchiness; there are some great songs like “The final stages of decay” (which has a great Nevermore sound to it), “When no one cares” and the CD closer “Would you”, but overall the 2nd half doesn’t have the same ball-grabbing attention that the first collection of songs has.

With that being said, there is no possibility that should deter anyone from grabbing this release if what you’ve read so far sounds right up your alley. ‘Memorial roots’ is another great powerful and emotion-filled CD from Brainstorm, very much on par with their previous CD ‘Downburst’. These guys have found their metal niche in the world and are unique enough sound wise to stand proudly on their own. Since 2003 they have really taken off and become one of the better power metal bands out there. Those already familiar with Brainstorm and their sound should take a hold on this release very quickly, while fans of technical European power metal should also find ‘Memorial roots’ quite entertaining and memorable. 2 thumbs up!

Originally reviewed for www.metalcdratings.com and www.themetalforge.com

Memorial Roots finds Brainstorm on AFM Records for their eigth studio release. The band continues to bring their more recent brand of Power Metal sound here that originated around the time of their Liquid Monster release, and does a good job at it. The only issue is the quality of the material on the release and the slightly more commercial sound that is found here does wind up hurting the album overall.

There does seem to be a bit more of a commercial feel to the album compared to some of the band's earlier releases that really had an impact on the "Power" aspect of this musical style. But, of course that's not all. There are also times on the album where the music will either feel drug along to increase the track length, or, like in the case of the starting track "Forsake What I Believe", as if it just took long for the song to actually build up and kick in. "The Conjuction of 7 Planets" is the perfect example of this, as this song is a very compelling piece by Brainstorm, but doesn't quite have the same bite that they are known for. Either way, musically it is impressive with some nice Progressive elements here and there, but the song really does seem to take forever to actually kick in.

Now, don't take all of that as to say this album is horrible, as that would be an outright lie. There's still some classic Brainstorm moments on Memorial Roots that fans will enjoy. "Cross The Line" is the first song on here that you'll come across with any real bite thanks to the speed of the instruments, as the march-like drumming utilized in the chorus. This an a number of the shorter tracks, such as the haunting "Blood Still Stains", and the somewhat Iron Maiden-esque "Ahimsa", are really where the intensity of the band shines through. Other then that, much of the material here seems to find the band trying to bring in a sort of epic aura, and pretty much failing. "Victim" sounds like it'll be another great track on here and has the potential to be, but the chorus is very hollow and makes the song come off rather weak.

But the real kick in the face that this album presents is not until the very last two tracks. "When No One Cares" and "Would You" are, hands down, the best tracks off the album, and clearly are exactly what the band intended to do with the release. These tracks, that verge on material their earlier releases would have, feature some impressive guitar work, much better guitar solos, and all around sound more solid, tighter, and memorable then just about everything else on here.

While the lighter sound on many of the tracks, especially the starter tracks "Forsake When I Believe" and "Shiver", amongst others, does wind up hurting the band a bit while they try to continue bringing in this overwhelming "epic" aura to their music. It's not until about half way into the album where the music really picks up, with exception of "Cross the Line" earlier on. Had there been more tracks like "Ahimsa", or even "The Final Stages of Decay", which perfectly seems to execute what the band intended for many of the longer tracks, then Memorial Roots would have been a great album from start to finish.

Originally posted on Apoch's Metal Review
www.apochs.net

Brainstorm...another of those power metal acts that have been hammering away for many years, producing a body of solid work but never any glint of a truly great album. Memorial Roots is the band's 8th full length, but despite an honest effort, it's not even at the level of a Liquid Monster or Metus Mortis. All the pieces are in place: heavy guitars which never shy away from melody, a strong vocalist in Andy B. Franck, and the willingness to mix up the tracks between softer, progressive pieces and the expected power anthems. The writing simply doesn't elevate itself beyond the average.

I will make the case that the album grows stronger through the track list, once the band starts to let loose and rock. "Forsake What I Believed", "Shiver", and "The Conjunction of 7 Planets" all blow by without much fanfare, but "Cross the Line" delivers a solid, thundering verse rhythm. Even deeper into the playtime, "Ahimsa" is a scorcher with some good classic power riffing, and "Victim" creates a nice, marching rhythm to its own verse, but even these tracks have lackluster chorus parts which do little to inspire.

I suppose if you are a diehard fan for Brainstorm and you buy every record they release, you could find enough to keep you satisfied until a followup. But the album pales in comparison to recent releases from Rebellion, Grave Digger and U.D.O., and if you're just getting into Brainstorm, there are numerous, superior points of entry to their discography than this.

Highlights: Cross the Line, Ahimsa, When No One Cares

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com