Memphis May Fire is a five-piece metalcore band from Dallas, Texas. For those of you who like trivia, they were formed by Kellen McGregor in 2004 as Oh Captain, My Captain before changing their name in 2007. They have released the ‘Memphis May Fire’ EP (2007), ‘Sleepwalking’ (2009) and ‘Between The Lies’ EP (2010). Following their signing to Rise Records, they have released ‘The Hollow’ (2011), ‘Challenger’ (2012) and ‘Unconditional’ (2014).
The line-up for ‘Unconditional’ was Matty Mullins (lead vocals & keyboards), Kellen McGregor (lead guitar & backing vocals), Anthony Sepe (rhythm guitar), Cory Elder (bass) and Jake Garland (drums). Matty Mullins explained that he had been suffering from anxiety and depression, which led him to take a long, hard look at the essence of his faith. This meant that the lyrics took a definite turn towards God’s unconditional love.
The album opens with ‘No Ordinary Love’, which tries to convey what it feels like to have a relationship with God. It also shows the bumps in the road along the way as Matty screams “I tried to save myself but I failed”. But like the prodigal son, God is eagerly awaiting his return. “Come back to me love, I forgive you / Oh how I’ve missed you / Just know every time you run / I’ll be right here waiting”. It is notable for the large amounts of clean vocals.
As if to address the balance, there are more screamed vocals in ‘Beneath The Skin’ as they take a girl’s perspective of being judged by her appearance and the damaging effects of it. Then ‘Sleepless Nights’ heaps on the aggression as Matty takes you through the emotional wringer of a panic attack. Whilst it doesn’t necessarily give any answers, it is Matty’s way of helping people to relate, by showing he has gone through the same situations. “Why am I terrified of everything I used to love / Save me from myself I don’t want to hate who I’ve become / Tell me that tomorrow when I wake up I’ll be fine / I just want to be myself again / I want to know that I’m alive”.
This is followed by ‘The Answer’ as it expresses that God is the answer to everything. But the auto-tune effects on the clean chorus vocals may not be to everyone’s taste. To counterbalance the previous viewpoint ‘Possibilities’ throws in the fact that you also have to take personal responsibility for yourself and choose whether you want to have a positive effect on others.
There is a curveball with the ambient ballad, ‘Speechless’, which mainly consists of keyboards and has clean singing throughout. Then after an electronic intro, it’s back to metalcore in ‘The Rose’ as they rebuke the businessmen in the music industry. The band likens their progress against the odds to that of a rose that grew from the crack in the concrete to ultimately flourish. It is followed by ‘Not Enough’, which has crunchy guitar and mainly clean vocals.
Despite being at the height of their career, the band wanted their fans to know that they are still in touch with them in the melodic ‘Need To Be’. As you might expect, ‘Pharisees’ is an angry outburst and turns into one of the heavier tracks on the album. “You walk around with your head held high as if you’re not the one that’s living a lie / You’re living a lie! / What makes you think that you’ll change their minds? / They’ll never see the light if all you preach is hate from a mountain top that you couldn’t climb”.
They finish with ‘Divinity’ and a message of hope. “I pray for clarity, for those who are questioning it all / I pray they’ll hear the answers when they call”.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby
Tracks:
1. No Ordinary Love
2. Beneath The Skin
3. Sleepless Nights
4. The Answer
5. Possibilities
6. Speechless
7. The Rose
8. Not Enough
9. Need To Be
10. Pharisees
11. Divinity
Current Members
Matty Mullins – lead vocals, keyboards
Kellen McGregor – lead guitar, backing vocals
Anthony Sepe – rhythm guitar
Cory Elder – bass
Jake Garland – drums
Studio Albums
“Sleepwalking” (2009)
“The Hollow” (2011)
“Challenger” (2012)
“Unconditional” (2014)
Record Label: Rise Records, March 2014
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video below: ‘No Ordinary Love’
Lyric video: ‘Sleepless Nights’