Memory Driven – Animus

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Two years after commercial debut Relative Obscurity Oklahoma’s Memory Driven are now a very different band. There are still hints of the My Dying Bride/Paradise Lost influences which could be felt on Relative Obscurity, particularly on the first half of opener Empty Gesture, but in the main Memory Driven have moved away from standard doom metal, going for something closer to a mix of melancholic metal and Alice In Chains, with lumps of post-metal thrown in, albeit slowed down. The balance between those two shifts around the middle of the album. Opening trio Empty Gesture, Die To Breed (if AIC did doom…) and So It Seems are near-full-on AIC plodders. Then delicate, short instrumental Ava’s Song serves to separate the two chunks, giving way to devastating instrumental These Aren’t The Chords You’re Looking For, crushing Group Departure and A Tempt, which veer massively towards the post-metal sound, although still with the sombre vocal approach all of their material has. Regular closer Unveiled then does a bit of both. The first half could come from one of AIC’s softer EPs, which the second is big riffs and post-metal structures. After a little silence hidden closer Second Time Around, which is heavy, slow, would find a place on several Paradise Lost albums (and might actually be the highlight of this album). Fans of the first album seeking more of the same may find themselves disappointed by Animus (‘Assassin’s Creed’ fans, perhaps?). Unless what they want is an evolution of the first album, because that’s what Animus is. Dennis Cornelius’ vocals are greatly improved here, and the complexity is still there in the music, just focused in a different, and wholly wonderful direction.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2011, Albums, Doom Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Memory Driven