Review Summary: It may not be the most original but this band will execute in style.
Remembering Never is:
Peter Kowalski - Vocals
Grease Leonard - Guitar
Norm - Guitar
Aldo - Bass
Daniel Burger - Drums
Produced by XmpX and j13
Original Release Date: January 27, 2004
Label: Ferret Records
Never
So the whole metal core genre seems to be very confused and cliché these days where all of these record labels are cashing on the next big thing. I’d say only a handful of the acts out there establish themselves in this genre since everyone is trying to be Botch or more renowned Norma Jean (who basically tried to be Botch?). Another black mark to the genre is that how (and who) are a lot of these bands even metal core. Remembering Never comes at you with everything that probably defines metal and it doesn’t forget the hardcore at all. This album in my mind is when this band peaked since the album before this one and there newest one have some not so subtle sound changes. This album is over 3 years old now but still has high rotation on my player for when I want something other then everyone’s favorite Botch or old school Cave In. Read below to see exactly why…
Women and Children Die First
If you weren’t expecting something disgustingly brutal from an album title of “Women and children die first” then you need to go back to watching Blues Clues or something. The opening track “for the love of fiction” just feels relentless in its poise of guitar work wailing away on palm mute and high neck chords.
The vocals that come from Peter Kowalski are flat out violent. He reminds me of a better version of the new vocals from Misery Signals. It literally feels like at times his vocal cords are shredding when he screams and it gives a nice forceful and passionate persona. The verses have a more hardcore feeling to it but as soon as that breakdown begins it’s metal time. The song just comes at the listener with the knife and is going for the kill right off the first song. “The grenade in mouth tragedy” continues the reputation that the first song left off. The riffs are faster and more metal like here and the vocals make you want to hurt someone. The song once again feels relentless with its drum and muddy sounding bass by the half way point which makes you taste the break down before it even comes.
I found that the lyrics in the songs when understandable are above average in the genre. As many of these acts feel like the lyrics were written on a 5th grade English level Remembering Never feels like they keep the words short and sweet but most importantly inspirational.
“Plotting a revolution in A minor” kicks off with a fast distorted guitar riff and vocals right from the start. The albums pace by the 3rd song hasn’t slowed any bit except for breakdowns which will make you get off your ass anyway. What’s going to make this song different from the other is the fact that a new level is shown with singing. The singing is a fresh breathe of air and can be compared to the Killswitch Engage style of singing. Matter a fact this song itself reminds me a lot of Killswitch Engage. By the 2 minute mark a clean portion of the guitars comes in and quiets things down but of course that won’t last long.
If you come to listen to songs for breakdowns this album will make you have a wet dream. “The glutton” feels like a tough man hardcore song and I mean that through the musician work. The song feels like Throwdown or Bury Your Dead could of done a song like this and I felt after the first 3 songs this band has done they are so much more then those bands. It didn’t really appeal to me as much and felt mediocre in comparison. There are a few flashy riffs though during the verses along side with that fast paced hardcore snare drumming. Overall it didn’t seem on par with what these guys feel capable of.
“From my cold dead hands” once again continues on it’s sub par level as “the glutton” but contains itself with a quick recovery. The singing once again is a nice touch and then the breakdown drags the song back up from totally being so mediocre. This time around the hardcore portion of this song feels so much more appropriate then the other song and actually draws me to listen to it even more. “The color of blood and money” though is where this album makes a turn and never looks back. This song is what a metal core song should be about, where it’s brutally amazing but also isn’t the same damn music repeated with different screams. This song just like the first song (“for the love of fiction”) takes the listener by the head and smashes his face into a brick wall. If you thought the album was losing steam they make you know that they just got a second wind. If you think Norma Jean is brutal, amplify that by 20 and this song will make you not a virgin anymore.
“Incisions” is the single of this album and with good reason. When you have a dillinger escape plan like riff in the verse that blows your mind and singing that sounds like its coming from the open sky. The song even starts off with texas chainsaw massacre door opening creak and it fits perfectly with the style of music. I always loved when bands like the Oval Portrait and The Acacia Strain used clips like that. One of the best lyrics to any breakdown is featured in this song.
DIE KNOWING YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE ON YOUR KNEES. I mean this song can’t get any better and I can’t describe it in words but definitely if you want to a song that I recommend, here it is. The next song is called “closed caskets” and you basically know its going to sound like a Simple Plan song. No. I felt like after the sixth song on this album, these songs got more metal then they did hardcore but I like that. By now the whole “Dun, Dun, Dun” breakdown kind of is getting old but there are enough fresh riffs and licks that keep the music fresh. I know a lot of bands that just chug for like 10 songs in the album with little to no diversity. As it is getting old on this album… there’s enough new sound to keep the listener from having repetition vomit.
“All that glitter is…” feels like a last stand for this band here. The song has some nice new riffs and a variation in breakdown with to up to par lyrics. I mean if this guys voice can’t get you pumped, I don’t think this is the right genre of music for you. As the song starts to slow down it makes the quick transition into the last track. “Serenading this dead horse” is like the encore on this album because by now you should already be won over and this song is basically the taste of everything this album had to offer. I don’t know if the main vocals is doing this, but there’s a series of background high pitched screams which weren’t really on any of the other songs. It isn’t annoying but really just a nice touch. The clean guitar part of this song while talking interlude was a great exit to an excellent album. Then of course a smashing breakdown that makes sure the listener won’t forget of the band… How else…
Grenade next to the Face
This band has chops, and even though I didn’t think there previous album was as good as this one, and there newest wasn’t good at all, this album is a timeless. It’s probably this bands most honest metal core effort and it’s a damn good one at that. As far as breakdowns go (everyone loves them?), Remembering Never has definitely turned it up for this release. This means if you love the chug, you're going to be in heaven when listening to this. The lyrics attack the listener by being painful, inspiring, and thought provoking. This isn’t a genre of music where I believe lyrics matter much, but this band didn’t leave that stone unturned at all. This pleased me a lot especially when there’s a breakdown with motivating lyrics behind it and not just a breakdown for the sake of being a stupid breakdown. A lot of these songs seem better tuned to be played live, because when you're in a live environment you can interact with the band or dance all you want. Overall though, there a decent enough effort for anyone who likes this type of music to at least grasp a couple if not all of the songs.
Pros:
+ Lyrics
+ Balls out heaviness
+ Vocals
Cons:
- Constant Breakdown upon Breakdown
- Some Repetitiveness
