Memoriam – The Hellfire Demos II (2017)

Keeping the old-school Death Metal flame alive, today we have Memoriam and their 7” vinyl release “The Hellfire Demos II”. Featuring members of Bolt Thrower and Benediction, this band gives us a taste of their crushing sound with two very promising tracks. If you grew up with late 80’s and early 90’s Death Metal, this release brings back that familiar rawness and catchiness of the era.

Opening with “Drone Strike”, the band’s vocalist Karl Willetts instantly delivers his raspy vocals to a very powerful mix of pummeling riffs and tight drumming. The song’s tempo perfectly allows the listener to headbang to it while keeping things aggressive. The band does a pretty solid job in delivering a timeless Death Metal vibe with their music.

With “Surrounded (By Death)”, Memoriam reminded us a bit of Carcass and their very melodic approach to the genre. Mixing catchy and melodic riffs with some faster paced sections, this track showcases the band’s more aggressive and crafty side.

Overall, “The Hellfire Demos II” is one hell of a short-but-sweet 7” release. If you are a connoisseur of old-school Death Metal, this is one of those releases you can’t miss. Memoriam sets the band quite high with their music, as we can only hope that their debut full-length release coming out on 2017 is as good as what they showed us now.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: January 20th, 2017

Genre: Death Metal

Country: UK