Artist: Memphis May Fire
Album: Sleepwalking
Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. North Atlantic Vs North Carolina
2. A Giant In A Giants World
3. You’re Lucky It’s Not 1692
4. Ghost In The Mirror
5. Been There, Done That
6. Quantity Is Their Quality
7. Sleepwalking
8. Destiny For The Willing
9. The Face With No Name
10. Speak Now I’m Listening
After passing off a review to Scott because the band was not really my type of music, he in turn gave me a band that was a pleasant surprise. I was not the biggest fan of Memphis May Fire’s 2007 EP, but I had heard from some friends that their full-length album was decent. After listening to this album a few times, my friends were understating their opinion of this album. It is not decent but downright good. I just saw these guys live on the “Tours And Rumors Of Tours” Tour, and they have a good show that is full of energy.
Memphis May Fire is a five-piece southern post-hardcore/rock band out of Dallas, Texas, and their debut full-length, Sleepwalking, is a huge step forward from a decent self-titled EP released in 2007. Between albums, MMF successfully managed one of the hardest things a band can do by getting a new lead vocalist. Matt Mullins sounds a lot like the previous vocalist so that eased a bit of the change.
Vocally, Matt has a great voice. His raw screams are great and his clean vocals have a little bit of a pop feel to them and are extremely catchy. He will have you singing a long with him by the end of the first few tracks. While MMF may not be a Christian band, there are Christians in the band. Lyrically, most of Sleepwalking is heavy on the socially conscious, metaphoric lyrics.
Musically, Sleepwalking is an amazing album full of southern influenced guitars that really give the album a unique feel. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed the guitars in this album. Instead of chugging along, they intricately weave in and out around the drums and vocals. MMF does an excellent job of mixing some heavy hardcore breakdowns with some hard southern rock influenced guitar solos and riffs. The southern influenced album really gives the album more of a rock feel than a post-hardcore feel in my opinion. The best track of Sleepwalking would have to be “You’re Lucky It’s Not 1692.” This track is one of the heaviest and boasts some of Matt’s best screams, but it also has a great southern rock attitude.
Overall: this is a must buy for any fan of southern rock. The guitar work in Sleepwalking is phenomenal and the clean vocals and raw screams aren’t too shabby either. Whether you are a post-hardcore fan or not, Memphis May Fire will definitely get you up out of your seat moving around.