This review will appear in Issue 59 of The Underground Sound at http://undergroundrecords.org/sound
New release from the band who brought you Antithesis Of Time (see review above). They start off strong with the multi-faceted Omnicron. It's got plenty of parts, at times tied together nicely, then at the next cue you're left wondering if you haven't stepped into the lair of doom. This album again has plenty of progressive jamming. The jam, and diversity, is a calling card of Memento Waltz. Most of the time it works, sometimes, not so much. Opus Alchemicum is a perfect example. Not bad mind you, I'm yet to hear anything this band does that could be considered near to being "un-listenable". It's just too all over the place, though again, it has its moments. About half way through the song the band starts kicking hard, but only for a minute or so. Some more length to the ripping would serve well.
By more I don't mean more tricks of time, funky key integration, or extended meltdowns. You yearn for extension of the heavy riffage, something solid and less fleeting. You almost get it on Europa. It starts off with inside chords that bring you in, then hit you sideways as the parts change, making you pay attention lest life passes you by. In contrast, the following number Achille's Paradox is fine prog metal, but it's on the edge of being too much by the numbers. We've heard this too many times before. Perfection though, rears its head on the stunning Mechdreamer. It's eight minutes and one seconds of proverbial trip city. Perhaps not enough shape shifting for some, but it's pure bliss for those still relevant in the swirling landscapes of the outer avant-garde atmospheres of non-mainstream music. There, your negative diatribes mean nothing.
If you could EVER state Memento Waltz could be paired down, truly an oxymoron, the description could be applied to A New Beginning. I found my mind wandering and boredom not too far off. The set finished out with Emphasize, which was rather standard for Memento Waltz. Again, not bad, but not their best. Just a tad too much like other stuff you hear in the genre. The song, as well as the entire album is saved by it's adherence to metallic jazz, trademark of the band. That's generally what people come looking for when they choose Memento Waltz. Division By Zero will probably not disappoint them, yet for the hardcore, it may leave them wanting more.
New release from the band who brought you Antithesis Of Time (see review above). They start off strong with the multi-faceted Omnicron. It's got plenty of parts, at times tied together nicely, then at the next cue you're left wondering if you haven't stepped into the lair of doom. This album again has plenty of progressive jamming. The jam, and diversity, is a calling card of Memento Waltz. Most of the time it works, sometimes, not so much. Opus Alchemicum is a perfect example. Not bad mind you, I'm yet to hear anything this band does that could be considered near to being "un-listenable". It's just too all over the place, though again, it has its moments. About half way through the song the band starts kicking hard, but only for a minute or so. Some more length to the ripping would serve well.
By more I don't mean more tricks of time, funky key integration, or extended meltdowns. You yearn for extension of the heavy riffage, something solid and less fleeting. You almost get it on Europa. It starts off with inside chords that bring you in, then hit you sideways as the parts change, making you pay attention lest life passes you by. In contrast, the following number Achille's Paradox is fine prog metal, but it's on the edge of being too much by the numbers. We've heard this too many times before. Perfection though, rears its head on the stunning Mechdreamer. It's eight minutes and one seconds of proverbial trip city. Perhaps not enough shape shifting for some, but it's pure bliss for those still relevant in the swirling landscapes of the outer avant-garde atmospheres of non-mainstream music. There, your negative diatribes mean nothing.
If you could EVER state Memento Waltz could be paired down, truly an oxymoron, the description could be applied to A New Beginning. I found my mind wandering and boredom not too far off. The set finished out with Emphasize, which was rather standard for Memento Waltz. Again, not bad, but not their best. Just a tad too much like other stuff you hear in the genre. The song, as well as the entire album is saved by it's adherence to metallic jazz, trademark of the band. That's generally what people come looking for when they choose Memento Waltz. Division By Zero will probably not disappoint them, yet for the hardcore, it may leave them wanting more.