Memphis May Fire is getting ready to release their 6th studio album Broken, On November 16, 2018. Ten years of making powerful music, their sound has only recently started to change. I will admit this is not my favorite album from the Dallas Natives. There are a couple of catchy tunes on the list, but I wouldn’t stick this album in my top 10 favorites of all time. Since the release of Challenger, their sound has lightened up little by little (give or take a few songs) and that is okay! Heavy doesn’t always mean better. However, their sound kind of neutralized during the last three albums and just doesn’t feel as powerful. The material feels similar and unfortunately, I am not sure how much attention this album will get. I cannot knock the lyrics as they have always had an amazing story to tell. Their words are real and I’m sure many fans feel as though they can relate, which is why I fell in love with the band from the start. It’s the sound that feels like it has stagnated.
The album kicks off with the track “The Old Me.” Vocalist, Matty Mullins, immediately delves into extremely relevant and powerful lyrics. His opens his heart and speaks on behalf of his depression and anxiety. The breakdown, the chorus, the song as a whole, keep that recent “Memphis May Fire” vibe. The second track’s beats start off faster with lyrics that consist of group shouting. This may be one of the few on the album that would be fun to listen to during a live set.
The third song caught me by surprise and I would have to say it’s one of my favorites on the album. The vibe I get from “Sell My Soul” brings me back to their 2009 Album release, Sleepwalking. It has a very bluesy feel to it. The verses are extremely catchy and the song sounds even better the louder you set it. You can feel the heart put in this song, which is why I feel like it stands out amongst the rest.
The fifth track “Heavy Is The Weight,” I will admit, is different than other MMF songs. I really enjoyed the slower tunes with the raspy vocals, however, I was completely thrown off about halfway through the song. There is a rap verse that jumped out unexpectedly. While I didn’t absolutely hate it, I just don’t know if necessarily fit into this song. I applaud the band for trying to mesh two genre’s together. Maybe after a couple more listens, I might take more to it.
As we progress through their album, we hit a couple more songs that just didn’t have much significance in my personal listening experience. Then you hit “You and Me” Which is the second song that I took note of. This piece is an absolutely beautiful song, filled haunting minor tones, and close to home lyrics that set the mood right from the first note. I don’t think there is a single slow song that I have disliked from Memphis May fire.
The album comes to a close with “Mark my Words” and “Live another day” that both involve a common sound. While I know they put work into “Broken” It just doesn’t feel as though Memphis May fire challenged themselves enough to stick out in the overcrowded scene of supposed “Metalcore” artists. Memphis May Fire will always hold a special place in my heart, I am just hoping in the future they keep trying new things with their sounds like they did with 2-3 songs I mentioned on this album. Maybe even an unplugged and acoustic album to throw into the Mix.
Track List:
- The Old Me
- Watch out
- Sell My Soul
- Who I am
- Heavy is the Weight
- Over it
- Fool
- You And Me
- Mark My Words
- Live Another Day
