Ferret Records' Remembering Never has been largely underappreciated. Many people either never heard of them or didn't them that much. Their previous album, Women and Children Die First, was a major improvement from She Looks so Good in Red, but it was not a stellar album.
God Save Us came out late February. It is solid proof that Remembering Never continues to get heavier, more concentrated, and more intense with experience, and making better records each time.
This album is significantly different to Women and Children. The songs are faster, more plentiful, and shorter. This seems appropriate, because of the stylistic changes. If you compare the guitar parts of the bands' two latest albums, you'll notice that on this one, they play on lower strings more now, with less dissonant riffs and fuller chords.
This is a good stylistic change as it is much more suitable for the band. This is a much more "hardcore" release than it is "metal," which is also an upside. So far I've told you that it's lower, faster, and more hardcore stylistically, and that may sound like they got muddier. Not true: this is their crispest album ever, thanks to pitch-perfect recording and producing.
Every one of the fourteen tracks, averaging well under three minutes each, is continual brutality that throws in plenty of change-ups and grips you like pure caffeine. This album is the soundtrack to Mosh Mosh Revolution, advanced level.
This album and the band offer much more than just a mosh classic though. Each song is a rally cry for hardcore ideals: straightedge, personal discipline, veganism, and behind all that tough guy stuff, compassion. "Slaughterhouse Blues" is a powerful anthem about animal abuse that makes me proud of being vegetarian but ashamed for not being vegan. "Runner Up in a S**t-Eating Contest" is a thoughtful commentary piece on the hypocrisy of today's "spiritually-guided" leaders. The whole album is very socially conscious and moving in this way.
God Save Us has been largely accepted as Remembering Never's finest work to date. 75% hardcore, 25% metal, fast and brutal with well-placed breakdowns, excellent producing job, and not a moment feels like it should have been omitted. Fans of Most Precious Blood, Comeback Kid, August Burns Red, and any other dynamic hardcore band will have this on their list of this year's Top 5 releases.
...
C.L. '06 |
