Live Review from Underground Heavy #6:
Setlist:
1. Scumblack
2. Mess
3. No Balls Nor Miracles
4. Last Day
5. Dance Ballet
Another night, another Heavy show. Things were, admittedly, a little soft in Backstage (nearly every band sounded insufficiently loud to me anyway), but the enthusiasm of the bands and the variety of metal sort of made up for that. Wu So Lui hosting in place of Chris B was a cool and very appropriate change too.
Memoimoil have a pretty perfect definition of their sound – they are indie, and they are metal. And, unlike many bands that choose to add a very different spice to flavour their metal, this one actually manages to pull it off to some extent. They have that dissonance with a distinct dark undercurrent that indie has, and this extends to subject choice too. They write about heartbreak, love and have a nuanced take on anger (something which precludes most forms of metal), which supplements their sound. They are typical of a heavy band from the Noughties epoch – their metal sound tends to be a collection of leanings, rather than the base of their style. Sometimes, this comes out as an incoherent (NOT confused, a criticism I have had of bands in Heavy shows before) mix like on No Balls Nor Miracles, but one can appreciate what they’re trying to do.
They tend to begin songs in a pop-rock manner, as though to draw the listener into a soft sell, and while this works when they put enough flourish (Dance Ballet) it fails when the sound is too dark for its own good (Last Day). Scumblack had the unique distinction of being a metal-esque song that does not feature groovy drums (they were more complex than headbang-able), and this had the pleasant result of making them sound more like noise rock (including the bassist’s genuinely tortured screaming style). Dance Ballet was a chugging number, which raised their game from the disappointingly predictable Noughties rock No Balls… Their closer was awesome – very funk-oriented bass and lots of contrast between the brighter and darker notes. Their set did its job of showcasing the band, and starting the buzz for the rest of the show, so a job well done, I’d say.
— Shashwati
Live Review from Underground 89:
The first sentence of Peri M’s review also applies here. Memoimoil’s heavy sound and screaming vocals weren’t exactly my cup of tea, and apparently the neighbors of Rock School felt the same as we were visited by the police for sound complaints half way through the set. However I would like to think that Memoimoil would see that as a compliment. The quiet offstage nature of the band was clearly not a reflection of their on stage nature, capturing the audiences attention with driving guitar rifts and pumping bass and drums. For there underground debut they had a strong stage presence, and considering they were last to play they dealt well with a smaller audience size. There efforts were clearly enjoyed and appreciated, it’s just a shame they didn’t have more people willing volunteers to start a mosh pit.
Heather Lowe
Click here to watch Memoimoil playing their original song: City With No Balls Nor Miracles!