Band : Memorial
Album title : Shatter The Art
Label : Casket Music – Copro Records
Distributor : PHD – Bertus
Release date : 13/06/2011 (UK= 25/04/2011)
Release : CD

After the release of their 2009 debut album In The Absence Of All Things Sacred on Casket Music/ Copro (review posted 13/02/2011 for all of you info-maniacs wanting to know about the band's history prior to that moment in time), Danish Death Thrashers Memorial parted ways with singer Neil Poulsen and bassist Rune Sinnbeck.

Halfway 2009 the band finally found a new singer in Dennis H. Petersson of Down Your Throat (Dk), and in early March 2010 the guys announced they'd been able to complete their line-up with the addition of Down Your Throat guitarist Morten Jacobsen, whom switched to the bass in the process. Following some intense rehearsing, the new line-up had its live baptism during the Danish (Aalborg) Day Of Decay Festival in August and did a longer run of Danish shows (well, actually only six) in October. In between the guys had started the writing process of this, their sophomore full-length album, which they recorded in different studios later in the year: CB Studios for the drums, and Dead Rat Studios for the rest. Present in the latter was producer Jacob Bredahl, whom had already produced the band's debut album.

Without knowing why the former members left, I daresay Memorial went for a vocal improvement with the recruitment of Dennis, as his screams are just a little more vicious, just a little more powerful, and a little more befitting the band's Extreme Metal approach. On top, recruiting a guitarist to perform the role of bassist seems to give the whole an even tighter feel than before. In my opinion, it brings out the band's slightly Progressive and melodic sides even a bit more, all while staying brutal as fuck! The differences may be small, but I'm sure lovers of the Extreme Arts of Music are gonna lóve how this band turned out! To allow each and everyone to make out the difference between the band of old and that of today, they posted two songs off the new album (“When Everyone Starts To Forget” and “Riding The Sledge”) alongside the three songs off the debut that were already posted at (www.) myspace.com/memorialonline. I'd say, log in, activate the music player, lay back, and enjoy! Definitely gets a better rating than the debut!

93/100

Tony.