Originally released about a year ago by Swedish label Dental Records and then licensed stateside earlier this year by Candlelight Records, "The Wind-Up" is the incredibly impressive debut from Kristinehamn, Sweden's Memfis. You'd never really guess it from the band name or the oddly "indie" looking style of the album art, but the band's focused and surprisingly technical style is an almost perfect blend of equal parts Opeth and Burst—and both from the fellow Swedes' golden ages (circa, say, "Still Life" and "In Coveting Ways", respectively). That's not to take anything away from the band's own creativity, though. Sure, these riffing styles may be familiar on many levels, but I've certainly never heard the two combined so fluidly, and there's nothing but quality steadily streaming from throughout the riffs and compositions that Memfis places on display here—only a few of which top the four-minute mark (though the album does tend to play through almost as though it's one complete whole). I don't know, while I'm still a fan of Opeth and Burst, this album actually contains some of the much-needed energy and zest that both of those bands have been lacking in recent years. There are just a ton of awesome little smooth melodies and roving bass runs, a great recording... it's just a really cool album all in all.
Memfis "The Wind-Up"
Memfis "The Judgement"
Comments
Ooh yeah, I’ve been trying to get my hands on this one for a while. Good to know Candlelight picked this up, thanks for the tip.
9.10.2007 | By Invisible Oranges
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWXaBLR8Z8k
9.10.2007 | By Anonymous
Yes it’s a pretty awesome album! I’ve been listening alot to it this last year. buy!
9.10.2007 | By Fredrik
this is just the refreshment that I love that comes from this website. just when I get bored with music, Andrew keeps blowing me away with great artists. I love this site.
9.10.2007 | By Steve Z
Yes dude!, fuckin’ yes!!!
9.11.2007 | By Adrianoso
Wow, Andrew, you deliver yet again—never heard of this band, and they’re fucking great. Fuck yes.
9.12.2007 | By Vince Neilstein
[...] Andrew over at Aversionline always seems to get it right; take, for instance, this introduction to the heretofore unheard of (at least to these ears) Swedish melo-death band Memfis. Says Andrew, “You’d never really guess it from the band name or the oddly “indie” looking style of the album art, but the band’s focused and surprisingly technical style is an almost perfect blend of equal parts Opeth and Burst.” Aversionline has two mp3 from the band’s latest release “The Wind-Up” posted for downloading. [...]
9.14.2007 | By MetalSucks » Blog Archive » MEMFIS: ME
This is really really promising. Some parts remind me of Dark Tranquility’s Minds I.
9.24.2007 | By Birkir
[...] Memfis - The Wind-Up Progressive death metal that’s melodic but not overtly Gothenburg. Does that make sense? Their 2006 (2007 for U.S.) release The Wind-Up on Candlelight is excellent through and through. Another gem I found out about from Andrew @ Averisonline, who describes it as “focused and surprisingly technical… [and is] an almost perfect blend of equal parts Opeth and Burst - and both from the fellow Swedes’ golden ages.” [...]
4.4.2008 | By A FEW ALBUMS AND BANDS I’VE BEEN WANTING TO