Blinded Memory - Melodic Metal - Riga, Latvia
Ever since the Berlin Wall came down, many have been quick to assume that Eastern Europe was destined to find itself forever in the shadows of its capitalist Western counterpart—be it in government, wealth, quality of living, or even art. Eastern melodic metal, though, has proven to be just as strong (if not stronger) than its favored next door neighbor, with many thanks to the Hear This! Promotions “Band of the Week”—Blinded Memory, hailing all the way from Riga, Latvia—and their 2013 release, “From the Ashes”, putting the country right back on the proverbial metal map.
The five tracks of “From the Ashes”, all being in the same key, work very much as a cohesive unit, with the aptly titled “The Beginning” starting things off with a bang before leading seamlessly into the first full song, “Hypocrite”. “The Beginning” introduces some interesting electronica elements, which unfortunately never find their way back into the Blinded Memory equation, but the dual-metal onslaught from vocalist Eric Novikov and guitarist Anton Polskikh more than make up for the lack of instrumental diversity.
Novikov’s writing is the perfect fit for this style of music. He can call out the dissenters without seeming inflated (“You’re so pathetic tonight”), or find a way to turn a night at rock bottom into something as inspiring as a Rocky montage (“That’s not the way how my story ends…I’ll take my final chance”). “Takeover” additionally might as well be the siren song for any band that’s ever dealt with the petty drama at the local level, with Novikov’s sarcastic, snotty spoken-word bridge conjuring enough human relatability (who hasn’t wanted to yell a vocalized middle finger into someone’s face at some point in his/her life?) to transcend multiple world borders and nationalities.
At any point where Novikov can’t quite carry the whole track on his own (a very rare occurrence on “From the Ashes”), Poskikh steps in on the six-string, usually at the end, to lift the song to its final pinnacle. The pairing of the classic 80's metal tapping and familiar heady melodies in the fragile “Forever and Always” offer the perfect antithesis to Novikov’s brutally personal lyrics, and then the bridge’s combination of whispered vocals with clean guitars become just the icing on an already exceedingly rich cake.
Blinded Memory is likely located very far away from your hometown (there are about 5,000 miles between them and myself), but Novikov has a real knack for surpassing that distance in his lyrics. Just one listen of “From the Ashes” is enough to feel a true sense of connection to this Eastern Europe metal outfit, because you’ve felt all of these things that Novikov has. You’ve struggled just like he has, and you’re going to be supporting Blinded Memory just like he does as soon as “The Beginning” finds its way into your headphones.
Check Out Their Website, And Listen To "From the Ashes" Here:
http://www.blindedmemory.com
Support On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BlindedMemory
By: Max Puhala
The five tracks of “From the Ashes”, all being in the same key, work very much as a cohesive unit, with the aptly titled “The Beginning” starting things off with a bang before leading seamlessly into the first full song, “Hypocrite”. “The Beginning” introduces some interesting electronica elements, which unfortunately never find their way back into the Blinded Memory equation, but the dual-metal onslaught from vocalist Eric Novikov and guitarist Anton Polskikh more than make up for the lack of instrumental diversity.
Novikov’s writing is the perfect fit for this style of music. He can call out the dissenters without seeming inflated (“You’re so pathetic tonight”), or find a way to turn a night at rock bottom into something as inspiring as a Rocky montage (“That’s not the way how my story ends…I’ll take my final chance”). “Takeover” additionally might as well be the siren song for any band that’s ever dealt with the petty drama at the local level, with Novikov’s sarcastic, snotty spoken-word bridge conjuring enough human relatability (who hasn’t wanted to yell a vocalized middle finger into someone’s face at some point in his/her life?) to transcend multiple world borders and nationalities.
At any point where Novikov can’t quite carry the whole track on his own (a very rare occurrence on “From the Ashes”), Poskikh steps in on the six-string, usually at the end, to lift the song to its final pinnacle. The pairing of the classic 80's metal tapping and familiar heady melodies in the fragile “Forever and Always” offer the perfect antithesis to Novikov’s brutally personal lyrics, and then the bridge’s combination of whispered vocals with clean guitars become just the icing on an already exceedingly rich cake.
Blinded Memory is likely located very far away from your hometown (there are about 5,000 miles between them and myself), but Novikov has a real knack for surpassing that distance in his lyrics. Just one listen of “From the Ashes” is enough to feel a true sense of connection to this Eastern Europe metal outfit, because you’ve felt all of these things that Novikov has. You’ve struggled just like he has, and you’re going to be supporting Blinded Memory just like he does as soon as “The Beginning” finds its way into your headphones.
Check Out Their Website, And Listen To "From the Ashes" Here:
http://www.blindedmemory.com
Support On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BlindedMemory
By: Max Puhala