Back in early 2007 when MetalSucks was first getting going I frequented the Aversionline blog daily and listened to everything they posted religiously. I still check out Aversionline, although I find that my tastes have veered off in a different direction from much of what Andrew posts these days. One of the bands I discovered back then from Aversionline was Memfis, a Swedish prog-metal band who, in hindsight, remind me a whole lot of Burst. They’ve got an Opethian flare for composition and arrangement blended seamlessly with big, burly American-sized Mastodonian riffs. Their 2006 debut The Wind-Up was a staple in my rotation for all of 2007.

I’ve often since wondered what became of Memfis, and now I know; they recorded a follow-up in 2008 but were forced to hold onto it due to a legal battle with their former label. Until now. That album, Vertigo, is being streamed in its entirety via the band’s website, where you can also download the record for any price of your choosing. This is great, great, great, great stuff and I highly recommend you give it a shot. Hearing Vertigo is reminding me why I loved The Wind-Up so much, and it’s inspiring me to go back and give that album another spin for old time’s sake.

Here’s a statement MetalSucks received from the band via email regarding the label lawsuit and the eventual release of Vertigo:

Click to read more…

Not since Spinal Tap has a band had this much bottom. According to Blabbermouth, ex-Burst guitarist Jonas Rydberg has joined the Gothenburg-based band Faster Katt as a bassist. Memfis’ Mattias Engström also plays bass in the group. Two bassists? Yep.

Faster Katt is absolutely nothing like what you’d expect a band with members of Burst and Memfis to sound like. Nor is it anything like what you’d expect a band with the name Faster Katt to sound like. It’s just… uhh… weird. It sounds like a tongue-in-cheek version of Muse without guitars or keyboards but with a psychiatric patient on vocals.

I’m guessing this is a more of a goof-off project then anything, but it’s interesting to see what one of the members of Burst has been up to since that band’s demise. Not that there’s anything wrong with Faster Katt, but let’s hope for something a little more straight-forward and metal in the future.

-VN

Metal Bastard tells us that Swedish metallers Memfis have got two new tracks up on their MySpace page. I’ve written about Memfis in this space before, but it bears repeating because you all have thick skulls: they’re an excellent metal band from Sweden (NOT melodeath/metalcore/Swedecore/whatever) whose 2006 release The Wind Up turned more than a few heads. Think a more death-y Burst mixed with the dramatics of Opeth mixed with… ya know, originality.

Check out Memfis’ MySpace for the two new tracks from an album whose name and release date have yet to be announced; then check out Metal Bastard to download a few MP3s; then watch the band playing “Dead Ends” live, below. If you can even handle it.

-VN

Sometimes the amount of material we receive in the mail or read about is completely overwhelming and some excellent stuff gets lost in the shuffle. Here are some releases that have been in my “must listen to more” pile for quite some time, but for whatever reason I haven’t been able to work them into a post or give them their fair due. homemade anal video – amateurs girl and boy having anal sex

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.”

Memfis – “The Wind-Up” (The Wind-Up)
Memfis – “The Judgment” (The Wind-Up)

Van Halen – Fair Warning
This is kind of a dud of a Van Halen album, isn’t it? For whatever reason I didn’t actually own a copy of this until very recently (I know, I know), but now the reason why is apparent; as far as Van Halen goes, Fair Warning wasn’t really the top jimmy. Other than “Mean Street” and “Unchained” there really isn’t anything memorable, and the whole thing is sort of pussified. There aren’t even any classic DLR showtunes. If I went to the record store when this came out in 1980 and dropped the needle on the record when I got home I would’ve been mighty disappointed. What, you wanna fight about it?? Let’s go.

Three – The End Is Begun
We’ve posted about Three quite a bit here, but I still don’t feel as if they’ve gotten their due. After all, they are “that other band” on this Spring’s Progressive Nation Tour (feat. Dream Theater, Opeth and Between the Buried and Me) and their logo looks like a giant cock n’ balls. But their album The End is Begun, recently re-released on Metal Blade, is one hell of a piece of work. Part Coheed and Cambria, part something more delicately intricate, Three combine beautiful acoustic passages with prog-metal deliciousness. Guitarist and founding member Joey Eppard is actually the brother of ex-Coheed (and ex-Three) drummer Josh Eppard. Definitely do not miss them on the Prog Nation Tour.

Opeth – The Roundhouse Tapes (Live) [2x CD]
A fucking fantastic live recording by a fucking fantastic band. New and old Opeth songs are enjoyable all the way through both discs, with a palpable feeling of energy in the air. For die-hard fans and Opeth newbies alike. The kind of album you can lay back, sit and listen to with headphones on, or keep in the background while working.

-VN