Mem//brane Mem//brane LP
Having an affinity for metal in my formative years and then entering punk through CRUCIFIX and AUS-ROTTEN really set me up to be a stenchcore enjoyer, and MEM//BRANE never disappoints. This LP has already been surpassed by fresh material from the band, but as this particular full-length is only a little over six months old, it means two things. First, MEM//BRANE churns out crust punk epics, and second, I’ve had time to thoroughly digest the album. Harnessing a monolithic wall of instrumentation that includes ample, downtuned, pentatonic riffing, burly drum smashing, and dirty bass rumble to back a deep, full vocal delivery that is truly rage-fueled, MEM//BRANE lays out eight songs which crescendo with crusty, metallic breakdowns and rabid social criticism. Personally, this album is quickly gaining a status in my collection that finds itself alongside NUX VOMICA’s Embrace the Cycles EP, UNARMED’s World of Shit, and AGE OF COLLAPSE’s Burden of Beast LP. In other words, it’s gnarly as fuck in all the best ways.