Karl sounded extremely hoarse when I saw BT about 5 years ago (damn, has it really been that long? ) so I guess that's just how it is.

BT fanboy-nerd mode on\

the title of the this advance track "Reduced To Zero" is taken from "Zeroed", a Bolt Thrower song on Mercenery

[Vindicated - Far beyond all crime
Instigated - Religions so sublime
All the hatred - Nothing divine
Reduced to zero - The sum of mankind]

BT fanboy-nerd mode off/

Edit: WTF? I just listen to the track right now and is boring as fuck! My expectations went down...

Maybe they are a bit washed out? I mean, it has been 12 years since the last Bolt Thrower album. These guys enjoy a sort of a sacred cow status due to the legendariness of BT, so perhaps people aren't as quick to point it out as they could be.

I haven't heard the song yet, though.

I'm enjoying everything so far from Memoriam, but why the hell are 3/5ths of Bolt Thrower unemployed musically? Would be great to have 2 Bolt Thrower tribute bands

It's pretty cool to hear since it's the closest thing to new Bolt Thrower we've gotten in over a decade, but yeah this song is really disappointing. I was all prepared to point out that Willets was never all that great of a vocalist and was really just a "game manager" type vocalist to go over the monumental riffage (like Peyton Manning in his last year being mediocre as hell while the rest of the Broncos were dominant), but yeah holy shit he sounds so much worse than he ever has. It's also super boring, I'm about halfway through the song and it feels like I've been listening to a series of intro riffs for nearly four minutes just waiting for the song to actually break loose. That's a bummer. I wasn't TOO crazily excited since, again, I never thought Willets was all that great, but I'm still pretty heftily let down.

Dave Ingram said awhile ago that the other members weren't starting new bands or making plans to do anything. No idea if they're retiring completely but it seems probable.

Listened as I was curious and wow, nice growl talking there. The lack of power sucks the energy out pretty quick and when your accent is coming through, maybe you're not doing it right.

...Karl Willets' accent was always obvious on all the BT albums with him. Still, I guess you're right, it is kinda lacking in force compared to his other work. Guess it's age really, nothing you can do about that.

EDIT: Oh shit, thought you were talking about the Hellfire demos. Yeah I don't like this new song as much as the previous ones either. None of the hype is lost though, I still have eternal faith in Willets and the rest of the band.

I think Willets really is/was a great vocalist. His Brummie accent and charisma really sold the songs. I mean, say what you want about the material on Honour - Valour - Pride - I'd say it's one of their weaker albums - but the band never worked as well without him.

Karl sounded nowhere as weak live when i saw him this august. There must have been something going wrong in the studio.

I'm just hoping this project is a prelude for an amazing Bolt Thrower comeback, just like when Paradise Lost members released incredible Vallenfyre/Bloodbath albums and after that returning with an incredible return to form album for Paradise Lost... It would indeed be cool if the other (3) members would do something in between to kill the time (and to warm up for a possible Bolt Thrower comeback... well one can always hope...).

I read an interview with Dave Hunt in a magazine from a couple of months ago where he states that Benediction is an old beast and therefor it moves slowly. The band was non active for a couple of months because one of the guitar players was involved with the organization o the Olympic games. He further stated that he hoped they will have more news by the end of 2016 (not sure if there has been any updates in the meanwhile)

I don't think the vocals are that bad. But the DM growl is gone.
I like the change a bit, it reminds me of the crust/punk/grind influences the early english scene had.

My main gripe is the new song is too long. 2/3 minutes shorter, or some faster/intenser parts in it and it would've been way better.
If there are more faster parts, and he sings it faster/more intense like in In Battle There Is No Law, the vocals would fit the music pretty good imo.

Still curious to hear the album. I like everything they've released so far. Even this song, but it could've been better.

Karl sounds pretty weak here, but I could overlook that if the music were good enough. It's not. The difference between this and Bolt Thrower is that Bolt Thrower had riffs.

That's exactly how the song feels to me too. The riffs are okay but they really do sound like they're building-up to something better that never arrives.
Fairly weak.

but the thing is he can absolutely still growl

This is also how I'm feeling about this one.

But I mean... We'd be stupid to expect this to be Bolt Thrower 2. Afterall, Memoriam only has Karl Willets and Andrew Walle from the original BT line-up. Without the guitars of Gavin and Barry and the bass of Jo, it can't really be Bolt Thrower.

Another new song:

I've gone ahead and pre-ordered it from Amazon. This will probably be as close as we get to another Bolt Thrower album and I'll take it. New song isn't bad, but I didn't get to hear it all. I'll give it another shot later this evening.

My god that was boring as hell too. Karl sounds like crap, riffs go nowhere, tone isn't as beefy and punishing as BT, just a huge disappointment all around.

Indeed, especially on the vocals. This is some nowadays Chris Barnes-level shit, for sure! Except it might be even worse, I think even Barnes would think this is a really weak performance. I honestly was too distracted by the awful vocals to even pay attention to the riffs, in fact I couldn't stomach it enough to even finish the song. It really kills me to say that because I always really loved Karl's voice (especially on "Those Once Loyal"), and he was a huge influence on my vocals when I first started out...but I guess he just doesn't have it in him anymore. My excitement for this album is quickly draining, however as it stands I'll still buy it!

The bass-led grooves made possible by Jo Bench's tone and oplaying style are gone, Karl Willets' voice is gone, the only musician doing anything interesting is Andy Whale, who is still neutered by the plastic production. The riffs are worse than the ones on Mercenary. If this is the successor to Bolt Thrower, I'd rather it not be succeeded at all.

Who actually likes guitar tones like this? There's no bite or attack to it, it's just a soft and fuzzy blast of noise, like a warm fluffy kitten.

Honestly, I don't think Karl sounds that bad here. Kinda has a crusty hardcore edge to it.

I don't have a problem with the vocals either. They're just something different. If they're like that because he wants 'em to be like that, not because he's trying and failing to be Willets of yore, then that's fine by me. I even like the guitar sound. I agree it's warm, fuzzy, and not particularly heavy, but I still think it has an old-school, buzzsaw edge to it.

My beef is the exact same as with the first track. The riffs don't make a song. They're slightly better riffs than the first track, but like Bastard's been reiterating, they don't go anywhere or build to anything. There's no feeling of structure. It's simply a short string of average riffs that don't feel related to each other.

It's hard to explain or be objective about. I guess it's just a feeling, one I very rarely encounter, really. Lots of bands have been accused of having structureless/noodling/meandering songs because of unconnected riffs, and I rarely ever get that impression, even from tech-death types of music. But this band, I definitely get that impression about.
Maybe the riffs just aren't good enough to convince me that there's any real point or narrative being conveyed? Yeah, that might be it. Straight-up shitty bands with shitty riffs often leave me with the same sense of aimless songs.

I finally got to listen to it all the way through. I don't get all the hate for the vocals? I thought they were fine and fit in with the rest of the song. I'm thinking that he doesn't want it to sound just like Bolt Thrower and is perhaps trying something different for a different band. I just get an old school death metal vibe from the song which I like so I'm looking forward to this even more than I was before. Can't wait to hear some more.

x2

I just read about this and am on my first listen. Have some mixed feelings.

My feelings weren't mixed, I thought this sucked. It was certainly no Bolt Thrower or even close to it. Willets vocals sounded weird to me among other things. I'd actually forgot about until I saw this thread again...lol

Sorry. It happened.

I didn't realise people had negative views of Memoriam. It's slower than Bolt Thrower, sure, but I actually quite liked it. It's got a real drudge-riddled war-torn feel about it. Anyone else with me?

I thought "For the Fallen" was a good album. Karl's vocals are obviously different on this. I found it to be an enjoyable listen for those wanting some new Bolt Thrower.

I guess they are alright. Caught them live at Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium and they did a fine job. They're just not that exciting outside of a live setting as you could just listen to a Bolt Thrower album and get more out of it everytime.

problem is that the new guitarist just got groove but no good sense of melody imho.

Just saw this:

Memoriam UK (ex Bolt Thrower/Benediction) to call it quits in 2019!

Karl Willetts (ex Bolt Thrower) tweeted a link to an interview with his Memoriam bandmate Frank Healy & Metal Global Radio (at Bloodstock Festival) confirming that Memoriam will do one last (covers) album & end with a final show in Birmingham December 2019.

Here's the full interview:
https://www.rtp.pt/play/p652/e361838/me ... bal/683098
(split mentioned around 18 min mark)


I guess Willets & Whale have pencilled in a 2020 Bolt Thrower reunion..

Wow that was fast.

I think my biggest problem with Memoriam was actually Karl Willets' vocals. They just sounded really tired. Oh well.

Understatement of the century . I'd say his current voice is among the most pitiful, pathetic excuse for "death growls" I've ever heard, far beyond Chris Barnes at his worst.

i think hes mostly suffering from modern production/mixing as he is still good live. Martin Van Drunen also suffers from this but not as much.

I think Memoriam have just been a massive disappointment on every level - musically, vocally, live shows, etc. Then there's the over exposure, the whole Antifa thing, having a merch store before they'd even written a song, the quanity over quality album wise etc.
They're just the complete opposite of Bolt Thrower, the band they've been riding on the coattails of..