This year has been a busy one for the hard rock and metal community. New releases from the likes of Killswitch Engage, Whitechapel, Alien Weaponry, and Warbringer have already given hard rock and metal fans plenty to of reason to be happy. Just recently, Pop Evil, Bloodywood, Arch Enemy, and Bleed From Within added to that reason for happiness, as did Memphis May Fire, which released its latest album, Shapeshifter through Rise Records. Released March 28, the album is the band’s eighth album is a strong new offering from the group. That is due in part to the collective musical arrangements that make up the album’s 41-minute run time. The lyrical themes that accompany that content add to the record’s interest and the production of that collective content puts the finishing touch to the presentation. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s body. All things considered they make Shapeshifter a welcome new offering from Memphis May Fire.
Shapeshifter, the latest album from Memphis May Fire (the band’s seventh for Rise Records and eighth overall), is an interesting new offering from the band. Having come a little less than three years after the release of its then latest album, Remade in Misery, the 10-track record is a presentation that the band’s established audiences will appreciate, as will more casual audiences. This is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are of note because in comparison to works from the band’s existing catalog there is some familiarity alongside clear signs of growth. The heavy, crunching riffs for which the band has come to be known and even some of the vocal harmonies are there at points, such as the album’s single, ‘Overdose.’ Those riffs are front and center, as are the clean vocals alongside the sharp screams from front man Matty Mullins. Much the same can be said of the likes of ‘Paralyzed,’ and ‘Love Is War.’ The comparisons are just as easy to works from Of Mice & Men, another metalcore outfit just as well-known and respected as Memphis May Fire. On another note, a song, such as album opener ‘Chaotic’ is more of a mainstream style composition along the lines of works from Pop Evil, believe it or not. It is an exhibition of the noted growth that the band shows this time out. On yet another note, a song, such as ‘Shapeshifter,’ the band exhibits yet more familiarity through the intensity of this song to earlier works from its catalog. At the same time, the song boasts its own identity even with that stylistic similarity noted. The near death metal growls and razor sharp guitar riffs and rich, pounding rhythm section makes this one of the album’s most notable entries. When it and the other songs examined here are considered alongside the rest of the album’s entries, the whole of that musical picture makes clear why the album’s musical arrangements are so important to Shapeshifter’s presentation.
Adding to the album’s interest is the lyrical content that accompanies the examined musical arrangements. Case in point is the theme at the center of ‘Necessary Evil.’ Mullins said in an interview promoting the album that its central lyrical theme is “a journey through the layers of deception, self-reflection, and the struggle to find what’s genuine in a world full of pretense.” He continued in said statement, “We wanted Shapeshifter to embody that feeling of losing and finding yourself, over and over, until you finally see what’s real.” Now on that note, ‘Necessary Evil’ follows that theme in its own way as Mullins sings of a person battling his inner struggles and that the battle is “necessary evil.” This as Mullins sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “Back full of thorns in a bed full of roses/Take the pleasure with the pain/Double doses/Stuck in a rage/Can’t escape the emotion/’Cause I try and I try/But I lose every time/I try to change anything in the timeline/Life’s a game and only won in the mind’s eye/Looking for a way out/But it’s all just in vain/Time won’t wait and there’s no sequel/Waste away to thread the needle/Weighed down/’Cause it all ends the same/Life is pain and love is lethal/It’s all necessary evil.” Again, here is Mullins’ note that the band wanted the record to “embody that feeling of losing and finding yourself…” The realization here that we have to take the good and bad together is part of that process of finding oneself. To that end, the song is a prime example of the importance of Shapeshifter’s lyrical themes.
Another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content comes through ‘Paralyzed.’ Referring back to Mullins’ comments about the album’s overall theme, this song would seem to center on the matters of losing as a person seems to be battling addiction. In this case, the seeming addiction would be to drugs. This as Mullins sings, “Every day’s a vicious cycle/And I’m stuck on repeat/I’ve been overmedicating/waiting/Praying for peace/I guess it’s death or deliverance/But it’s not up to me/’Cause the devil’s dealing cards/And he’s playing for keeps/Night after night/hear my soul keep saying/”Fight for your life” but my will feels wasted/Heart is racing/Body shaking/No escaping/Think I’m paralyzed/Out of body and out of mind/I’m lost in the fight or flight/Terrified/Think that I might be outta time/Now I need a lifetime/I’m calling/Somebody please/make me believe I can breathe/I try to scream/Is this a dream/Or am I paralyzed?” This is someone who has lost a lot due to addiction. It is someone who has lost himself. The mentions of dopamine deficiency and adrenaline kicking in during the second verse adds to the sense that this is someone battling addiction and what comes with the associated withdrawal. This person is self-reflecting on what he has caused and the associated loss. It is right in line with the noted overall theme, and is certain to resonate in its own way with audiences, too.
One more example of the strength of the album’s lyrical content comes in the form of ‘Versus.’ The album’s penultimate entry, its lyrical theme seems to center on the self-reflection of what happens when a war of words starts between two people. This is inferred as Mullins sings, “I don’t wanna do this/You don’t want excuses/And who knows what the truth is/Guess it’s useless/When I lay down my weapon/And you sharpen yours/Think you’re twisting the words/This is worth fighting for/I’ll take off all my armor/If you drop the sword/We could leave it all on the floor/I don’t see why we can’t stop it all/Before the worst begins/If you only knew/When somebody starts a war that never ends/Nobody wins.” The song’s subject wants to bring this struggle to an end peacefully, not carry on the war while the other person clearly wants it to go on. This is clear self-realization. Truly nobody wins when someone starts a war that never ends, and it never ends when one person constantly twists the words of another simply to keep the war going because he or she just wants to keep it going. This is a situation to which plenty of people can relate, and it is a situation that fits the album’s overreaching theme, too. To that end, it is one more example, again, of the importance of the album’s lyrical content. When it and the content examined here is considered along with the remainder of the album’s lyrical content, the whole therein proves fully that import.
Knowing the impact of the lyrical and musical material featured in Shapeshifter, there is one more item to note of the record. That item in question is the record’s production. The production is to be commended. That is because of the balance that it ensures between the vocals and the instrumentation in each track. The two sides compliment one another well throughout the album, making sure that neither side washes out the other at any point. The positive aesthetic impact that results does its own share to engage and entertain audiences. When that impact is considered along with the impact of the album’s overall content, the whole therein makes Shapeshifter a work that established Memphis May Fire fans are certain to appreciate.
Shapeshifter, the latest album from Memphis May Fire, is a work that the band’s established audiences are sure to appreciate along with more casual listeners. That is due in part to the album’s featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are of note because they present some familiarity and growth from the band, giving audiences “the best of both worlds.” The lyrical themes that accompany that musical content adds to the album’s interest. That is because it all successfully follows the album’s central theme while also taking on various topics along the way. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole of the presentation, ensuring a positive aesthetic impact. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make Shapeshifter a mostly successful new addition to Memphis May Fire’s catalog that deems worth hearing at least once.
Shapeshifter is available now through Rise Records. Memphis May Fire is scheduled to tour this spring in support of its new album beginning Apr. 16 in Little Rock, AR. The tour is scheduled to run through May 18 in Daytona, FL and includes stops in cities, such as Charlotte, NC; Columbia, MO and Portland, OR.
The tour’s schedule is noted below. Tickets are available here.
MEMPHIS MAY FIRE ON TOUR:
WITH CASKETS, WIND WALKERS, + ELIJAH:
4/16 — Little Rock, AR — The Hall
4/17 — Dallas, TX — Southside Music Hall
4/18 — Houston, TX — Warehouse Live
4/19 — San Antoni, TX — Vibes
4/21 — Mesa, AZ — Nile Theater
4/22 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco
4/23 — San Diego, CA — Observatory SD
4/24 — Rosefield, CA — Goldfields
4/27 — Portland, OR — Hawthorne Theatre
4/29 — Billings, MT — Pub Station
4/30 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Complex
5/1 — Dener, CO — Summit
5/3 — Columbia, MO — The Blue Note
5/4 — Minneapolis, MN — Varsity Theater
5/5 — Joliet, IL — The Forge
5/6 — Grand Rapids, MI — Elevation
5/8 — Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple*
5/9 — Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Monarch
5/10 — Worcester, MA — Palladium
5/11 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer
5/13 — Baltimore, MD — Soundstage
5/14 — Charlotte, NC — The Underground
5/15 — Nashville, TN — Brooklyn Bowl
5/17 — Atlanta, GA — Center Stage
5/18 — Daytona, FL — Welcome to Rockville*
More information on Memphis May Fire’s new album, single, video, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MemphisMayFire
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MemphisMayFire
