Remembering Never
Women And Children Die First (2003)
Jim
Remembering Never is back, and they're pissed. But the reasons have changed this time around. Their last album, "She Looks So Good In Red" was filled with angry lyrics about relationships gone awry and the ensuing revenge. However, this time around the band tackles more serious issues such as religion, politics, and animal rights. The press release states that Pete (vocals) has dealt with the previous problems and moved on. Imagine that, a band exhausts one topic and moves on to another, I can think of a few people who need to take a hint. The band wasn't very happy with the way their previous album came out, so they immediately started working on this one and you can hear the frustration.
Right from the start this album has a more angry sound to it. While their last album had a sense of melody similar to Poison the Well and their ilk, "Women and Children Die First" comes out swinging. "For The Love Of Fiction" takes issue with organized religion, basically stating that it's control stems only from fear. The music is much heavier than anything they've done in the past, but there is still a bit singing thrown in. However, the sung vocals sound better than before, and better than most of the bands who do the singing/screaming thing. Previously the music had been centered on melodic interludes; this time the focus is on sheer heaviness with bits chaos plugged in. The music matches the mood of the CD well, and it carries Remembering Never past the preconceived notion that they are yet another emotional metalcore band. The band makes it's declaration in the final track "Serenading This Dead Horse." "Fall to your knees, fall to your weakness. It has become your standard, consuming every word. Meaningless words form meaningless sentences. Where is the message? Where is the progress?" This song actually contains one of the most melodic passages on the album, but it is quickly followed by one of the heaviest.
Overall, I enjoy this substantially more than the band's past work, and I think others will as well. Aside from the lyrics, the band provides explanations for each song. This has been done before, but I really wish more bands would do this. Not so much because it helps people comprehend the lyrics, but because it's a window into what the band was thinking when they wrote these tracks. The most interesting explanation comes at the end of the lyrics. This appears under the final track, "Serenading This Dead Horse." "How long will we in this phase of hardcore? We are a guilty party as far as not doing our part, but this is a different day. Being in a hardcore band makes it my privilege and responsibility to share ideas rather than worry about what color she looks good in."