Memento – Beginnings

Release Date: February 25, 2003
Reviewed by Vin Cherubino

Memento:\m-‘men-to\n, pl, -tos or toes [ME,fr. Latin for remember]: something that serves to warn or remind, also: souvenir, token of remembrance, to keep from forgetting. After listening to this CD, you can see why their name fits their music. It’s infectious, covering many different rock styles, each so naturally represented that the CD gets better every time you listen to it.

Whether it comes from a piano solo or an incredibly catchy chorus, Memento grabs your attention completely throughout the entire album and keeps the momentum going. The music is always changing, always diverse. At one point the album can be acoustical, while at another the album can be as forceful as they come. A plentiful number of songs on the album are very impressive, aggressive yet catchy. One of the best songs on the album “Shell” uses a vocal hook that sounds exceptionally similar to Lollipop Lust Kill’s singer, and makes an already great song sound incredible. Melodic chants back the vocals at every appropriate moment. While the songs themselves are mostly friendly enough for radio, they possess substance, a trait which most nu-metal acts lack. “Blister” sounds more like a symphonic composition then a rock song, but it’s blended so well using soft strings, emotionally drenched vocals and pounding guitars/bass/drums that you instantly get hooked. Songs such as “Beginnings”, “Figure 8”, “Saviour”, “Blister” and “Reflections” show the beauty of Memento’s softer side, while “Shell”, “Below”, “Coming”, “Nothing Sacred”, and “Stare” demonstrate their ability to induce a rock onslaught. Memento even gives off a Tool vibe at certain periods of the album.

Memento uses a modern approach that has yet to be duplicated. Very rarely has there been an album that seamlessly integrated melody and aggression the way Memento has. A new star is born.