Between The Muffins

It took 'em long enough, but Memphis May Fire are back with a new EP: Between The Lies. Is it as good as Sleepwalker? No. Is it worth listening to? Absolutely.

My biggest complaint about this release is that the southern comfort found in their previous albums is very hard to find. So hard to find, in fact, that it only makes one obvious appearance. I love post-hardcore, but the reason I loved MMF more than most post-hardcore is because they blended that southern element into their music so seemlessly.

Between The Lies begins with "Be Careful What You Wish For". MMF does something they really never did before and intros it with a bit of synth before getting down to business. After they do, in fact, get down to business, this opener is everything I've known and loved about MMF and then some. They've got the southern bite on the guitars, only everything is even heavier. Vocals feature a layering this time around on some of the screamed and clean parts, giving both aspects a better depth - a deeper pitch, which is refreshing. "Action/Adventure" lacks the down home southern lovin' of "Be Careful", however, as does the rest of this release. After that first track, Between The Lies sounds like the love child of Oh, Sleeper and Underoath - not a bad thing, but not the Memphis May Fire I loved.

Track three, "Vaulted Ceilings", starts off with a lot of atmospheric synth and effects on the guitars and drums that slowly builds to a brutal finish. "Deuces Las Cruces" brings the post-hardcore/metal back to the forefront. The guitars are fast and heavy, the bass is carrying the low end, and the drums are pummeling. Memphis May Fire close out their EP with "Gingervitus". This song brings to mind the aforementioned bands moreso than any other one on this release. That is not a bad thing, because they do this incredibly well. MMF continues to express top-notch musicianship and mastery of their instruments.

Between The Lies is not a bad release - quite the opposite, in fact, it is a spectacular EP. As I stated at the beginning of this review, the only complaint I had about this whole release is that it lacks the southern feel that truly made Memphis May Fire stand out from the crowd. Hopefully they'll bring that element back before they release their next album.