Band:	Burning The Memory
Album:	So Long The Dreamer
Style:	Metalcore
Release date:	April 07, 2009
A review by:	Darkside Momo

01. The Sound Of Sleep
02. A Path Of Red
03. Leaving The View Behind
04. Devotion
05. Written In gold
06. Alsoran
07. A Town Of Sleep And Regret
08. Flirting With Dead Chicks
09. Hand In the Sky

Ever heard some metalcore? Well, here's more for you. Burning The Memory is a band, formed in 2005, hailing from Long Island, New York, and they just released So Long The Dreamer, their first album.

Metalcore, I did say. Yes, it's complete with all the codes and rituals of the style: the breaks, the opposition between hardcore aggression and metal melody, the harsh vocals during the verses, and the clean ones during the choruses, and also the huge In Flames influence (just listen to the little introduction The Sound Of Sleep). So no, it's not original in the slightest, but at least it's well done and played. The guitars and drums are powerful, thigh and effective, and the solos are good. But (as there is a 'but'), there are the vocals. The harsh ones are nice, no problem. The clean ones, however, lack soul to the point that they become almost unbearable (A Path Of Red, Devotion), even if they are sung in tune (not always a sure thing).

The songs are all at mid-tempo, with few variations. Add to it a powerful but monotonous production, and you have an album that sorely lacks dynamics and thus becomes quickly boring. Moreso when the songs are too long: three of them are around 6 minutes long and Alsoran towers above at 8 minutes.
Speaking about Alsoran, it's worth noting that this is clearly the best song of the album, as it features a slight but really welcome change in the overall sound, with its darker riffs and mood.

So, if you're a metalcore fan, I suppose you'll like So Long The Dreamer. However, if you're not, it won't do anything to endear you to the style, I fear...
But, I do think that they can evolve into something far greater than 'the average metalcore band', if they add more originality in their music (and they proved to be able to do it).