Your Memorial - 2010 Atonement

Band : Your Memorial

Album : Atonement

Release Year : 2010

Genre : Metalcore / Progressive

Tracklist : 

01. Endeavor For Purpose
02. Hope Era
03. Desolation
04. Atonement
05. Surface
06. Not Fallen
07. My Path Is Set
08. Unseen
09. Surrender
10. Immaculate Design

Let it be said right from the beginning that Your Memorial’s debut album, Atonement, is not going to be a ground-breaker in the musical realm. In fact, this quintet from Minnesota is more than likely following the footsteps of the now heralded Misery Signals. While many may write these fellows off for sounding a little too familiar in tone to the aforementioned group, Your Memorial have rather taken the most engaging charms of Misery Signals and created an album that while lacking in originality, redeems itself with exceptional execution.

Dissecting song after song would not really do Atonement justice as the album yields added emotional and aural impact when experienced throughout a single listen. Luckily, Your Memorial seemingly had this in mind by discarding any unnecessary material, awarding the listener with a lean, yet muscular duration of thirty-four minutes. Fortunately for these Minnesotans, the brevity of the music allows for a more immediate and captivating listen, as allowing the record to flow seems less like a chore and more of a calling.

An overview of Your Memorial’s musical breadth would not be complete without mentioning the collective’s appeal to melody and at times, tranquility. Listeners apprehensive of a one-way, standard time bruising need not fear as much care is taken throughout the record to weave a delicate atmosphere around the chaos. From the two tremendously serene instrumental passages in “Desolation” and “Surrender” – the latter of which makes Explosions in the Sky appear heavy as hell – to the almost triumphant breakouts in “Not Fallen” and “Unseen,” Your Memorial have competently and impressively blended the pissed off with the poignant.

GET IT!