Mnemic Album: “Sons of the System”

It seems like the new singer came into his own on this effort. I found this better than Passenger. Some may disagree with me but it's all about personal preference and I liked their first two albums but as far as singers go...I like both to tell the truth. Both are capable of clean singing and harmonies, which is a must for my tastes.

As songs go "Within" is to the "Sons of the System" as "Mindsaver" was to "The Audio Injected Soul." Many albums I hear one to three songs that I like but "Sons of the System" had 6 that I truly liked while Passenger had two.

To give you idea as to what I enjoy - bands like Fear Factory - Soilwork - Threat Signal "Under Reprisal" and Shadows Fall "The War Within" just to name a few. If you have listened to any of those bands then you should find something on here that you will like.

Been listening to Mnemic since 2004 when I first bought Mechanical Spin Phenomena and with every album after, I find myself wondering what will be next. When Michael Bøgballe left, it was sad as he proved to be the voice of the band. When former Transport League and M.A.N. frontman Tony Jelencovich took over vocals, I thought it would be cool....then he left to focus on M.A.N. Then came salvation with former Scarve vocalist Guillaume Bideau. I remember seeing live videos and not being impressed with Michael's live vocals, but being impressed more so by how Guillaume could not only replicate Michael's vocals on the old songs, but induce his own flavor as well and pull it off live. Anyway, Passenger turned out to be the best Mnemic had to offer after the phenomenal Mechanical Spin Phenomena (no pun intended) and decent Audio Injected Soul albums. So, where does Sons Of The System take us after Passenger? To another realm, and it's better than some fans will tell you. The intention was to recreate the vibe the band had on Mechanical Spin, so they once again hired Tue Madsen (Halford, Heaven Shall Burn, The Haunted) to produce, mix, and master. Overall, the music is melodic, but also darker and heavier. The Meshuggah and Fear Factory influences really show more so than before, and Guillaume is taking his vocal style further while even at times, his screaming sounds like Michael. If you hated Passenger's production, you'll likely hate this as well. I think Passenger had a great sound, very bass driven and very chaotic. Same goes with Sons Of The System. In fact, I think Meshuggah's albums kind of have those characteristics. Anyway, Mnemic fans, industrial metal fans, melodic death metal fans, metal fans in general, buy this album.

Mnemic is a band that I have developed a significant amount of respect for over these past few years. They have an intense approach to their music, yet maintain a very lush and melodic atmosphere. Sure, this is something that many bands try to accomplish, but I believe that very few of them accomplish this as successfully as Mnemic. Most of the time such an attempt comes off as being quite uneven and leaves the listened a bit perplexed at what the band's intentions are musically. There really is a science to this kind of thing. With that being said, "Sons of the System" is a stellar release. Mnemic picks it up right where "Passenger" left off...

The music here is frenetic but smooth. It has all of the industrial undertones blended in beautifully with a melodic brand of death metal. A perfect illustration of the craftiness behind this band can be heard in the song "The Erasing"... the vocals on that song (particularly at the end), wow! Another favorite of mine off of here is the next to last track "Dreamjunkie"; not much to the song lyrically but it is a hell of a cool song. All of the songs on this effort are wonderfully written and executed by an group who possesses extraordinary musical talent. It is shame to think that they have not attained the recognition of more people. In my mind, Mnemic is one of the pioneers of where the heavy metal genre is going to be heading, particularly during the 2010s decade.

If you love the metal genre or even just appreciate good music, this album is an investment that is well worth your money and your time.

5 Stars all the way.

To begin, I'd like to make one thing very clear. If you're a huge fan of Mnemic's first two albums "Mechanical Spin Phenomena" and "The Audio Injected Soul," but really disdained the third release, "Passenger," under new vocalist Guillaume, then you're probably not going to care for "Sons of the System" overall. The sad truth is, Mnemic will never have that same vibe from "MSP" and "TAIS"...Guillaume is not Michael (the vocalist from the first two albums). For many old fans, "Passenger" was a huge disappointment. Even I would hardly argue that it was Mnemic at all. This isn't just because of the vocalist change, though - the sound in general changed drastically. Now, some people did love "Passenger," but the majority who did were probably not fans of the initial releases. BUT...that said, if you're like me and loved "MSP" and "TAIS" but generally disliked "Passenger," there is something for you on this new album.

So why bother with this album if you didn't like "Passenger"? Like I said in the title, "Sons of the System" is a step in the right direction. Upon hearing "Diesal Uterus" I immediately felt like there was still hope for Mnemic. It's the heaviest song since the "TAIS" era, and a good one at that. Some other tracks show promise too, like: The Erasing, Hero(In), and March of the Tripods. I know, 4 out of 11 tracks isn't great, but don't get me wrong...everything on this album is worth hearing. I just wouldn't want anyone picking up this album and expecting a throw-back to "MSP" and "TAIS."

I'll be honest - a lot of the songs on "Sons of the System" sound like they came right out of the "Passenger" recordings. The title track seems to be the most obvious example, but others like Mnightmare, Climbing Towards Stars, Fate, and Within are also guilty to some degree. The reasons I point to these songs in particular is because the vocals and musicianship reflect the general sound of "Passenger," which for me isn't a good thing. Then again, if you loved "Passenger," you will like "Sons of the System."

If anything, "Sons of the System" is an album that needs some growing time because it really isn't a bad album (hence the 4 star review).

Not a bad album but this is not better than Passenger in any shape or form. Songs like "In the Nothingness Black", "Stuck Here" and "Eye on Your Back" just aren't here. Those songs had an epic feel to them. The choruses on this album are pretty standard. Passenger had a lot of unconventional choruses which made it stand out in my mind. I just remember hearing the drummer on Passenger and thinking....This guy is a genius. I mean you heard some weird drumming on that album. I loved it all. Is this a bad album?...NO. It's still better than most in this genre. Pushing the envelope and created a style all their own. Off timing riffs with growls and clean singing and they sound like no one but themselves. This is in line with the previous album so don't be scared to buy this. I always want to see what this band can come up with. They didn't disappoint me too much. You can't throw a strike down the middle every time. But this is still a strike. To the new fan this is Extreme Electro future Math Metal with clean singing on most choruses....LOL. Did you get that? But they do cross the whole spectrum of metal in their songs. I enjoyed it. If you dig "Sons of The System" though; rush to get "Passenger" as part of your collection.