I tend to be a little nervous, and at times harsh, when it comes to post-hardcore bands. Each time I check out a new combo, I prepare myself for little difference between the one at hand, and the previous band I listened to. It’s hard to find a unique band that blatantly stands out in the scene at the moment, apart from the ridiculously bad ones. Thankfully, with their latest effort The Hollow, Dallas, Texas natives Memphis May Fire don’t leave me quite as disorientated and puzzled as to who I just listened to, as I’ve experienced in the past.

The band’s second studio album (released on Rise Records) begins with “The Sinner”, a perfect opener that gives a great overview of what one can expect from the southern quintet. Beginning with an explosion of static, the song quickly bursts into an eccentric riff and slice of intense vocals from front man Matty Mullins. He repeatedly asks, “What will it take to keep it together? / I’ve never felt so empty”  in company with relatively subtle synth work. Kellen McGregor’s (lead guitar) ‘clean’ vocals have been replaced and outsourced on this album, and instead we’re introduced to the ‘clean’ vocals of Mullins as he sings “Keep it close, keep it close / Keep my head above water / I need to hear your voice / I can’t do this on my own.” While he doesn’t have a voice which is greatly unique, his tones are at a suitable range for the band’s genre.

“The Unfaithful” kicks in with ‘clean’ vocals which remind me of those of Devin Oliver (I See Stars). Mullins’ vocals are stronger and sound much more mature, but there are definite similarities. Coincidently, The Hollow was recorded at Chango Studios in Orlando, Florida with Cameron Mizell, (Woe, Is Me, Sleeping With Sirens, Oceana, Dream On, Dreamer) the man behind both of I See Stars’ full lengths.

Three songs in with “The Victim” and it’s clear to see Memphis May Fire have taken a darker and heavier approach on this record, showcasing a lot more ‘hard’ vocals than fans may be used to, however we’re greeted with catchy ‘clean’ vocals in the beginning and again in the chorus, as the band have structured in many tracks on the album. The noticeably heavier sound appears to be the reason why the five piece have lost much of their individual Southern touch which could potentially lose a few fans on first listen on this record.

Standout track “The Commanded” features a speedy drum roll (courtesy of Jake Garland) and guitar riff combination and contains the seemingly necessary ingredient for a successfully popular song in the scene, a ‘one-liner-before-breakdown’ hit. This comes in the form of “Heads will roll!” which one could bet will be printed on the back of shirts soon enough in huge capital letters. Gang vocals come in the form of, “March on / March on!” and therefore another box is ticked.

Synth and keys are played over the top of what seems to be a spoken argument in “The Burden (Interlude)” and although the idea is interesting, it’s not really jaw dropping. The track is necessary to break the record up though and avoids a first listener feeling as though the record is a forty minute song.

In over six and a half minutes, hard hitting “The Redeemed” is an appropriate closer, although I’m not sure a two minute end of faded out distortion, delay and static is so fundamental.

There’s no denying that The Hollow is an enjoyable record, it’s just not exactly ground breaking, nor does it lead the way. The ten track album is compiled of all the elements we love about post-hardcore; a balance of ‘clean’ vocals for sing alongs, ‘hard’ vocals to lead into the oh so important flurry of breakdowns which make kids flail their arms and hit and kick each other in the name of fun, and a fair shot of keys and synth to add a little groove to the mix. All of this thankfully has a little unique spell to it and I’m relived to end forty minutes of post-hardcore knowing that I won’t listen to a fresh band and ask myself, “Is this Memphis May Fire?” because pleasingly, they slightly stand out. Memphis May Fire are brilliant at what they do and really master elements of the genre, it’s just a shame it’s been done so averagely many times before.