ALBUM REVIEW: There Is No Memory – Armor For Sleep
Post-hardcore meets emo outfit, ARMOR FOR SLEEP, are back after three years with their album, There Is No Memory. The New Jersey band have decided this time around to create something focuses on the question of our very existence through personal reminiscing and reflection, more specifically from the point of view of frontman, Ben Jorgensen, following dissolution of his marriage and subsequent divorce. Yet each personal track is written in ways that anyone can listen to and relate to no matter their own life experience.
Each of the eleven songs on the record holds its own meaning in its own beautiful and, at times, bittersweet way. Kicking off the record is The Outer Ring that sets the stage as an industrial meets metalcore track given the style of the opening chords where distorted feedback accompanies guitar before the powerful vocals of Jorgenson takes the main spotlight. Given the emo style brought in, there’s something theatrical about it where one can picture a larger-than-life production during a live performance.
Following this in a somewhat similar style is Breathe Again where we again hear some industrial sounds, this time on a more electronic scale, with some comparison to the likes of LINKIN PARK thanks to it’s slow, yet intriguing, pace that pays off with a stunning chorus.
With There Is No Memory, the main focus is on tracks that are on the emotionally deep side of things, but don’t assume that there aren’t moments of high energy anthems with songs like Maybe The Sky Will Break, capturing the 00s emo nostalgia especially with the fadeout at the end; or bouncier numbers like In Another Dream or What A Beautiful World that are pop-rock in nature with catchy choruses to match. Yet they are the very epitome of “fun sounds, sad lyrics” when you listen closely.
The main highlights are, of course, the more bittersweet tracks relating to goodbyes, reminiscing on life, and feeling lost following a difficult life event. Songs of this nature are placed more towards the end of the record and, with them being played one after the other, you find yourself sat back in quiet awe at the brutal honesty and vulnerability. Perhaps the most standout track of the album has to be Ice On The Lake where, with a stage set with electronic nu-metal in the opening notes followed by an alternative rock meets emo style, the lyrics explore a metaphorical scenario of someone being trapped in the aforementioned frozen lake where one could go and rescue them, but doing so could result in them being put in an equally perilous scenario.
When this is then followed up with bittersweet tracks that reflect on saying goodbye and trying to hold onto some of the happier memories, you can’t help but feel deeply moved. In fact, regardless of the context of what you’ve been through, these are songs that could potentially help others and make them feel seen when in a state of emotional distress. A beautifully bittersweet record that will send you on your own journey of emotions, ARMOR FOR SLEEP have created something incredible here.
Rating: 8/10
There Is No Memory is out now via Equal Vision Records.
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