Album review : FALSE MEMORIES – Hybrid Ego System

June 10th, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date: 09.06.23]

Guitarist, Francesco Savino founded False Memories in 2015, but it was only when he recruited vocalist, Rossella Moscatelli in 2018 that the band’s career gained some momentum.

We reviewed the debut, The Last Night Of Fall two years ago, saying “most songs on the album, to a lesser or greater extent are energised, if that’s the right word, by the soul sucking twilight zone that we seemed to inhabit during the tightest lockdowns.”

Hybrid Ego System has taken a tiny step forward, merging a malleable form of power and prog metal with symphonic rock darkness. It takes a lot of listening to get there, but once you’ve tuned into tracks like ‘Holding On’, ‘Stains’ and ‘Shed My Skin’ then you begin to see the light shining through the gloom.

Elsewhere, there’s little variation in pace, even on the album’s standouts, ‘The Storm Inside’ and ‘Rising Tide’. Each one underlines the unhurried intensity of Moscatelli’s dramatic vocals, frequently switching her sturdy mezzo soprano to a gutteral growl, usually signposted by the dissonant musicality of Savino’s arrangements.

It’s a formula, no doubt about that, but it’s of the band’s own making. One that might need a little more fine tuning to achieve a real breakthrough. ***1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
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BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
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