They've come to take us on...
Memphis May Fire are a band that had an awful lot to live up to. Setting their own bar impossibly high with the exceptional masterpiece otherwise known as The Hollow, the Texan quintet had an enormous task at hand. How were they going to even match such an impeccable record? Enter Challenger. It's a fighter in every sense of the word; from the furious power ripping through every track, to the outspoken lyrics striking out at anyone foolish enough to have ever doubted them. Don't worry, we didn't.
When single Prove Me Right found its way into the eager hands of loyal Memphis fans a couple of months ago, it spawned as great an anticipation as a kid waiting for Santa to make his way down the chimney. It was the best teaser to be experienced this side of a peep show. An anthemic 'fuck you' to life's arseholes, MMF somehow made incandescent rage seem like the most beautifully melodic protest you've ever heard. Well, it's with great pleasure that we can confirm that the rest of Challenger lives up to the excitement of its first release.
The hardcore brutality peppering Vices and the rhapsodic triumph of Jezebel may provide incredibly tasty talking points, but it's bound to be the vocal cameos that draw most interest. The delectable vocals of Sleeping With Sirens' Kellin Quinn on Miles Away provide a pleasant, albeit unexpected moment of down time at the half way point- although a SWS fan may feel slightly cheated of the full potential of this collaboration. Picking the pace up a little is the roasting hot inclusion of Asking Alexandria's Danny Worsnop on the brilliant Losing Sight, a typically stylish balance between the savage and the sweet.
Challenger isn't necessarily a new era for Memphis May Fire, but it's certainly a bolder one. The weight is heavier, the aggression more palpable and the lyrics even less forgiving. If this is what one step forward can take them, we can't wait to watch what happens as their journey continues.