The Faces of Sarah – Memorium

Share this on Facebook | Share this on Twitter

With over twenty years of experience and a global reach no one can say that THE FACES OF SARAH are exactly new kids on the block. The Alternative Rock band have vast swathes of time on the scene, an impressive back catalogue from their formation in Liverpool back in 1999 and have toured all around the globe. Their 2019 release “Memorium” was 13 years in the making after their previous offering “Lament”. The twelve-track album runs for just shy of 60 minutes and is a demonstration of traditional Alternative Rock. The artwork plays to the band’s name, with an oil painting depicting a spectral image of a woman’s face. Appearing in an almost mist.

The album opens with “The Mists Of Time” which is an apt name for a ghostly track, slow and deliberate one almost feels as though they are floating on a breeze. The track is light and breezy whilst also setting an almost ominous feeling especially with the closing line of ‘I remember you’ being almost growled to the listener. The titular track “Memorium” follows with a seamless transition between tracks. The light and airy appearance of the music is continued from the opening. With depth and density provided through the baritone vocals of Nick. The entire pace of the track is expertly controlled by Al, with the increase and decrease of the tempo controlling the overall feel of the music as well. I would also like to draw your attention to the line ‘You can’t stand still’ and when listening to this macabre track that is true, you cannot help but want to get up and dance.

Flowing through the album our next stop is “Betrayed” and instantly the music creates an atmosphere that plays into the hands of the tracks title. Slow and deliberate but also much more serious feeling than those that we have come to before. I would actually liken the music’s ethereal sound to the Prog and Alternative stylings of 80’s and 90’s bands like PINK FLOYD whilst vocally I get feelings of the likes of PARADISE LOST.

The music continues within the same vain, flowing one song to another in similar style with each track seemingly never ending or beginning, just a constant stream. The almost celestial and ethereal feel of the music creates a weightlessness within the listener as though they were floating through space.

As we come into the second half of the album, with the morbid and macabre stylings of the music that even Edgar Allen Poe himself would have been proud of, I feel that the floating sensation begins to manifest its self as a dragging down into the depths of one’s mind. The music of THE FACES OF SARAH is very well produced and enjoyable for short periods but I cannot help but feel myself being dragged down, only one other album has made me feel like this, NINE INCH NAILS’ “A Downward Spiral”.

As I continue through the music, I find myself having to put more of an effort into listening, the music has suddenly become very self indulgent and I am not enjoying it as much as I was to begin with. The album is very good, each track is musically very very well written, however I feel that as the tracks began to blend into one and I struggled to differentiate I lost focus and became almost bored. For the die-hard fans this will be a fantastic record, but unfortunately, I just couldn’t get that into it. But by all means people have a listen and let me know what you all think!

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 7
Production: 9