Review: “Undead Remains” by Membrance

“‘Undead Remains’ showcases what’s left from the sessions of our last album ‘Undead Island’: these are older and slightly more experimental tracks that the band was still working on during the recording of the full-length. For this reason they were not included in the album, as we wanted to give them more exposure in a subsequent release. In addition to ‘Corpse For Sale’, among the new tracks with a more experimental style there is ‘Vengeance’s Price’, which features Sara Tacchetto, singer of Vallorch, on vocals. This song is inspired by Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’: each verse is an act with a different character. The collaboration with Sara was born by entrusting her with two acts in which the protagonist is a woman.

To close this release, we have included a cover that is very dear to us, both for the themes covered and for its impact in the live setting, and a couple of live recordings of our most ferocious and punishing songs. The artwork was painted by Francesco Cagali in the style of his previous work for us, while the mastering of the EP was handled by Luca Cocconi of Audiocore Studio, precisely to link these songs with the latest full-length ‘Undead Island’”. ~ Membrance

Recorded during the summer of 2022 and released in the summer of 2023, “Undead Island” is the third full length album from Italian Death Metal machine Membrance, a band who arrived on the scene in 2012 as the brainchild of former Exitium and current Catechon bassist and vocalist Davide Lazzarini. Joining him on that journey have been a revolving door of musicians with guitarist pairing Giacomo Rusconi and Gregorio Di Angilla alongside drummer Giovanni De Fraja performing on this one. Following themes of horror, death, society and venetian folklore while also introducing current social situations into the lyrics with a more personal concept gave the album more spine while elements of Black Metal and Thrash made it more expansive. After two critically well received predecessors, something tighter and more compact with still Scandinavian HM2 driven was a nice touch. Shows followed with Benediction, Marduk and Gutalax to name but a few before a line up change saw guitarist Mattia Guzzonato making his recording debut on 2024 single “Turistificai” after replacing Di Angilla.

Going back to the Eastern front to share a couple of tunes from last years well received album after a brand new single maybe seen by some as something of a stop gap record but that isn’t something we’re going to debate. Instead, let us focus on what the offering actually consists of. Opening cut “Corpse for Sale” is a metaphor about how the Venetian people are prepared to sell their city to the tourists; sonically it’s perhaps more experimental and less direct than the cuts that made the grade for the album itself. Lazzarini’s vocals are nothing short of savagely throat splitting, his desire to make your ears bleed not lessening with his advancing age. If anything the track feels like it was inspired by the likes of Carcass, a speed demon of a tune front loaded with breakneck riffs to cut through the urban jungle. It’s a brutal onslaught but equally as fun, you can just picture the evil grin on Lazzarini’s face as he delivers the lyrics.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice“, Sara Tacchetto of Vallorch joins the band for “Vengeance’s Price” but don’t mistake kindness for weakness because while Tacchetto does provide some lush melodic harmonies, the song is still a powerfully crushing and barbed undertaking. It may be considered experimental but it is by no means the kind of sell out that Death Metal purists may choose to label it. Instead a blazing solo and Lazzarini’s devastating vocals backed by serious percussive power strip the flesh from the bone in this assault on the senses. Indeed, it’s not until the final moments when an operatic moment of pomp and circumstance feels a little indulgent as something on a dance macabre.

A cover of the Sepultura classic “Territory” is an opportunity to pay homage to the bands Brazilian heroes, even if it is one that others have done before. For their part, Membrance remain true to themselves, imposing their stamp on the cut by using their guitar and drum sound and refusing to mimic Max Cavalera’s vocals. Capturing the essence of the original while injecting energy and a caustic quality, this one hits like an anvil to the skull and doesn’t feel out of place for even a fraction of a second. Live renditions of “Acid Satanism” and “Tarantula” from 2017 debut album “Abyss” on the other hand feel like they’ve been added as something of an afterthought for fans, the quality of the recordings a little hit and miss. The drums, bass and vocals sound big in the mix, the guitars however suffer a little bit. It may have been better to leave the EP as a three track reveal because the strength of the studio cuts is far superior [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Corpse for Sale
2. Vengeance’s Price (ft. Sara Tacchetto of Vallorch)
3. Territory (Sepultura cover)
4. Acid Satanism (Live)
5. Tarantula (Live)

“Undead Remains” by Membrance is out 11th October 2024