FALSE MEMORIES – Hybrid Ego System

The Italian dark metal quintet known as False Memories have been keeping busy these past couple of years, and it feels like only yesterday that I reviewed their last opus, the gloomy The Last Night of Fall.

Hybrid Ego System, which is their third full-length record, pretty much picks up where its predecessor left off, musically and stylistically speaking. Melodic, symphonic metal with Gothic influences and a few progressive touches sums it up rather nicely, but if anything, this new LP of theirs sounds and feels less dense than its predecessor did and arguably also brighter and less dark. Interesting ideas and creative sparks do present themselves throughout, and some of the arrangements are rather clever, but the intensely dramatic nature of the material comes across as overblown and pompous on occasion not to mention that many of the riffs and melodies are uneasy on the ear and dissonant in such a way that they are neither beguiling nor memorable. The album packs a decent punch, sonically, that is, and there is nothing wrong with the cold and sharp sound of it all, but the LP does not capitalize on the promise and potential of what came before, and it is a letdown and a forgettable offering. Having said all of that, the opening track named ‘The Storm Inside’, which features a guest appearance by Anette Olzon, is a strong and well-written piece.