Style: prog metal, djent, industrial metal, symphonic metal (mostly clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Devin Townsend, Mechina, Michael Romeo (but that weird song “Fucking Robots” specifically)
Country: Slovenia
Release date: 15 March 2024
Of my countless accolades and achievements even at my young age, perhaps none reach such dizzying heights as Stockholm Syndrome-ing my mother into liking prog metal (as previously alluded to in my Southern Empire review). However, she always calls power metal and symphonic overtures in prog and the like “Disneyland music”; no, Mom, Symphony X’s “The Odyssey” isn’t Pirates of the Caribbean. Neurotech, on the other hand, actively cultivate a cinematic grandiosity, though closer to the mood of a dystopian sci-fi film than a Disney one… or perhaps Space Mountain. Maybe you’re onto something, Mom.
From the opening moments of swelling orchestration and choir’s chants of “Credo,” the album sounds like the score to some futuristic thriller. As in that technological future, everything on Memory Eternal is coated in chrome: shiny orchestrations, touched-up vocals, space-y synths, tight songwriting. Wulf—the Slovenian guy behind Neurotech—has his music under complete control at all times, never feeling unwieldy even at Memory Eternal’s heaviest moments like in the electro-djent parts of “Echoes of the Fall” or “The Ark of Cain.” But Wulf also doesn’t necessarily play it overly safe, either, with 80s synths transitioning into harsh vocals (“The Ark of Cain”) or long post- buildups replete with cello and choirs (“Memory Eternal”).
Within Neurotech’s cultivation of bombastic, epic soundscapes perfect for a blockbuster, he writes moments of awe-inspiring beauty. For instance, the acoustic bits in “Echoes of the Fall” cut like a knife through the glassy aesthetic ushering in a much more human touch. And for those who don’t know, arguably Neurotech’s best-received and most epic work is easily his Symphonies albums which merge classical ambition with prog metal’s instrumentation, the crème de la crème of which are expansive, glorious instrumental sections that explode with blast beats. Thankfully, Memory Eternal is suffused with such moments, as resplendent as they are liberating, infusing a feeling of levity into the heaviness. However, unlike Symphonies, I think the drums are mixed too loudly, not letting the melodies soak in as much as before, a real shame considering how awesome they are. Wulf’s songwriting abilities are on full display here, too, able to morph pop into electro-industrial djent with high-quality orchestration seamlessly, the choruses building up into the nutty climaxes.
In the crystalline execution of Memory Eternal, not all works for the best. Even if they fit the futuristic vibes, the detached vocoder effects aren’t necessarily my favorite as they become fairly monotonous by the middle of the album. I appreciate the turn toward poppiness for an album like Memory Eternal, but while Wulf still keeps the writing interesting, his instrumental stuff is what really grabs my attention: He’s a true master of synthesized orchestration without crowdfunding a sauna (Jari *cough cough*). The bigger problem is the drum tone, which I find tedious with its repetitive 2/4 stomp—a bit reminiscent of 80s synth pop. I still love the drumming when it turns to blast beats over clean sections—it’s truly my kryptonite and few do it better—but as I said earlier, Neurotech have done it better on previous releases.
So sure, Mom, I don’t think Neurotech would mind if you called this Space Mountain music; music just doesn’t get more sleekly hyperspeed than in 4:20 of “Echoes of the Fall.” While Memory Eternal throws a wrench in the symphonic excellence of Symphonies in favor of a more pop background, I don’t think Wulf loses any of what makes those albums so successful. Wulf is clearly a perfectionist, and I look forward to seeing what other curveballs he can throw in the future.
Recommended tracks: Credo, Echoes of the Fall, Descent, Memory Eternal
You may also like: Neurowolf, Neuroaxis, Evelyn, Sunyata
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: independent
Neurotech is:
– Wulf (everything)
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