InMemory – In So Many Words (DoughMain)

Whether you’re down with skate culture or not, you’ve got to admire the spirit of its followers. A movement that is continuing to grow exponentially, it’s an activity that requires the utmost fervor. You can almost see the parallels between skaters and hipsters (even though you’ll never hear a hipster admit that). Both sub-cultures require a devotion–lame or not, they make you earn your stripes.

Just as the X-Games has become a legitimate sporting event, skate culture has been accompanied by a certain brand of emo-punk-metal that is easy to hear if you watch MTV2 for fifteen minutes. Every year it seems we get a new influx of these bands and they never seem to differentiate much from the generation before. InMemory sets its sights on infiltrating this lucrative niche with their debut, In So Many Words.

Think Thursday without the abstract lyricism, Brand New without the narrative storytelling, My Chemical Romance without the stupid makeup (didn’t they know that was The Icarus Line’s shtick, anyway?). In So Many Words is as predictable as you’d expect with such a hefty lineup of influences, but InMemory isn’t nearly as offensive as some of the more irritating (trying to avoid using the word “screamo”) bands on the airwaves. Truly, the band fits easily within its defined sub-culture. If the idea of heavy-hearted lyrics and jagged hardcore/softcore dynamics appeal to you (no judgements being passed here), In So Many Words might just appeal to you. It doesn’t have the eclecticism to tie together fans of varied genres and, as is almost always the case in such a situation, the walls InMemory builds around its style prevent it from progressing past a pleasant, semi-hardcore album.

It’s no surprise that InMemory has already built a devoted cult following–skater kids latch onto their bands obsessively and will ride them all the way to the Warped Tour main stage. Next summer, that could be very well be InMemory’s itinerary.