[review]
Memory of a Madman is one of those albums that you can’t simply have as background noise, as all too often it will do something unexpected and grab your attention again. The rich, layered soundscape is one that you can fully immerse yourself in, with a variety of electronic backing giving an orchestral filling to the album’s prog-rock exterior. It’s an incredibly diverse album, with no two tracks sounding alike, and taking on board everything from down-tempo trip-hop to subdued acoustic ballads to swaggering stoner rock riffs. As well as the mix of genre, each track has different arrangements and structures, some lacking vocals and varying in length from little over one minute to over nine. All the tracks however express a strong emphasis on rich atmosphere and melodies, complimented by some particularly well executed bass playing. Ultimately the album’s greatest strengths are its diversity and resonant atmosphere, which clear as day showcase the group’s love of classic prog bands such as Pink Floyd and Rush. Closure’s blend of heavy rock guitar work, symphonic backing and haunting ethereal vocals is performed with the restraint necessary for them to put time and effort into carefully crafting the album’s swelling and washing sound. At almost an hour long, it’s not for those with a short attention span, or those who are used to bog-standard song structures, but who cares about them anyway?
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