MEMENTO VIVERE

A brilliant new album from Haven of Echoes that expands on the sound of the previous album and takes it to a whole new level !! Memento Vivere represents a deeper integration of Paul Sadler's guitars and vocals with Andreas Hack's soundscapes, blended with Nerissa Schwarz's talents and the wonderful percussion work of Wolfgang Ostermann. Paul Sadler's layered and dynamic vocals are a tour de force, and often difficult to believe they are all performed by the same person. The lyrics are mature and intriguing, and tie themes of the album across tracks very well. The resulting album is a dark yet hopeful mature exploration of the human experience. Each of the 4 stand alone tracks are epic prog pieces that work perfectly as a whole within the main themes and sound of the album, resulting in easily one of the best prog albums of 2024.

The first track, the 17 minute Non-Sum, Non-Curo (I don't exist, I don't care), floors you right off the bat. It features depeche mode like electronic sounds along with Tool like heavy guitar-driven sections as well as quieter melodic sections. It is quite an epic adventure. The second track Ad Infinitum, written by Nerissa Schwarz, is a more melodic piece with incredible vocal harmonies by Paul Sadler. The third track, It Walks Among Us, is another epic 14 minute track that explores some new ground for Haven of Echoes. The 4th epic track, Assimilation, provides a powerful close to the record with the ending distorted lyrics hammering home the main theme of the album. Fantastic record, I am very excited about how Andreas Hack and Paul Sadler's collaboration has progressed and I look forward to more from this group. A truly 5 star record and one of the top albums of 2024.