Binge, Purge and Shred to Memory Loss’ ‘Blackout’

Richmond may be known to most as the thrash capital of the East Coast, but it's also home to a thriving hardcore community. Strike Anywhere, Down to Nothing, Count Me Out — a bevy of icons have sprung forth from the River City over the past three decades, with more aggro outfits emerging by the day. Fury-laden quartet Memory Loss are the latest upstarts to emerge out of the Richmond scene, and arguably the most promising, armed with a gnarled, gritty sound that blends rudimentary punk with maniacal thrash, all topped off with the sweet, sweet screams of frontman Blayden (who may very well soon overtake Tony Foresta as RVA's strongest singer).

Memory Loss' catalogue is pretty slim so far — their Bandcamp houses one live set, one demo tape and the Blackout EP, which the band released this week. What the four-piece lacks in output, they make up for in sheer volume and stellar arrangements; awash in subtle melody and not-so-subtle hardcore heavy lifting, the handful of tracks that make up Blackout stand as some of the best in their genre — not just this year, but this decade. Even better, you can snag it for free on their Bandcamp (although, it'd probably be nice to throw 'em a buck or two — musicians don't make a ton of money, you know). Still skeptical? Give it a spin below.

Memory Loss' Blackout EP is out now as a pay-what-you-want download on their Bandcamp. It's also available as a 7" via Richmond's own Vinyl Conflict.