Mnemic

Mnemic (pronounced nem-ik) is a Danish industrial metal band which is currently signed to Nuclear Blast Records. Their music also contains themes of metal core and thrash metal as well. They formed in 1998 in Aalborg, Denmark.

The band currently consists of 5 members- Brian Rasmussen (drums), Rune Stigart (lead guitar), Tomas Koefoed (bass guitar), Mircea Eftemie (rhythm guitar, keyboard) and Guillaume Bideau (vocals). They have a much more electronic sound and a much faster guitar speed than most metal bands. To date they have released 3 studio albums.
After the band's initial formation, several demos and various lineup changes they eventually recorded and released their debut album in 2003. They titled this album "Mechanical Spin Phenomena" which is also considered their breakthrough album. Critics highly praised this album including Revolver magazine giving it 9/10, Metal Storm an 8.4, and Metal Coven 9/10. All of these are extremely high reviews for a debut album but critics loved the graceful fusing of industrial and thrash metal and the unique sound. However, sales for this album were weak outside of Europe.

After a year of touring Mnemic returned to studio and in late 2004 they released their second album entitled "The Audio Injected Soul". This album once again received high reviews (not as high as "Mechanical Spin Phenomena") but initial sales were weak in North America however, it sold well in Europe breaking the top 100. This album is interesting to listen to as they have been the first metal band to utilize positional audio software in an album. This means that they can cycle speakers in a live performance and it is coded to do the same on the CD, which makes for a unique and interesting sound experience.


It was after this album however that the band really took off when metal superstars Metallica heard Mnemic they offered them the supporting role in their multiple tours worldwide. This global exposure was excellent for Mnemic and pushed sales of "The Audio Injected Soul" to over 40,000 in the United States alone.

After three years of touring with Metallica and other large name bands Mnemic returned to the studio and in 2007 released their third album "Passenger". This album featured a different vocal style and gained more mainstream attention. As a result of their public exposure the album has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide. This was personally my favourite album and I recommend you check it out if you are interested in this band as it has the most refined sound. However, critics did not favour this album and criticized the softer and more mainstream turn the once aggressive sounding band took.
Mnemic is currently in the studio recording their fourth album titled "Sons Of The System" which is slated for release in January of 2010. They have toured with some of the most popular bands in metal including: Metallica, God Forbid, The Haunted, Machine Head and Arch Enemy. They have played in various large concerts in Europe to crowds of up to 80,000 people but have not garnered enough popularity to headline their own tour yet and as such still only play supporting roles.
Mnemic is still a young band which has experienced some great success but is still relatively unknown, as such I recommend you make an effort to purchase and album or see them live as they truly have a sound unlike any other. Their new album will be a large indicator as to the future direction of this band-if they venture towards a more pop-rock sound or return to their revolutionary roots. For more information, news, streaming music, release & tour dates as well as merchandise you can check out their official site which is linked below.

Official Band Site: http://site.mnemic.com/

Below are two of my favorite songs you can check out:
Deathbox


Meaningless