The Pitch: "With this debut EP, Empress harvests a hybrid strain of monolithic groove, over-amped sludge and mutant prog." Featuring members of Seer and Craters and inspired by the work of Elder.
What I Like: This is my favorite style of doom and sludge. Similar to Seer, Empress feels massive. Each chord resonates into an endless expanse; summoning imagery of open Western landscapes. I picture sunburnt canyons and windswept plateaus. We're taken out of the recording studio into a much grander space. Husky vocals echo through my eardrums with such fury and power. At this point I looked up the band photo to confirm a suspicion. Yup...beards. Lots of beards. It would be criminal to make music like this without them. This is outdoorsman (and outdoorswoman God forbid I exclude) metal. In any case, this trio does an excellent job of wavering between darker overtones a la The Lion's Daughter and brighter, more melodic territory.
Critiques: I know that this is sludge, but the longer tracks on this EP feel like they could be cut down for the better. Trimming a minute or two would make for stronger, tighter compositions without losing the expansive feel.
The Verdict: I know that this is supposed to be an EP, but I honestly feel like 28 minutes for this style is just right. As I said, I might shave some time off of the two longer songs and replace that time with a 6th, but otherwise this is rock solid. Listen below.
Flight's Fav's: The Offering, They Speak Like Trees
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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