Empires Of Eden
According to their one sheet, Channelling The Infinite from Empires Of Eden ‘brings us to the threshold of a new chapter in shredding melodic power metal, loaded with 13 tracks of brain-blasting power metal’. Recorded and mastered at Frontier Studio over in Sydney Austraila, Empires Of Eden seem to already be building themselves a hell of a reputation as a band to keep an eye out for, so I jumped at the chance to hear what the album held in store.
Cry Out gets things in motion for the album, opening with an intricate lead line which seems to build up around you, the soaring notes matching with a rolling backing beat and powerful yet clean vocals, it’s a great start to the track which really builds the sense of drama. Soon descending to a galloping beat which gives the track a sense of movement, it’s almost like the track carries you along for the ride, keeping you listening and showing that sometimes, the sheer level of melody can have all of the impact that you want from a track. Hammer Down continues this theme to an extent, this time adding a funky sense of rock and grunge to the guitar line whilst the drum line creates a sense of stadium rock – it’s a mix which is impossible to resist. Powerful, upbeat and straight to the point, this is a track which is going to find it’s full force on the live scene, the vocals taking on a note of power and forming the track into something which is sure to get people dancing and chanting along.
Moving onto This Time, the all out power metal vibe of the album continues to hammer out tracks which are sure to leave guitarists jealous, drummers gasping and singers wishing they could hit those notes. The bass heavy mix of the track here is really something which once again, is going to find its true home on the live scene, showing that the band are going to be equally at home on the stage as they are in the studio. Title track Channelling The Infinite once again brings about a real sense of drama to the mix, showing that when a track is built up to using strings and dramatic effects, there’s no stopping it! As it kicks in the full force of the track is revealed and we’re shown a serious high point on the album as a whole. Powerful, to the point, distorted yet melodic and accessible, this track was one of my personal favourites from the album as simply, it’s got everything you could possibly want from a power metal track – from rolling drums through to screaming vocals, bass heavy rhythms and intricate guitar lines. At times, this track reminded me of Dream Theater (particularly their Dramatic turn Of Events album), there just seemed to be different elements brought into the music!
Moving through Lions For Lambs, Cyborg, World On Fire, Your Eyes and Born A King, the theme of the album continues in much the same vein, each track presenting itself with a new sense of drama and power, but it’s when As Flames Scorch The Ground that the album reaches another serious high point. Forming into a track which once again seems to incorporate everything you could possibly want from screaming and powerful vocal lines, insane guitar lines, roving bass rhythms and pounding drum lines. This is the sort of track which, to me, epitomises power metal, a track which goes above and beyond musically and keeps you listening from the moment it gets going until the moment it comes to a close. White Wings comes close to matching this track, throwing us straight into the mix with another soaring guitar line before rampaging through the track at full speed, continuing to keep the pace at a level where you know live, this is going to provide some pretty insane results. Once again forming into the sort of thing which is going to get people chanting along, there’s something catchy about this track whilst still maintaining that authentic, hard hitting sound – something which stands these guys out as one to watch.
Closing the album with bonus tracks Hammer Down (All star version) and Born A King (Sean Peck version) there’s little doubt left that if you’re looking for a band that can hammer out some of the finest power metal you’re going to come across, this could be them.
What really struck me when I first read up on these guys, was the sheer number of vocalists who were enlisted for this album. Throughout the album there’s Udo Dirkshneider, Rob Rock, Steve Grimmett, Mike Dimeo, Sean Peck, Carlos Zema, Ronny Munroe, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Danny Cecati, Louie Gorgievski and Vo Simpson, all from their own bands and all with their own unique vocal style. The result then is an album from Empires of Eden which moves through different moments, the whole time keeping you engaged but forming a soundtrack which will be impossible to resist. If you’re looking for a band to check out to really show you what power metal is and what it means (and you can forget your Dragon Force ideas right now) then this is it, this is real, and this is something to check out!
To find out more about Empires Of Eden, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Cry Out gets things in motion for the album, opening with an intricate lead line which seems to build up around you, the soaring notes matching with a rolling backing beat and powerful yet clean vocals, it’s a great start to the track which really builds the sense of drama. Soon descending to a galloping beat which gives the track a sense of movement, it’s almost like the track carries you along for the ride, keeping you listening and showing that sometimes, the sheer level of melody can have all of the impact that you want from a track. Hammer Down continues this theme to an extent, this time adding a funky sense of rock and grunge to the guitar line whilst the drum line creates a sense of stadium rock – it’s a mix which is impossible to resist. Powerful, upbeat and straight to the point, this is a track which is going to find it’s full force on the live scene, the vocals taking on a note of power and forming the track into something which is sure to get people dancing and chanting along.
Moving onto This Time, the all out power metal vibe of the album continues to hammer out tracks which are sure to leave guitarists jealous, drummers gasping and singers wishing they could hit those notes. The bass heavy mix of the track here is really something which once again, is going to find its true home on the live scene, showing that the band are going to be equally at home on the stage as they are in the studio. Title track Channelling The Infinite once again brings about a real sense of drama to the mix, showing that when a track is built up to using strings and dramatic effects, there’s no stopping it! As it kicks in the full force of the track is revealed and we’re shown a serious high point on the album as a whole. Powerful, to the point, distorted yet melodic and accessible, this track was one of my personal favourites from the album as simply, it’s got everything you could possibly want from a power metal track – from rolling drums through to screaming vocals, bass heavy rhythms and intricate guitar lines. At times, this track reminded me of Dream Theater (particularly their Dramatic turn Of Events album), there just seemed to be different elements brought into the music!
Moving through Lions For Lambs, Cyborg, World On Fire, Your Eyes and Born A King, the theme of the album continues in much the same vein, each track presenting itself with a new sense of drama and power, but it’s when As Flames Scorch The Ground that the album reaches another serious high point. Forming into a track which once again seems to incorporate everything you could possibly want from screaming and powerful vocal lines, insane guitar lines, roving bass rhythms and pounding drum lines. This is the sort of track which, to me, epitomises power metal, a track which goes above and beyond musically and keeps you listening from the moment it gets going until the moment it comes to a close. White Wings comes close to matching this track, throwing us straight into the mix with another soaring guitar line before rampaging through the track at full speed, continuing to keep the pace at a level where you know live, this is going to provide some pretty insane results. Once again forming into the sort of thing which is going to get people chanting along, there’s something catchy about this track whilst still maintaining that authentic, hard hitting sound – something which stands these guys out as one to watch.
Closing the album with bonus tracks Hammer Down (All star version) and Born A King (Sean Peck version) there’s little doubt left that if you’re looking for a band that can hammer out some of the finest power metal you’re going to come across, this could be them.
What really struck me when I first read up on these guys, was the sheer number of vocalists who were enlisted for this album. Throughout the album there’s Udo Dirkshneider, Rob Rock, Steve Grimmett, Mike Dimeo, Sean Peck, Carlos Zema, Ronny Munroe, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Danny Cecati, Louie Gorgievski and Vo Simpson, all from their own bands and all with their own unique vocal style. The result then is an album from Empires of Eden which moves through different moments, the whole time keeping you engaged but forming a soundtrack which will be impossible to resist. If you’re looking for a band to check out to really show you what power metal is and what it means (and you can forget your Dragon Force ideas right now) then this is it, this is real, and this is something to check out!
To find out more about Empires Of Eden, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls