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Artist: The Empire Shall Fall |
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After
his departure from Killswitch Engage just after the bands ‘Alive Or
Just Breathing’ opus, frontman James Leach went in a different
direction with the bluesy rock infused band Seemless, but this was put
into hiatus in 2008. However, this was not the last we were to
hear of Leach as in 2010 he
returns to the spotlight with a more metal outfit named ‘The Empire
Shall Fall’. So has Leach returned to the all out metal of Killswitch?, well not exactly. The elements are still there but this album 'Awaken' has taken the fundamental metal edge and brought a kind of outside the box progressive element to proceedings. The brutally and off kilt rhythms are very new and make this album very listenable, unlike some of the new heavy genres around. Brutal and melody make strange partners but on 'Awaken' they seem to tolerate each other in a savage beauty. The
album opens up with ‘Awaken’, a real example of how Leach has
progressed vocally, while the savagery of the grinding guitar riffs and
the monstrous rhythm section keep the metal real. The track twist and
turns from prog metal to an all out metal assault that keeps the
listener well and truly on their toes. The
album continues with a real monster in ‘Lords Of War’, with Leach
bringing a gruff and almost primeval vocal to the table, while guitarist
Jake Davenport and Marcus de Liske fire out lick after mother f**king
lick of sheer unadulterated METAL. The
metal might continues with massive metal attack of ‘Voices Forming
Weapons’ and
the all-out thrash of ‘Choir Of Angels’, before the pace is brought down
just a smidgen with ‘We Are The People’. A real mixed bag of a track that sways
between brutality and narrative vocal accounts, once again keeping the
listener on their toes. The old
school Thrash Metal fans will just love ‘These Colors Bleed’, this one Bay Area
written all over it. Speaking
of mixed bags they don’t come anymore mixed up than ‘Our Own’, if
could imagine a mix of jazz infused metal with nu-metal welded in for
good luck, then
this is what you get on this one. The
album closes with a bang with the thumping ‘The Kingdom’, a huge metal
guitar laden attack on the senses that rounds off a welcome return to the
metal world for Leach and his new band The Empire Shall Fall.
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Tracklisting: 1.
Awaken
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