Ever wondered what it would sound like if Whitney Housten fronted a rock band? Well, your best bet is probably in the hands of Emp!re, a five piece from the south-west who have been making waves on the live circuit through their euphoric performances, laden with the outrageous vocal range of flamboyant front man, Joe Green. Following their excellent mini-album “Where The World Begins” comes their latest EP, “Our Simple Truths”, which looks to continue the progress which this unique outfit are continually making.
Opening with the thunderous riffs of “Hands & Tongues”, the band showcase a clear evolution of their sound towards a darker realm, where the pulsating rhythm, razor-sharp guitar tones and genuine desperation in Green’s vocals offer a fist clenching taster of what’s to come. The ability to inject underlying, intricate melodies into every crevasse of their songs makes this band quite so special, as even the likes of “Sparrows” and “Sights” follow this pattern of concealing many subtle instrumental elements beneath the main hooks.
Throughout the EP, you can sense this band are already picturing themselves on stages as colossal as Rock AM Ring, simply through their larger than life hooks and eccentric climaxes, particularly the hair-raising high note on “Sights”, which I can confirm sounds just as immaculate in their live performances. A former single, “Patchwork & Bone” sits comfortably towards the latter and offers arguably the most emotionally potent segment of this offering, as the honest lyricism – “dry your eyes love, with my paper heart, if that’s the only part of me you can use” – leaves a dagger in your heart. Finishing this astonishing release with “Sweet Apollo”, the band showcase another reason why their music could well soundtrack a modern day moon landing – they’re quite simply out of this world…
So, this begs the question; why are Emp!re not playing the biggest stages globally? Personally, I believe that their music only gets better with every listen, as the intricacy of their melodies when combined with Green’s soaring vocals could be seen as an acquired taste on first listen. However, once you let their sound seep beneath your first impressions, you are left with a band that you could leave on repeat for the next year and only find yourself loving their sound more with every listen. Letís hope this world has the patience to truly appreciate them, because Emp!re are nothing short of revolutionary.
Track Listing
Hands and Tongues
Sights
Sparrows
Patchwork and Bone
Sweet Apollo
Links
http://www.shoutempire.com
https://www.facebook.com/ShoutEMPIRE
https://soundcloud.com/empireofficialuk
Words by George Fullerton.
