Well here’s something to upset anyone who quickly read the words ‘Symphonic’ and ‘Female-fronted’ and were hoping for another Nightwish! It’s not happening here kiddies, this is Symphonic Extreme Metal where Luna Mortis singer Mary Zimmer handles ALL vocal styles in a band put together by former Cradle Of Filth guitarist Paul Allender along with (…quickly scans press release for info…) “Will Graney, keyboardist from Damnation Angels, Chela Harper, bass player for Coal Chamber, guitarist Jeremy Kohnmann from The Awakening, and drummer Zac Morris, who’s played with many bands including Ugly Kid Joe”. Plenty of experience there then.
It’s certainly got a big sound to it, incorporating Melodic Death, Black Thrash, Technical Groove and Symphonic Metal. In truth, the slight novelty factor is that Zimmer is so bloody good at all the vocal styles, and I really hope she can deliver this kind of ferocity and dexterity live, because it will be very impressive. It’s impressive enough in the studio! If you take a step back and take the music at face value – not knowing how many vocalists are involved – the style isn’t much different to, say, Trail Of Tears in entirety, but there is a lot going on in each song that makes White Empress more individual. Their bravery and attention in the song-writing department is one major factor. I personally hate the predictability of ‘grunt verse, sing chorus’ type Melodic Death Metal, and thankfully there is absolutely nothing predictable about the arrangements on here.
The Extreme Metal side of the band is probably quite easy to draw comparisons to, technical ability never in question, the song structures always keep the listener guessing. I was expecting Arch Enemy crossed with Epica, but in reality there is so much more going on. There’s a willingness to experiment, but within the realms of Technical Extreme Metal. ‘Erased and Rewritten’ is pretty much what I hoped the new Arch Enemy would have sounded like with their new vocalist…but with a bit of Atheist and Cynic thrown in. There’s an Industrial/Groove edge to ‘Darkness Encroaching’ and ‘Ours To Burn’ that is spliced with technical Death Metal riffing, but also passages of Speed and Thrash Metal. ‘A Prisoner Unleashed’ has a Sepultura/Pantera quality before a clean sung part reminiscent of Echoes Of Eternity interrupts things and then back into groove territory with splashes of symphonia. To be fair, there is so much going on here that there are way too many comparisons to explore, but one thing is clear – White Empress combine everything to make their own unique sound.
Certainly not an album that can be digested in one listen – far from it. There are depths here. Subtle as well as face-slappingly obvious. An intelligence and a wish to create something different. The band never seem to take the easy option, which makes each listen another interesting experience, and with each band member putting in sterling performances – as you would expect. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste, but it’s got something to appeal to so many tastes. Of course Mary Zimmer’s vocal performance is probably going to gain the band plenty of attention – but why not? As long as people hear the band then that’s the goal achieved.
(7.5/10 Andy Barker)
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