Empress AD- Still life moving fast

One thing I enjoy most about music is how different everybody’s approach is. It can be quite bizarre to think about how something so personal and individual to conceive is as equally personal and individual to listen to. Which often leaves reviewing an album   a daunting task. It is quite easy to rip apart an album based on your own views. In fact, I often try review albums taking in to account that I don’t control the music industry and therefore somebody may actually enjoy something I’m not particularly fond of.

This is the case for London based Empress AD. Billed as progressive metal the quartet have just released “Still Life Moving Fast” and to my ears it falls a little flat. There is not doubt that they can play but there is an urgency lacking. Maybe not even an urgency but a clear view of what they wanted to achieve with their debut album. References to possible influences like Mastodon, Sikth and bands Porqupine Tree are all on offer. However, being all things at once blurs the lines of  the band lying underneath.There is, in the album, a really good band with strong songs but I don’t think this is the album to break them. Its just too sterile and lifeless.

Now, in saying all of that against the album, I think that they as a live band could be superb. There may not be much going on with the album but songs like “Deeper in Disguise” and “Did We See” are still liable to be stormers live. ‘On My Return’ and  ‘Consumed’ both sound like they could become 15 minute jams at any time and really set the band free. Which is a distinct possibility to what “Still Life Fast Moving” needed. Less songs and more space to see where the songs could go. In Metalcore there is a tendency to have everything rigid and perfect but sometimes the opposite is needed. They have said that they recorded ‘live, quickly and as organically as possible ‘but there isn’t that much of that “live in the studio” sound that comes across which is a shame.

There is alot of talent waiting to come out. To take a strong metalcore sound and give it something different is quite a risky move as I’m not sure that immediate audience will take to the progressive nature so easily, but it could be a risk worth taking. So essentially:  Empress AD, a good band with an album that probably doesn’t show them off fully. Definitely worth a listen if you like progressive metal like Sikth and Periphery  but would like to hear it without all the over the top technical bits.

Guitars/ Vox; Oliver Loring

Bass; Alex Loring

Drums; Edd Unwin

Guitars; Tom Meadon

www.empressad.com