Featured Album this Week (6/7/10): “BANG” by EMPIRES
I found out about this week’s featured artist through a blog post on Bandcamp, and I am so glad I did. I cannot stop listening to EMPIRE’s latest work, “BANG.” EMPIRES combines gritty, raw rock with the smoothness of pop-punk, creating an incredibly unique and irresistible sound.
The dirty guitar tone in the opening track, “Voodooized,” is just incredible, and makes me jealous that I haven’t been able to make that sound come out of my own guitar. It sounds very similar to something Jack White would write, but then the vocals enter and completely change the vibe (in a good way). The song instantly transforms from a gritty blues tune into an anthemic rock song with epic vocal and synth melodies that remind me of Muse. They keep this theme throughout the entire album, and really do an amazing job. The song “Intruder” sounds very Foo Fighters, but without the boring, mainstream production.
EMPIRES was formed in Chicago, Illinois a few years back by a bunch of old friends. They write, record, mix, and produce their own music, and have seen tens of thousands of downloads over the past few years. Their first album, “Howl,” was released in May of 2008 for FREE. The exposure and accolades they received for that album were much more valuable than any kind of profit they could have made. Now, they are easily able to charge $8 for “BANG,” and fans are more than happy to show their support.
Here is the Bandcamp widget for their first album, “Howl,” which can still be downloaded for free:
