Customer Reviews

Empires of the World

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Biomechanical's The Empires of the Worlds is the metal surprise of the year for me. Its relentless power yields intense moments of crushingly heavy extreme music with touches of thrash, traditional, industrial, and even progressive metal. Built around complex harmonies and song structures, the music is meticulously produced resulting in a hybrid of dense staccato string bends, semi-melodious and semi-growled vocals that easily tear the stratosphere, and a hyper-speed chaos of rhythm intensity. All elements are combined in order to make a lasting musical statement that fearlessly transcends boundaries making the album impossible to categorize.

The dark cover art done by Nat Jones suggests Swedish thrash/death ala The Haunted or Hypocrisy, though Biomechanical shares little in common with either band, except their undeniable thrash metal riffery that characterizes their sound. Biomechanical does play a perfect mix of post-thrash and industrial with vivid traditional heavy metal overtones that often suggest Judas Priest or early Mercyful Fate, particularly in their guitar work. Add to this John K's inhuman vocals that can range from a deep Devin Townsend-like growl to majestic high screams from the likes of Rob Halford or Wade Black. The title track illustrates said amalgamation with its focused clean vocals contrasted by aggressive low growls and some Swedish scream harmonies. However, all extreme elements are put aside when the band's guitar tandem throws a swirling guitar solo that brings to mind the best moments of Downing and Tipton as well as Hank Shermann and Michael Denner (Mercyful Fate). Aside from the heavily Priest-inspired lead solos, Biomechanical's guitar duo Chris Webb and Jamie Hunt also lay down some amazing rapid-fire riffs coloured with post-thrash motifs and a Gene Hoglan-type of drummer that plays his instrument with ruthless aggression and stunning speed. Injected with a massive orchestration sound, the first track "Enemy Within" immediately recalls Strapping Young Lad, moreso than any other band. Industrial sound effects, swift keyboard layerings and a demonic twin guitar tandem that impresses with their sweep and pinch harmonic work are melted into the track to both define the sound of the band and expose their diversity.

Moreover, The Empires of the Worlds has a great film continuity to it, as main composer John K is very much into film score. From the creepy sound effects and heavily orchestrated "Regenerated" to the Cronenberg movie-inspired "Existenz" to the epic-sounding "Survival", the disc is filled with audio moments that give the album a visual feel. Given that this is also the second chapter of a huge concept piece, the band has incorporated these elements with great attention to detail. This is far from the typical "write a song and slap an orchestra on it" attitude. The orchestral arrangements actually are the song itself and they play a very vital role in the music. What's better, however, is that not even a single minute of heaviness has been compromised; the orchestra is there to add texture and enrich the arrangements. What we have in the foreground is sped-up twin guitars that, as on "Assaulter", can go from a Testament feel with melodic vocal lines and instrumental breakdowns to sludgy build-ups littered with a symphonic vortex of sound and Meshuggah complexity on "Relinquished Destiny". The four-part "Absolution" epic finds the band going back to film score with a blaring horn and string section on "Final Offence", horror movie voiceovers on "From the Abyss", and back-to-form aggression on the later two pieces that emphasize the band's ear for orchestration centred around mercilessly fierce guitar, bass and drum foundation.

Andy Sneap's production makes things only better and this disc will takes its place in his ever-growing list of works. The sound is far larger than the average metal release out there and embodies controlled chaos and a very precise vision of songwriting. This disc should be right up there with Strapping Young Lad's Alien and Nevermore's This Godless Endeavor, two of the year's best metal releases.

Those of you that read the reviews on some of the better metal websites out there will probably already know how this album is being categorized. It's "Pantera meeting Nevermore meeting Priest meeting Queensryche". After listening to this album that is pretty much dead on in the vocal department. The songs themselves have a great blend of heavy riffs, speed, blistering solos, and great atmospheric effects. Sometimes the songs combine all at once other times it's one or the other. Check out their website for some samples, and you should get the picture.

The best way to put it is that the vocals tend to pay tribute to those bands listed above while the music speaks for itself and tends to forge its own path. I definitely recommend this album for fans of the above bands as well as those of you loving Mercenary, Dark Tranquility, Into Eternity. Well worth the $. Enjoy it!

Holy [...]. This band is so completely mindblowing. Ultra technical, downtuned black thrash... power metal? An impossible mix of techgrindthrash a la Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Strapping Young Lad and the like, but with plenty of chugcrunchmosh as per Pantera, but most importantly, a huge heaping dose of classic melodic power metal: blazing leads and harmony solos like they were plucked straight from some Iron Maiden b-side, wailing and soaring eighties style Rob Halford like vocals, all plopped smack dab in the middle of a dense sludgy, churning whirpool of brutal pummeling technical thrash metal.

Imagine your favorite eighties metal record, Avenger, Obsession, Omen, doesn't matter, now imagine that band going through one of those science fiction transformations, you know like where the dinky little robot is dragged down the conveyor belt, strapped down and then is suddenly awash in a blur of sparking machines, and molten metal, a hundred mechanical arms with all manner of alien tools welding and cutting, sparks spraying everywhere, flames and smoke, until the tiny robot emerges a hulking armored battle machine, all sharp edges and planet crushing firepower. That's basically Biomechanical. Imagine Iron Maiden or especially Queensryche (the singer sounds a hell of a lot like Geoff Tate) with a 21st century makeover. A blurred buzzy blast of totally brutal thrash metal, technical and convoluted but super catchy. With those wailing vocals that at first sound so completely out of place, but immediately make Biomechanical so much more interesting than their grunting shrieking thrash metal brethren. Plus they smear the proceedings with all sorts of bizarre keyboards which gives the whole record a demented alien vibe.

It is not often my jaw drops when I hear a new album. Disillusion's "Back to Times of Splendor" stunned me for a bit, same with Kamelot's "The Black Halo". But after the 50ish second intro of "The Empires of The Worlds" I was fumbling for my player's volume control just so I could hear every part of the huge wall of sound that hits you head on. From there on out you get an album that sounds something like if Rob Halford (Judas Priest, for all you ignorant folks) was injected with speed and told to make an album that takes the best parts of metal for the last 15 years and cram them into one album.

So that is what you get. From the At The Gates (except a lot faster) style of melodic death metal on Truth Denied to the instrument jackhammering on Assaulter to the ballady Long Time Dead to the eccentric The Empires of the Worlds you get it all. While the album is primarily awesome thrash metal, it has tones of other styles crammed into it as well. I could go on for ages just describing each song since they all have their own unique sound - but I'll just let you experience that yourself since nothing I could write could do the songs justice.

This album just blew me away from start to finish. It's only failings are that in a few points some people may find it simply over the top mind blowing, and in a few points their movie-style orchestrations seem kind of strange.

Similar to: Judas Priest, Pantera, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, Mike Patton's work, Devin Townsend, Nevermore. But it more a fusion of all these bands than any one of them at a time.

Very much like Nevermore, Biomechanical play their own brand of technical thrash metal which, even if it comes from combining elements from other bands that are easily recognizable by a seasoned heavy metal listener, sounds fresh and original nonetheless. Biomechanical's sound owes a lot to Pantera: the solid state amp distorted guitar tone wouldn't feel out of place on Far Beyond Driven, and many riffs and most of the lead work would make Dimebag Darrel (RIP) very proud, while the gated, trigger happy drums and midrangy, punchy bass follow his rhythm section's template to a tee. The band is far from being a Pantera clone, though, since the music presented here is technique driven progressive thrash, in the vein of bands like Watchtower and Anacrusis, with only occasional incursions into groove metal territory. John K's vocals range from Phil Anselmo gruffs to Geof Tate high pitched screams, and all the songs have some prog metal keyboard flourishes or feature industrial atmospherics, all of which makes the music even harder to pin down. This is a band that can merge classic metal ideas with contemporary metal extremity without even blinking, resulting in a sound that can be equally appealing both to Judas Priest and Gojira fans.

"When thee is submerged in talentless vocals like Lamb Of God, Chimaria, and It Dies Today, thou must sail the seas to find great metal."

What's bad about this band? Their video "Empires Of The Worlds" played once and only once!

What's great? EVERYTHING!! With the heaviness and dementia of Dimmu Borgir, fast and elaborate guitar playing like Slayer and In Flames, vocals that go from growl to Halford, and even wicked organs like Cradle Of Filth. This is one of the most astonishing black metal bands to date and should not be passed up!

Don't be deceived by America's media--this is destined to be a classic!! I even like this band more than Susperia, which also has an excellent sound. Be sure to check them out as well!

WOW! That was what I first said when I heard the track 'Enemy Within'. Vocalist John K. is a cross between Rob Halford and Geoff Tate when hitting the high notes, yet his growls are eerily similar to those of Phil Anselmo during his Pantera career. I even thought it was a new Pantera track until I found out it was this band. Listen to the opening riffs on 'Assaulter' and you'll see what I mean.

Buy it. You won't regret it

Ever wanted to hear what Pantera would have sounded like if they mixed more Iron Maiden with a fat smack of Dream Theatre?

What you have in this disc is music that manages to take the raw energy of Pantera (including vocal stylings--sounds like Anselmo alot) and channel VERY classical guitar riffs into a very unique record. If you did an A/B comparison to guitar tone it directly compares to Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power. The comparisons end there. The tunes are ALL original.

YOU WILL NOT find anything resembling American Hardcore or Metalcore... this is straight-laced classic speed metal.

Many of the songs on this disc, especially the first track "Enemy Within," display a technicality of guitar prowess that very few guitarists could ever hope to emulate... timing and progression is all classical and beautiful.

Pantera meets Queenschyre's vocalist. The riffs are inspired of slayer, pantera, metallica, and judas priest. The background keyboards feel SYL and greatly enhance the album. Seems like no one's heard this band.....still made it to #17 2005 metal-rules. Thank god - or I would have never heard it.


Easily one of the best metal albums of the decade so far...here's my list:

1. Cage - Darker than Black
2. Nevermore - Dead Heart
3. Biomechanical - Empires
4. Blind Guardian - Night at the Opera
5. Nightwish - Once
6. Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution
7. Iron Maiden - Brave new world
8. SYL - Alien
9. Mercenary - 11 dreams
10. Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black

This is some interesting and headbanging worthy thrash. Along with the usual comparisons they are getting, I'd like to throw in the old thrash band, Believer - as far as guitar sound and songwriting. Great vocal range.