You Should Know empYrios By Now...
Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 12:01AM My favorite progressive Metal band has a new album due in September. empYrios will release The Glorious Sickness through Scarlet records.
If you've been coming around here for awhile, you might remember me mentioning empYrios in passing from time to time. I discovered the band through writing for Metal Express Radio. In fact, I think my empYrios review was just about the second thing I wrote for the Internet radio station. Anyway, I decided it was high time more Glam fans knew the joys of empYrios.
empYrios are:
Simone Mularoni - guitars
Silvio Mancini - vocals
Simone Bertozzi - bass
Dario Ciccioni - drums
The band's debut is … And The Rest Is Silence. I firmly believe empYrios sound like a new Iron Maiden. Seriously! … And The Rest Is Silence is an amazingly strong album. I remember listening to it on the way to the airport before flying to Rocklahoma 2007 - so that means I've been coming back to this disc for a full year now! It is very rare that a new band strikes me that well: if I keep listening for a year, then I've basically signed on as a fan for life.
Yes, Silvio Mancini has an accent. After all, these are Italians. Still, the music is heavy and beautiful.
The longest track on the album is “Eal.” This is also the album's high point - and my favorite song by the band. “Eal" is a ballad in the true sense of the word -- the lyrics are at once brooding and catchy. Like watching a Greek tragedy in under seven minutes, “Eal” utilizes the basic concepts behind great story telling to illustrate the suffering of one man’s life. As the music begins with a hopeful soar, the choral backing creates an extra layer of sound that makes the track richer. As the “story” progresses, Mancini’s vocal intonation changes as does the speed of the music. By the fifth minute of the “Eal,” the acoustic portions are replaced again with whining electric guitars, serving as a cathartic point in the “story.” What begins as a whisper of an orchestral event ends with big band influences and true Metal harmonies. In short, “Eal” is a modern masterpiece.When I was clicking around Myspace and learned that The Glorious Sickness was due so soon, I got really excited. I just think empYrios are one of those rare bands that will only get better with time.
Listen to songs at Myspace. You can also purchase … And The Rest Is Silence via iTunes.
Reader Comments (4)
Amazing, thanks once again !!