Review Summary: Blending sludge, thrash and progressive metal, this promising new band finds a fresh take on ear-pummeling riffage.
I've heard heavier albums than Monuments, sure. Heaviness often results from context, and there are bands that write grimmer, denser, eviler songs than Dead Empires. But coming from an instrumental three-piece that doesn't rely on dark atmosphere, Monuments is one of the most concussive albums I've listened to in a while. Real deep heaviness usually goes hand-in-hand with the grim processional style of doom metal, or the thudding straight-forwardness of sludge metal. It isn't easy to make music this pulverizing that still sounds unique, that doesn't smother its tone in one crusty monolithic texture, yet this new band from upstate New York figures it out on their first try.
Maybe it works because Dead Empires writes music that also happens to be fast -- and maybe that's enough to disguise their influences -- but these don't sound like guys who sat down to write heavy, plodding instrumental music because any one band inspired them to do so. There are definitely similarities you could latch onto -- maybe If These Trees Could Talk, if they were proggier and jammier, or maybe even Torche, if they went instrumental and added a dose of thrash metal. There's the heaviness of sludge, of course, and some of the meandering prog tendencies that Mastodon and Kylesa have both explored with recent albums. I could go on, but the important thing is that Dead Empires skips that generic Isis / Neurosis tone almost every post-metal band seems to start with and rarely moves beyond, giving them a vague familiarity that nonetheless remains elusive. I can't quite pin down what Dead Empires were starting from -- their sound is like a fan of sludge metal got together with a fan of thrash metal, added a prog metal dude, and then, with no one dominating their influences, combined powers equally. (I envision that genre-crossing metal bands work much like Captain Planet.) Heaviness often comes at the cost of dexterity and intensity, but not here: Dead Empires is never so intent on maiming your senses that they lose focus on interesting songwriting and forward monument.
While I don't think Dead Empires was influenced to write atmospheric soundscapes, don't get the impression that tone isn't important here. Guitarist John Bryan plays with an almost jammy psychedelic smoothness that blends a sense of groove into the galloping, obliterating riffs -- instead of sounding like the band is switching from 'heavy moment' to 'texture-building moment. The rolling drums and bass give the album its snap, helping the music merge heaviness and intensity without noticeably changing pace. I do wish the album featured more material to showcase Dead Empire's range, but since as this is an EP and the first release from the band, it's not much of a complaint. Monuments seems to ratchet the tension a notch with every song, and closer “Villains” is easily the best track, showcasing Dead Empires tightest songwriting.
It's probably worth noting that the band is offering Monuments free for download on their Facebook and MySpace pages.
