Review Summary: Dancing two-step with the devil
There has been an enormous amount of hype surrounding PRESIDENT. On ‘Blood Of Your Empire’, the masked British collective experiment with numerous genres including alternative metal, progressive metal, hip-hop and even dance music.
Opening with “Angel Wings”, PRESIDENT showcase huge guitars, atmospheric electronics, polished production and a vocal performance that effortlessly moves between vulnerability and aggression. The line “Is it safe to say, that you never fu**ing loved me anyway / I hope you break your neck” leaves little doubt about the anger and rage to be found on the record. This is a band that wants to sound enormous, but also wants its music to feel personal.
“DOOM LOOP” follows with a more electronic and hypnotic approach. The song builds an impressive sense of tension before unleashing a colossal scream just before the three-minute mark — precisely the sort of moment fans will have been waiting for from a singer with two decades of experience. It is controlled, powerful and genuinely satisfying.
Then comes “dark heaven”, bringing an intriguing mixture of alternative metal and hip-hop influences. “Gather round children, sing hallelujah” perfectly captures the strange religious imagery running through the album. Three excellent songs in, and PRESIDENT have already made their intentions clear: this isn’t going to be a straightforward metal record most people thought it would be.
And then we reach the previously unreleased material.
One of the biggest strengths of Blood Of Your Empire is its willingness to move outside the expected metal template. “Pink Noise” introduces dancefloor-ready electronics Enter Shikari would be proud of, creating a track that will explode in a live setting. During the second half of the track the masked vocalist delivers some of his finest vocals on the entire record. Do you feel alive?
“Mercy” provides one of the album’s most emotionally powerful moments, however has some strange lyrics such as ‘can I wash my face in your milk?’. Built around a groove the track ends almost as abruptly as it begins, leaving you wanting want.
The second half of Blood Of Your Empire becomes increasingly experimental.
“Sleepwalker” provides an unmistakable sense of anger once again from the off with spoken words about the music industry and the accusations that PRESIDENT are somehow an industry plant. Whatever your opinion on those claims, the reality is that the masked singer (see what I did there?) has spent many years grinding away in the music industry and has seemingly chosen this personal project over more obvious opportunities to return to bigger, more established bands.
Next comes a new version of “Dionysus”, originally appearing on the EP. There are additional instrumental and extended vocals, but ultimately they don’t improve upon the original. It’s reminiscent of the situation with Fightstar’s classic “Mono”, where the album version didn’t necessarily add enough to justify replacing the EP experience. It’s by no means a bad version — it simply feels unnecessary when the original was already so strong.
“This Will Divide Us” takes another unexpected turn, introducing distorted vocals and some interesting instrumentation including a trumpet. It’s an experimental ballad, however the song doesn’t reach the heights of the material surrounding it. Its inclusion is the album’s biggest head-scratcher, particularly when incredible tracks such as “In the Name of the Father” or “Destroy Me” from the EP could arguably have strengthened the overall tracklist.
Then comes “Hate Figure”, featuring Ando San, and PRESIDENT throw yet another genre of rap-rock into the mix. The masked vocalist adopts a vocal style reminiscent of Rob Damiani from Don Broco, showing a different personality. The musical ending is the most random moment on the record, but it’s also undeniably fun.
Closing track “White Devil” for me is the best song on the record. Rather than finishing with yet another gigantic metal anthem, PRESIDENT opt for piano, unconventional arrangements and a more dance-oriented approach. It is an excellent demonstration of just how many different directions this project can take, and a fitting conclusion to an album that repeatedly refuses to stay in one lane.
Blood Of Your Empire is ambitious, polished and, most importantly, willing to take risks. Not every experiment lands perfectly, and there are moments where the album’s tracklisting could perhaps have been stronger. But those imperfections are almost reassuring. PRESIDENT aren’t playing it safe.
When everything comes together, the results are hugely satisfying — theatrical, aggressive, electronic and occasionally surprising. The mystery surrounding the band may have created the initial curiosity, but Blood Of Your Empire gives PRESIDENT something much more important: a reason to keep listening.
