Empire Of The Scourged – Transcend Into Oblivion
Occasionally a band releases an album that leaves music fans scratching their heads in bewildered awe. Empire Of The Scourged hail from Netherlands, formed in 2008 and are going for a different type of ‘death metal sound.’
The combined ‘beneath the gutter’ vocals and keyboards on this album take this album into a dimension unheard of in the death metal world. This is unquestionably a dissimilar type of sound than the average death metal album. There is a lot of background noise – not so much instruments and music – but noise.
The intro is a haunting train whistle of some sort and sets the tone for what I hoped to be an ominous, dark listening experience. Alas, that is not what followed. The vocals do not seem to fit the music in some instances, as there are two sets: one growling and one screaming. Two vocalists in bands are common these days, so the dual vocals were not a big surprise.
The combination of electronic instruments, drums and guttural vocals makes for a unique listening experience. 'Trapped In This Massive Process' begins with a deep, melancholy synthesizer note played a few times over and then it goes into what seems techno music, then comes the guitar and vocals. Not something one would expect after hearing the intro, and the vocals don’t fit very well with the cheery yet ominous synthesizer in the background.
'A Scarred Horizon' really started out great with a hint of Sabbath’s 'Hand Of Doom' but then turned into a vocal war amped with mad synthesizers. This song was trippy to say the least with many keyboard changes and diverse sounds.
This album seemed like a big experiment, and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, experimenting with different sounds has led to some of the best albums ever produced.
Hopefully, Empire Of The Scourged will keep experimenting and find the niche they are searching for.
The combined ‘beneath the gutter’ vocals and keyboards on this album take this album into a dimension unheard of in the death metal world. This is unquestionably a dissimilar type of sound than the average death metal album. There is a lot of background noise – not so much instruments and music – but noise.
The intro is a haunting train whistle of some sort and sets the tone for what I hoped to be an ominous, dark listening experience. Alas, that is not what followed. The vocals do not seem to fit the music in some instances, as there are two sets: one growling and one screaming. Two vocalists in bands are common these days, so the dual vocals were not a big surprise.
The combination of electronic instruments, drums and guttural vocals makes for a unique listening experience. 'Trapped In This Massive Process' begins with a deep, melancholy synthesizer note played a few times over and then it goes into what seems techno music, then comes the guitar and vocals. Not something one would expect after hearing the intro, and the vocals don’t fit very well with the cheery yet ominous synthesizer in the background.
'A Scarred Horizon' really started out great with a hint of Sabbath’s 'Hand Of Doom' but then turned into a vocal war amped with mad synthesizers. This song was trippy to say the least with many keyboard changes and diverse sounds.
This album seemed like a big experiment, and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, experimenting with different sounds has led to some of the best albums ever produced.
Hopefully, Empire Of The Scourged will keep experimenting and find the niche they are searching for.
1. Der Wanderer Uber Dem Nebelsee
2. Hollow Machinations Of The Foul Spirited
3. Trapped In This Massive Process
4. Foul Machinations Of A Hollow Spirit
5. A Scarred Horizon
2. Hollow Machinations Of The Foul Spirited
3. Trapped In This Massive Process
4. Foul Machinations Of A Hollow Spirit
5. A Scarred Horizon
Self released
Reviewer: Darlene Steelman
Jan 18, 2014
Jan 18, 2014
Next review:
Nazghor - Life impaled
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