Welcome to the new Empyre.
UK rock band Empyre, who have just completed a UK tour with Vintage Caravan, now share the lyric video for new single and live favourite ‘Parasites’. Frontman Henrik Steenholdt comments,
"Parasites has been going down so well as a live track it had to
be released as a single. We played it every night on the recent tour with The
Vintage Caravan and it really seemed to capture the attention of the crowds and
make an impact. The song shows a more progressive side to Empyre, as it shifts
through atmospheric and darkly angelic passages into riffs that are more akin
to metal than what we are commonly known for. We love it for being dark, even
by our standards.”
Empyre will release their new album Relentless on 31st March via Kscope, having signed to the label earlier this year, joining the likes of TesseracT, The Pineapple Thief and Envy of None.
Widely regarded as one of the
hardest working bands of the past few years, Relentless was
recorded between pandemic lockdowns and during their previous album’s (The
Other Side) release cycle. Once again they encamped at Parlour Recording
Studio, Kettering for recording with Neil Haynes, before handing mixing duties
to Chris Clancy at Audioworks (Machine Head, Those Damn Crows, Massive Wagons)
- who has magnified the band’s dark, emotional, rock sound with an
elevated deep richness.
‘We write arena rock and playing arena stages is
something we aim for. I won’t be happy until I’m standing on that arena stage’, Henrik adds. With regular comparisons to the
likes of Alter Bridge and Soundgarden mutated
with Dire Straits and Muse, it’s clear that Empyre’s music was written with the
big stage in mind.
Other tracks such as ‘Hit and Run’, ‘Waking Light’ and
recent single ‘Relentless’ capture the band’s more commercial side, featuring a
warm, enveloping sound, while ‘Forget Me’ showcases the album’s emotive edge, as the haunting, delicate ballad builds
to a euphoric ending, a song that
would be at home on in any arena.
Since their debut album Self Aware in
2019, Empyre have won Classic Rock Magazine’s “Track Of The Week” on three separate occasions
alongside a 'High Hopes' feature, while Kerrang! described
their sound as "slick, vast and like the music was written with the
help of an architectural blueprint for an arena". Planet Rock heralded the band as ‘Ones to Watch’,
playlisting the tracks ‘New
Republic’ (https://youtu.be/wfIH4uPMKIg ) and ‘My Bad’ and on the strength of
the 2020 Winter’s End performance immediately booked them for the Planet
Rockstock 2021 main stage.
Empyre have also been one of very few rock
acts to be featured on ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris’ “Under The Apple Tree” Sessions.
Aside from their high aspirations and
determination Empyre are also known for a darkly self-deprecating sense of
humour and have proved they have what it takes to stand out from the crowd by
delivering an engaging, if unsettling mix of melancholy, hope, and hopelessness,
often within the same song.
Track listing:
1. Relentless [03:57]
2. Waking Light
[04:36]
3. Parasites [05:18]
4. Cry Wolf [05:28]
5. Hit And Run
[04:00]
6. Forget Me
[05:48]
7. Silence
Screaming [05:01]
8. Road To Nowhere
[04:34]
9. Quiet Commotion
[06:10]
10. Your Whole Life
Slows [03:18]
Relentless will
be released on the following formats, with additional bundles and items
available exclusively through the Eyesore Merch band store – all are available
to pre-order here https://empyre.lnk.to/Relentless
· Limited
edition digipack
CD version with an alternative cover, featuring 4 bonus
tracks
· Limited
edition red coloured vinyl LP
· CD
· LP
· Digitally
All
pre-orders via the Eyesore Merch band store will receive a hand-signed photo
and an exclusive free download of Empyre’s unreleased cover of the David Guetta
& Sia track Titanium.
Items
available bundled with the various formats include:
· Handwritten
lyrics
· The
album T-shirt
· A special limited edition Boxed version, designed and hand-treated by
the band. Including two tickets for the unique opportunity to join the band at
the album listening party event in advance of the album release, plus a USB
stick with exclusive album content and more.
What the press have
said about Empyre:
“Empyre have become masters at taking the formula for British
atmospheric rock and infusing it with their arena-ready signature sound” – Guitar
World
“Atmospheric but punchy modern rock” – Classic Rock
“Slick, vast and like the music was written
with the help of an architectural blueprint for an arena" - Kerrang
Alongside the
release of their upcoming album the band’s music has also been featured on the
soundtrack for new British film, ‘A Touch of Vengeance’ which is out now and
available on Amazon Prime.
EMPYRE LIVE IN THE UK
Empyre are already
a firm favourite on the UK live scene, and having had a busy summer playing
festivals, the band recently completed a UK tour supporting Vintage Caravan.
Empyre will also open for Gun in London on 1st December and at
the legendary Glasgow Barrowland on 10th December.
2023 will see the
band performing at Steelhouse Festival, Wales, in July, alongside the likes of
Airbourne, Blue Pills and The Answer.
Before then though Empyre will host a couple of very special events prior to the Relentless album launch on Saturday 11th March, in their home town of Northampton. Already sold out, just 24 hours after it was announced, they hold an album listening party and Q & A session at Northampton Filmhouse. Followed in the evening by a live performance of the album at The Black Prince venue which is on course to follow suit. So be quick to grab tickets whilst you can!
Event details
here: https://www.empyre.co.uk/events
Empyre are:
Henrik Steenholdt: Vocals and guitar
Did Coles: Lead
guitar
Grant Hockley: Bass
Elliot Bale: Drums
Follow Empyre:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EMPYRE/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmpyreRock
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empyrerock/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/empyrerock
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5QeMbHunpR4zPKLDEL4i7O