Empyros are newcomers from Estonia, the land of which metal music scene I'm not too conscious of. 'The Spectre of Ballantre' is the band's first output, being their self-financed debut album.

Empyros build upon old school heavy metal, which they spice up with some aggressiveness. A lot of twin-guitar harmonics is heard, as well as heavier riffage. The biggest drawback about this whole thing is the vocal performance, which is harsh yet sticking to the tunes, but is very, very limited in range. This causes the songs to sound similar, more than they actually are. It is easy to notice that, because at the times when there is no vocals, the guitars feel more dynamic. The heavy metal riffing (from Accept to Iron Maiden) meets gothic/melodic death metal melodies (something that hundreds of bands were doing in the aftermath of Sentenced's 1995 album 'Amok'). Still, the band run out of ideas well before the album ends. The drums sound very machiney, even though claimed to be performed by a man. I think the percussions sound all similar, very monotonous, without any human variety, all hits having the same volume all the time. There's loads of lower end on the album, but the guitars sound thin, even though biting. And at times, out of tune playing is heard....

Empyros rely too much on the basics of heavy metal, and haven't really tried anything of their own here. Both, the guitar and bass performances are good, and raise expectations toward the future deeds of the band. Even though the vocals are individual, that does not mean they are good. They ruin a lot here by being limited and sadly stealing the show by being annoying, and I advise the band to search for a better vocalist at first hand! The band still have a lot to do if they want to leave their mark into the history of metal music, because at time the band sound very much faceless.

Rating: 4 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/25/2008 15:22