Empirine is a dynamic technical metal duo from Sundsvall and Ephemeral is their second commercial release. Never before has so many people been able to produce, promote and distribute music as today. The introduction of high-speed internet and the affordability of recording equipment enables niche musicians to thrive. This is EP is the result of painstaking self-production and written with the utmost care, with the goal to make music competing with today's vibrant and swiftly developing metal scene.
The songs roughly follow the same style throughout; with guitar-focused melodic riffing, heavy but colorful. The prominent vocals are death grunts, often coupled with vo-coder. This writing-style is heavily influenced by the progressive technical metal gurus of our age; such as Cynic, the Faceless and Obscura. But more conventional bands like the Haunted and Opeth have also been flung into the creative juice-cauldron. Computer programmed drums result in a tight sound, but it's somewhat blatant that the duos main focus is not recreating the subtleties of a real drummer. It's perhaps the low-point of the delivery because at parts I feel some sort of input from a real drummer would've been fruitful. The last two part tracks The Ephemeral Endeavor I and II with their clean vocal choruses arguably have the most commercial potential. The second one being adorned with a promotional music video.
Ephemeral is leaps ahead the first album song-writing wise and it's been interesting following the creative development of this talented duo. In order for them to generate a buzz however, a push of some sort is needed. Being completely independent is a beautiful thing, but sometimes the simple act of having a different publisher or handing the mixing to someone more prolific could potentially really make a difference. Hard work and skill is an essential thing, but sometimes knowing "the right people" can be vital.
Regardless, checking out Empirine is not a waste of your time. Neither this release, nor their prior. Musically (that's where it counts) this is creative song-writing filled with interesting hooks to keep you engaged.
