
I still had no idea what music these guys made but I liked them immediately. I mean, The Czech make damn good beer, and pretty good music too. So, after finishing two of the beers, it was time to dig into the music. I rammed the disc into my computer who in its turn set the speaker ablaze with heavy but melodic post hardcore influenced metal. 'Nobody Else' started to play, driving on thick riffs, an electronic backbone and megatons of energy.
Although the term "post-hardcore" is coined, I mostly associate Exit Empire with something between Linkin Park and Evergrey. The music has the electronics of the first and the intense but melodic metal sound of the second. Most of the songs are mid tempo slabs of metal with an epic and modern-day sound that seems to be larger than life, or at least would fit perfectly well in arenas and massive venues. In fact, this is today's variant of arena-rock.
'Shut Up' is my favorite track, it''s fast, brutal, punkish and seemingly inspired by bands like Slipknot. Yet, songs like 'Ignore Me' and 'Who Can Blame Us' are just as intense and immersive. The opening riff in the latter will make every head in the audience bang. I'm quite sure of that. Besides, the whole thing is executed to perfection. There is literally no difference in quality between Exit Empire and some of your favorite modern day metal bands.
So in all, if today's metal scene is something you like to dig into, Exit Empire definitely earns a spot in your collection. Hell, I'm not even a fan of this genre but these guys are good. They're talented, they have a flair for doing things a bit different and they can easily smash your skull with this pounding sound. In my humble opinion, this is a band with a bright future, one that deserves to make it to the big leagues.
Serge