Live Review

Empress – Camden Barfly

• 31st Oct 2012

“It’s like a party” said one reveller, and ahead of playing their first headline show Empress have been building up quite a stir. Heralded as the UK’s next big time metal act, they have shoes to fill, and its shows like this which prove your worth.

Before Empress could make an appearance, their support Out Like Wolves took to the stage. Their presence on stage was felt instantly as the band kicked the night into gear playing songs like Building Bombs, which show that Out Like Wolves have potential of their own, their energy not letting up once during the set.

After the supports left, Empress appeared to show everyone what all the fuss was about. Through the use of technical drum tempos and snaking riffs, their sound is more than unique, with tracks like Nostalgia and Perplexed Again show the band drawing influence from alt-heroes Deftones and Mastodon.

Frontman Ollie Loring shows his vocal prowess, interchanging swiftly from singing to screaming, while he and his bandmates prove themselves master musicians on more than one occasion – an easy example of this is Tom Meadon’s aforementioned drum technique.

The melodic rockers brought their entire force of will to Camden, with Left In Awe ending what was a truly enjoyable spectacle. It is clear to see that these boys will very quickly outgrow the Barfly. That same reveller previously mentioned can also be quoted saying “it’s good to have rock back in London”. But he’s wrong; it’s not just good, it’s great.

Venue: Camden Barfly
Support Band: Out Like Wolves