Empress - Premonition (2020)

EMPRESS is a Post-Doom/Sludge band from Canada, specifically Vancouver, British Columbia. “Premonition” is their debut album. I have noticed mixing doom/sludge with post-metal/rock is becoming more and more common. I think is a good thing for all the genres involved and if it means a high quality release like “Premonition,” is the direct result of the styles merging then I hope it never slows down.
EMPRESS have a somewhat old school sound that focuses on clean vocals and thick riffs like the great doom bands of old. But the melancholic and cinematic nature of post is infused into every aspect of their sound. The result is an album that rocks from start to finish but is very wide in scope with a lot of depth. Their friend, Brenden, passed away before the album could be finished, and he was on bass, so I’m not real sure who plays bass on the finished version but it sounds really good—clear, concise, melodic when it needs to be, and heavy when it has to be. I wish Brenden to rest in peace and hope finishing the album was able to help the two remaining members, Chris and Peter, find some way to accept what happened.
The album opens with “A Pale Wanderer,” with clean guitars and vocals that sound like a less whiny Ozzy. The build up sees the guitars adding more and more to the song; it builds up right before your ears like watching a building being added to step by step. A couple minutes in and the band presents rock solid drums and powerful doom riffs. The guitar solos is short but surprisingly sweet and fits in perfectly to bridge the song together. I loved the heavier second half, complete with shouting vocals that I can just feel the anguish coming off in waves.
“Passage,” begins life as what sounds could pass for an old school rock song but quickly introduces a style that mixes prog and sludge elements together—-reminds me of a post version of MASTODON. This track has a laid back feel compared to the opening song but it still hits pretty hard but just in a different way. “Hiraeth,” is a song that I really enjoy and has become one of my favorites on the album. The long build up is classic doom and post. The rougher vocals pull it all together as the band jams the hell out. The song’s mid section is intense but in a beautiful way, kind of like a doom version of ALCEST. The six minute mark shows the band going balls out with the metal and this part is destructive enough to satisfy even the most strict doom fans.
The title track is a well done instrumental that comes at the listener in waves, each bringing a different feeling. Despite not having vocals, I feel this track really represents the overall sound of the band and what they were trying to achieve on this album. The last track, “Lion’s Blood,” is my favorite on the album. Everything about it is what I love so much about doom and post metal. Long song format, that slow build up, super heavy without being in your face about it, and quiet but equally intense moments. The riffs about halfway thru the song are some of the most badass I’ve heard all year. From this point forward, things get really good and I really appreciated how quiet it gets before the raging storm returns once more to cap the song and album off perfectly.
EMPRESS have crafted a beast of a debut with “Premonition,” because it mixes all these styles together but doesn’t leave out any elements that makes them great individually. I will definitely be following this band from here on out.