Mainman Paul Allender states that “White Empress is the link the music scene has been so desperately missing,” and that the band “has all the best parts of the metal scene rolled up in to one band”.
Impossible claims, of course, but he’s partly right: White Empress definitely blend a lot of musical elements (logical since they feature ex-members of Cradle Of Filth, Coal Chamber and even Ugly Kid Joe). You can call it ‘extreme symphonic metal’, although the band lean more toward the wall-of-sound offered by Fleshgod Apocalypse than the likes of Dimmu Borgir. The ‘White Empress’ herself, aka Mary Zimmer, is also a defining element, moving from soaring clean-sung parts to death metal screams. Production and musicianship are flawless, and a better example of state-of-the-art metal would be hard to think of; what is lacking, however, are the emotive qualities that make a classic metal album. A promising start, but there’s room for improvement.
Via Peaceville
