Welcome to the new Empyre.
UK rock band Empyre, who recently signed to Kscope, will release their new album Relentless on 31st March this year, with pre-orders available now at https://empyre.lnk.to/Relentless
They now find themselves alongside the likes of TesseracT, The Pineapple Thief and Envy of None, on a label that has previously released albums from Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree and Tangerine Dream.
‘Joining the Kscope family of artists feels like a validation of us as songwriters. We have a sense of reassurance, and we’re proud to be a part of it.’ states Empyre frontman Henrik Steenholdt.
Widely regarded as one of the hardest working bands of the past few years, Relentless was recorded between pandemic lockdowns and during their previous album’s (The Other Side) release cycle. Once again they encamped at Parlour Recording Studio, Kettering for recording with Neil Haynes, before handing mixing duties to Chris Clancy at Audioworks (Machine Head, Those Damn Crows, Massive Wagons) - who has magnified the band’s dark, emotional, rock sound with an elevated deep richness.
Their new single, the rock epic, “Hit & Run” stands out as one of the most emotional and powerful tracks on the record, it’s accompanied by a cinematic new video. WATCH HERE.
Commenting on the track the lead singer Henrik adds, "Hit and Run is about returning to somewhere you once knew well, picturing it as if it had been frozen in time, but on your return the realisation comes that whilst the place still provokes powerful memories so much has changed over the years that there isn't much to relate to there anymore. Specifically it's about me returning to a town where I lived in Denmark. It's quite a sad song, but we felt the sentiment behind it really lent itself to a warm, slightly dreamy, 80s vibe, and that may well be something we want to build on in the future."
The album’s title track Relentless also showcases Empyre’s work ethic and ethos, and musically, the hard rock track will resonate with listeners in their scene. "Relentless, at least in title, reflects Empyre and our level of dedication and ambition. Whilst the album as a whole is not pure hard rock, we felt the best way to introduce it would be with a striking and formidable title track, letting Relentless set the tone in terms of intensity”, the band add.
‘We write arena rock and playing arena stages is something we aim for. I won’t be happy until I’m standing on that arena stage’, Henrik adds. With regular comparisons to the likes of Alter Bridge and Soundgarden mutated with Dire Straits and Muse, it’s clear that Empyre’s music was written with the big stage in mind.
Other tracks such as Waking Light and Hit And Run capture the band’s more commercial side, featuring a warm, enveloping sound, while Forget Me showcases the album’s emotive edge, as the haunting, delicate ballad builds to a euphoric ending, a song that would be at home on the arena stage.
Since their debut album Self Aware in 2019, Empyre have won Classic Rock Magazine’s “Track Of The Week” on three separate occasions alongside a 'High Hopes' feature, while Kerrang! described their sound as "slick, vast and like the music was written with the help of an architectural blueprint for an arena". Planet Rock heralded the band as ‘Ones to Watch’, playlisting the tracks ‘New Republic’ and ‘My Bad’ and on the strength of the 2020 Winter’s End performance immediately booked them for the Planet Rockstock 2021 main stage.
Aside from their high aspirations and determination Empyre are also known for a darkly self-deprecating sense of humour and have proved they have what it takes to stand out from the crowd by delivering an engaging, if unsettling mix of melancholy, hope, and hopelessness, often within the same song.
