|
The Empire Hideous Greetings All! Ahh, the moment is at hand in which I finally have the distinct pleasure of introducing to you lucky readers The Empire Hideous, a New Jersey band that has more than made its mark within the alternative music scene. It must be said The Empire Hideous has mass appeal to just about every taste, musically and theatrically. They classify themselves as a hard rock band, but their intense style and formidable stage presence allows for plenty of room to be enjoyed by those of the gothic and vampiric persuasions, as well as those into punk and other alternative music genres. They have been compared often to well known bands out there such as Sisters Of Mercy, Type-O Negative, The Misfits (of which Myke WAS the lead singer for some time), and more importantly, Fields Of The Nephilim. Myke and company guarantee a good time and a damn great show. They have several 'albums' out, ranging from several EPs, to live shows on video, to 2 full length albums which are available for your listening pleasure, though the earlier mixes will be hard to find, and possibly non existent. For this review, I will be presenting several tracks from their EP "Only Time Will Tell" and also from their previous album "Victim Destroys Assailant". Originally, I had wanted to review their most recent album called "Say Your Prayers", but I haven't yet received it! SO I'll just have to save it for another review :o) On with the music! I am beginning with the EP first, because it's the oldest (not to mention it has some of their finest songs on it, in *my* opinion). I won't of course be featuring all the songs for obvious reasons, but I'll try to present a well rounded mix here that everyone can appreciate. Although the first 2 songs on "Only Time Will Tell" completely stomp ass, I had a hard time locating the lyrics, which is unfortunate :o\ So I will start with "Impious" which is one of my favorite songs on the EP anyway, so it's as good a starting point as any :o) It begins with some very pious chanting before getting underway to the real issue of the song, which is a jab at organized religion and all the hell, damnation, and utter chaos that comes with it. In fact, there are elements of this song that take me back in time to a place where the well known televangelist Jimmy Swaggart was caught with his pants down, quite literally, and then used his airtime to give out a tearful "please God forgive me, I have SINNED" speech to the televangelistic world, only to be pulled over by the police later and caught with some questionable reading material in his very fine automobile :o) This song just emphasizes how the public is taken advantage of by those claiming to be speaking with the voice of a "higher power"..Hey, it's a way to make a living, I guess.. (shrugs) The lyrics in this song are quite clear, and I'd like to share the whole of this one because I think it really gets the point across very effectively..
"E' Nomine Padre, Figli, Spiritu Sancti, Amen
Searching through your pockets for your saviour
Do you pray for bliss nirvana?
Praise the manufactured glory,
Searching through your pockets for your salvation
Do you pray for bliss nirvana?
Sin! Sin! Deranged evangelist! Lie! Lie! In the name of God!
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit Pray to me. Sinners, of damnation. You're all Damned! ....Amen"...... Now, before I move on, I'd like to point out that this song is not saying that Myke or the rest of the band are taking pot shots at anyone's beliefs - they're not. I believe this song was written basically to blow the roof off some aspects of organized religion/new age mumbo crappo, and how people tend to get suckered in to give away hard earned thousands to line the pockets of those who do it all for you in the name of the divine. But it's not just the televangelists - it's also the scores of "psychics" who'll tell your future or commune with dead loved ones all for a price. Don't be fooled and fall for the utter bollocks, because that's precisely what it is - bollocks! They cold read you and tell you things only you could possibly know, and all the while, you didn't realize just how much you were really giving away :o) It's exploitation at its finest! Alrighty, moving onwards! Excited so far? I am :o) Ok, this next song on the EP is called "Kissing Your Poison", and I'm in two frames of mind over the lyrics. I get mixed messages from the lyrics because in one sense, it seems to be suggesting the way we have screwed up the world with pollution and wrecking the ozone, but on the other hand, if you read into it a little bit, you could also see the lyrics describing a toxic relationship. At any rate, it's a hard driving song, fast paced, and energetic. I only wish I was in Jersey or New York now and then just to be able to take in a show! I understand the stage antics aren't to be missed..There's a lot of piercing, whipping, and bleeding going on through the set..Sounds kewl to me! You don't find that a lot these days :o) Anyway, just to share some of the lyrics from this song with you all, so that you can deduce for yourselves what meaning it might hold for you.
"I'm kissing your poison licking lips that bite the dust.
Open your arms and set me free!
I'm kissing your poison and I hope you'll be obliged. Ok, one more from the EP, and then we can move onto the album. This next song is called "November". Lyrically, I find this song breathtakingly beautiful, and musically, it reminds me of a mixture of This Ascension and Fields Of The Nephilim. I recommend listening to this song if you manage to get your hands on it.. This EP is no longer available, so I guess I got lucky to find it..It seems to be another of those songs which has a multifaceted factor to it, meaning, it has more than one meaning. In one sense, it seems to be describing the onset of the cold winter months, and on the other hand, it seems that it is describing the end of a stormy relationship that left the writer alone and hurting. See if you agree - but these are the emotions that are hitting me whenever I play this song, and read through the lyrics..
"We seek sheltered havens. A fire sings lullaby's.
The fangs of a bitter frost bite tear me limb from limb.
I reach for warmth. Please hold me closer.
November, I hear you're leaving.
It's a brilliant album to be sure. Only Time Will Tell. If you happen
to find it, buy it..It's more than worth having. Ok, moving
onto "Victim Destroys Assailant". I really like this album a lot, and
I was glad my partner turned me onto this band. They have fast become
one of my favorite bands to listen to, and I'm sure once you all have
had a taste of their music
There are a grand total of 13 songs on the album, and I won't be
covering the lot here, but I will get through many of them, and try
to give as accurate a description of what I hear as I can.
I'm starting with "Stealing From The Crow", and I wonder if it's
worth me picking it apart. It's a very deep song, with many levels.
The tempo is slow and deliberate, but nevertheless it packs a hell of
a wallop, and it will take you off your feet. It's very visually
melancholic, and reminds one of cold weather, and the sighs brought
about by extreme inner pain and exhaustion of the spirit.
"Skin and bones show her strength to me.
To take away a mothers destiny,
Like the rest I'm stealing from the crow.
The next song on my list is another deliberate and slow, melancholic
tune known as "God and I". Now, I could be wrong, but somehow I don't
think so..I am getting strong visuals of a master and slave
situation. I think it would be an injustice to not include all the
lyrics here, because they tell the whole of the story. Musically,
this song is very erotic, so don't be a bit surprised if you suddenly
find yourself feeling a little turned on - I get the feeling this
song was designed to grab out at you that way, and share the fantasy,
possibly making it your reality.
"Silken lips make fantasies reality for some.
Shiny skin glistens from submission, breaking your will.
Tired theories, contest what is beginning.
Disobeying, the tiff belongs to heresy.
So we return to..
Tired theories, contest what is beginning.
Silken lips are reality, reality for some.
Submit to me.
Isn't that a funny thing about the master/slave relationship? One is
supposed to be dominant over the other in an obvious manner, yet who
REALLY has the upper hand? The master? Nope..The slave has his heart
right where she can literally inflict the most joy or pain, and the
master KNOWS this..I really love this song..The emotions just pour
out of it like liquid gold, and get into every little niche of your
whole body..Thank you Myke :o)
Next song is called "You Follow" and it's one of the first songs I
heard from Empire Hideous, and also one of my favorites. It speaks
basically of how many people simply follow the pack rather than being
individuals. So many look to pass the buck and blame anyone but
themselves when things don't go the way they should. Maybe it's
really true that some are simply meant to follow the pack leader
because they have no determination or strength. A good example of
this would be those who remain in abusive relationships because they
don't see any way out, and rather than looking for one, they are
content to remain, and so for them, there is no way out - For those
types, they are meant to follow. For those who allow the media to
rule the world instead of doing their homework. Like Marilyn Manson
said - we'll quite happily be force-fed all the bullshit the media can
shovel down our throats and not ever give it a second thought, and
then wonder why it all went awry! Religious right wing zealots, same
thing with them - they don't think, they just act, but on the command
of another. And so they too are "followers" rather than "leaders".
Whatever maintains the balance, I guess..
"Making attempts, have we stretched far for the ladder.
No options for us. Who dares to care anymore?
Not meant to lead. You're meant to follow.
Could one sustain to fight this war.
"Logic" seems to be a song about someone on self destruct mode, as
there are elements of overdose and suicide. For some, this song may
very well hit home. Perhaps this is in some way the remnants of
personal experience, I really don't know. I sincerely hope not.
"What is the answer for intoxicated junkies?
Don't trust injections, full of ammonia that wakes you, like venom
through a bloodline.
Alright, a couple more tunes and we'll call it a day.."This Dead
Season" if it's not about someone lost in the arms of death, the
experience must have been just about as difficult as if it had
happened, at least the lyrics suggest it to be so. The music is so
painful, and the vocals so full of hurt, and I cannot think that it
was merely written, but actually experienced.
"This dead season, aplagued toward conformity
I can't follow through the rain
This dead season, controlled my misery
I can't follow through the rain
Last one..I have decided to tie this up with a song that makes no
bones about getting right to the point, and I think it's fairly safe
to say we have all of us felt like this at some point within our
lives. The song is called "Hereafter", and to me, it suggests being
locked up within the Self, and not being able to find a way out. As
if the mind were a prison, a room dark and cold, no light, no warmth,
no meaning..Just numbness and constant pain. It puts me in mind of
the descent of
Inanna , which is a metaphoric story that describes the inner
turmoil of the mind, and what we face when we try to make our own
pathway out of the underworld, otherwise known as depression.
"This birth, gives way to the heavens.
What vision can I see from the dying?
Ok, well I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did bringing it to
you :o) As ever, it is my great pleasure to bring to you these
reviews, and I look forward to them each month, as I hope all of you
do :o) Now onto the great stuff ~
The Empire Hideous of course has a brilliant website, and I would
like to take this opportunity to thank Myke extensively for his
permission to make use of images and lyric content here, without
which this review would otherwise not have been able to be made
possible! Thanks very much Myke :o) The VC community appreciates it
very much :o)
The website is fully functional, and has all the information about
this band that you could wish for, including, but certainly not
limited to lyrics, and also some sound clips for your listening
pleasure. The site can be found by going
here , and then follow your
own path from that point onward. You will of course be needing the
obligatory windows media or real player in order to be able to access
the sound clips, and they're worth it, so please go get and a recent
free version of either or both players. Also, for those interested in
regular updates on The Empire Hideous gigs, you might consider
joining the list, which can be found
here , and this way, for those who live within
the tri state area, you'll always be the first to be informed on E.H.
gigs!
The Empire Hideous has a new album out that I would have loved to
have reviewed, but as I said, I have not yet received mine. Be that
as it may, there are three ways to get yours - You can go directly to
Amazon.com and order it there, or to
Middle Pillar
which are the official carriers for Empire Hideous, or you can
visit your local Hot Topic and demand your copy! And in the words of
Myke Hideous, "Make sure you add, "THE EMPIRE HIDEOUS made me do
this!!!," in violent screams as you foam at the mouth". And there you
have it! Thanks go out to my partner Gil, aka Doktor Avalanche for
once again making yet another fantastic band known to me, and in
turn, being able to share that experience with all of you out
here :o) As always, one hopes you have enjoyed reading this review,
and look out next month when I bring you a band from Finland who is
doing exciting things out there currently! Until then..
Very best regards,
Silver ~
| ||||||||||