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
In Nomine Patris, Et Filii, Et' Spiritus Sancti, Amen
Agnus Dei, Qui Tollis Pecata Mundi, Dona Nobis Pachem, Amen

Searching through your pockets for your saviour
Kneeling to deception and liars
Opening safes with their tongues
Leaving a trail of misbelief

Do you pray for bliss nirvana?
Or do you pray for rage and victims?
Preach aloud and toss your sermon
Close your eyes to the beggar's hands!

Praise the manufactured glory,
And curse the sinners of tomorrow
Your meaning of prayer - for money
Your meaning of prayer - for power

Searching through your pockets for your salvation
Hoping not to bear your self-conscious
Taking souls on your way up and down and out!
Delivering prayers so hollow

Do you pray for bliss nirvana?
Or do you pray for lustful desires?
Preach aloud your confused aberration
Steal away from the beggar's hands

Sin! Sin! Deranged evangelist! Lie! Lie! In the name of God!
Sin! Sin! Deranged evangelist! Lie! Lie! In the name of God!

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
I'll see you in hell, for all you've done!

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.
Spreading your waste to taste the pride of all the damage you have done.

Open your arms and set me free!
Do I deserve this now, to be your victim.
Kissing your lips that bite the dust.
Waving good-bye.
I'm sadly taking your poison.
As clouds appear above my head, all pray only death prevails.

I'm kissing your poison and I hope you'll be obliged.
I'm setting your course as you swallow me alive.
I'm kissing your poison and I know that things could change.
I'm clinging to life and thinking, "God help me, `cause only time will tell"..

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 storm blows icy water on a frozen desert sea.
Icicle daggers get thrust deep into my heart.
The Autumn is crucified to tear this year apart.

The fangs of a bitter frost bite tear me limb from limb.
It makes me see all sides and returns to haunt my days.
Icy fingers hold me outstretched to an ice plagued world.
I hear old Jack Frost painting on the edge of my window sill.
And he says to me without a doubt, "Do you believe me?"
And the wind whispers low, "November's leaving me again."
To the cold.....

I reach for warmth. Please hold me closer.
See my breath in the wind as your love chills me to the bone.
Frozen anguish, I stand alone,
As we seek for refuge from the cold.
Winter's dagger in my heart.
The Autumn is crucified to tear us all apart.

November, I hear you're leaving.
November, I hear you're leaving me again.
November, Will you come back to me again"?

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 , you'll also be a convert :o)

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.
Feathers ruffled by the cold.
The only hope she has is nesting.
Giving birth to vengeful children.
They're stealing from the crow.

To take away a mothers destiny,
Makes her weak and less aware.
Dreams will not make summer come back again.
The harvest season is upon her.
We're stealing from the crow.

Like the rest I'm stealing from the crow.
Like the best there isn't very much to know.
Just a mockery of her own failing falsity.
Laying down in her endless rest of misery.
She's lying all alone. She's dying all alone".

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.
This act remains upon us and the vulture lies in disguise

Shiny skin glistens from submission, breaking your will.
To hold you firm in confinement, a leash keeps you tame.
Appearance was the key role, my satisfactions declined.
Falling backward, submitting only lonely facts.
Your weakness, you're speechless.
Your weakness is mine.

Tired theories, contest what is beginning.
The struggle between God and I.
Silken lips creating simple fantasies, become reality for some.

Disobeying, the tiff belongs to heresy.
I'm lead into sin.
This force lacks solid eternity, the thought of pleasure's too thin.
A pale face, a black veil to cover it.
Dimensions forced to be drowned.
Measures taken by forsaken crucifixation.
Self control is torn, it's melting away.

So we return to..

Tired theories, contest what is beginning.
The struggle between God and I.
Silken lips creating simple fantasies, become reality for some.

Silken lips are reality, reality for some.
Submit to me.
Commit to me your love.
Broken hearts are reality, reality for some.
Is this your love?

Submit to me.
Commit to me your love.
Commit to me.
Submit to me your love.
Serve today, this pain is your love.
Is this your love"?

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.
Seize vitality and wish for inspiration.
Barricades and psycho traps are self rewarding.
What's been done here, we're not receiving.

No options for us. Who dares to care anymore?
Instructed lessons are enforced here day by day.
Aim too high and miss the target.
He's looking for a pat on the back.

Not meant to lead. You're meant to follow.
Don't ask questions. You're made to worship.
Not meant to speak. You're meant to listen.
You'll never lead us. You will follow.

Could one sustain to fight this war.
Falling walls. It's quite amusing.
Still looking for that scapegoat out of here.
These laughing faces won't carry you out of here".

"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?
Decisions made to end this melt down.
There are nightmares disguised as fairy tales.
Gapping down projecting savage stares.
Acid images, of bountiful disillusions.
For me, there'll be no more proposals.

Don't trust injections, full of ammonia that wakes you, like venom through a bloodline.
Aimlessly, so intense without warning, does lightning strike the rods within my brain.
It's sacrificial, and some things are better left unsaid to all.
A wink to reassure me of your certainty that I'm stable...... It's Logic".

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
Withdraw incentive like a vampire
I've known happiness, I've known pain
And these tears remain my punishment

I can't follow through the rain
Wishing for something to lead me back again
Take these bliss times from my pain
And never mind what I say
And never mind what I say
And never mind what I say

This dead season, controlled my misery
The endless passing of your memory
We shared a moment that I captured in my locket
And now I'm staring at an empty ring

I can't follow through the rain
I lost my passions with my paradise
I can't control what life can drain
But never mind what I say
Never mind what I say
Never mind what I say
Never mind what I say"..

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.
Existence, has no meaning at all.
Behold death.
It's the end of the living.
And I'm forgotten by an ungracious world.

What vision can I see from the dying?
This prison cell has rights to all of my feelings.
A passage, darker than midnight.
I'm trying hard to fight this place hereafter".

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 ~

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