The Empire of Future

Here's a nice, proggy EUPM album that hits all the checkboxes as far as the genre is concerned: shiny and neoclassical keyboards; Gamma Ray-ish soloing; nasal vocals, and of course: the obligatory lackluster ballad (which is saved for the end, mercifully). Nothing really life-changing, but it's a very enjoyable album that will be liked by fans of Kamelot, Nocturnal Rites, Lost Horizon, Symphony X, post-reunion Angel Dust and other bands of a similar ilk.

So yeah, that's the basic summary. It's a rather riff-heavy album; like Lindqvist-era Nocturnal Rites, but a bit more mellow. The vocals, however, are more in the vein of Anders Zackrisson. Nasal though not always high-pitched, and with a prominent Hansen-ish German accent. On some moments such as the pre-chorus of Six Past the Hour, the vocals are multitracked for that Painkiller effect. And the progressiveness of this album is manifested in its tone and general atmosphere rather than the song structures. In regards to that, all songs follow the typical verse-chorus structure. Some songs have brief bridges (such as the "Living and breathing" part of Saints and Sinners), but nothing really ambitious that turns a song into an epic. They're all pretty straightforward when all is said and done.

The songs are midpaced and atmospheric for the most part, though there are a few faster tunes (Live For the Day, Tell Me Why, Six Past the Hour, the middle section of Broken Wings). Of the faster ones, Tell Me Why is easily the most exciting one, with Six Past the Hour close behind. Highlights among the slower tunes include the groovy Saints and Sinners, Siége Perilous-esque New Experiment and the (ironically) very uplifting Broken Wings. We Must Remain is more hard-rockish, with the bonus track See Beyond being in the similar vein. The title track evokes a potent atmosphere with its orchestral-sounding keyboards and epic solos, with the rest of the song being no slouch at all.

One problem with this album is that it is kinda derivative at times. Live for the Day, for example, borrows quite a few elements from Of Sins and Shadows (namely the verse riff and the choir at 3:00, with the same riff also appearing at 2:50 of Broken Wings), and the guitarwork, while always cool, is a bit samey throughout the album (both riff-wise and solo-wise). Still, despite it's lack of originality, The Empire of Future is a pretty enjoyable piece of EUPM. Something which cannot be said for its mediocre, flowery follow-ups, unfortunately.

The year 2000 brought about a series of revelations for humankind: Y2K didn’t kill us all, mullets still weren’t cool, and Iron Maiden sure as heck could still kick ass. A younger DC Cooper, after being abruptly fired from Royal Hunt (A mistake that both Cooper and the band would later correct most satisfactorily), decided a new band was in order. Together with Sinner guitarist Alex Beyrodt, Silent Force was founded and the band’s debut album, The Empire Of Future, saw the light of day.

Fusing tried and true German power metal with a few progressive influences and Cooper’s distinct voice, the band’s first release differs considerably from their later, better known work. The concept of a future society and its greyed morality is perhaps Cooper and Beyrodt’s own narrative upon the turn of the millennium and mankind’s gradual descent into moral depravity. Regardless, the lyrical content is consistent, focused, and highly introspective. Rare enough are power metal songs that examine human behavior and spiritual beliefs maturely and in detail, and now we have an entire album on the subject. It’s nothing terrifically deep, but certainly a refreshing lyrical distraction from dragons, unicorns, spaceships, and metal. To sum up succinctly, I will use the band’s words, printed in the artwork: If revenge makes our lives worth living, then we haven’t learned anything.

Musically, The Empire Of Future is just flirting with being true progressive power metal. This is due more to tonality and chordal progressions than any real structure, since the latter exhibits the influence of German power/speed work quite strongly. Choruses are strong but not always the most immediately memorable. Melodically, the album seems to be a work in progress on my brain. Every time I hear this album, the more that I recall, and the more that I want to hear it. However, it’s still not on the same glorious musical plateau of later albums Worlds Apart and Walk The Earth, as it seems to lack the necessary textural depth that really makes them great.

Cooper’s vocals are heavily layered and sometimes seem a bit muffled on this album. Overall he’s not as bright or as clear as he is in later works, but this may be partially due to production. Despite the length of songs like “New Experiment” and the title track, Cooper and company dextrously avoid monotony with some more steady power metal tracks like “Six Past The Hour” and “Saints And Sinners”. I’ll admit that my first go with this album ended with my switching it out for Worlds Apart for something I found more entertaining. Though it still can’t achieve the same counts of melody and majesty, I’m increasingly convinced that this album delivers the goods quite well. The only weak track is the ballad “I’ll Be There” (proof that no one other than Beyrodt and Cooper should help write songs), and it is considerably overpowered by the excellence of standouts “Live For The Day” and “Broken Wings”.

If you enjoy later Silent Force, especially Walk The Earth, The Empire Of Future is arguably a better bet than other works, as it provides a more intense listening experience, along with some thought-provoking lyricism and proggy neo-classical touches. Similarly, it would be the last of the band’s albums that I’d give to someone into more melodic power metal. However, the quality of composition and execution on this debut speaks for itself, and while it’s a grower, it has potential to appeal to anyone enjoying either proggy power or Cooper’s work.

Original review written for Black Wind Metal

Though this album is the debut for power metal supergroup Silent Force, led by former Royal Hunt vocalist D.C. Cooper and Sinner guitarist Alex Beyrodt, it will likely stand as their foremost accomplishment for some time to come.

Suffice to say that it's a concept album about a future society, the focused lyrical material keeps the band more focused than on their subsequent releases. There is not a weak track on the album, and most have a very strong chorus. Musically as well, there is also a sense or urgency and purpose that has not been seen consistenly since. The songs are a lot more varied in structure and tone than the more generic power metal sounding songs the band would later produce.

The brooding intro to the title track is one such example, building up tension until the body of the song kicks in. This song also shows the incredible range that Cooper is capable of. The layered vocal tracks only reinforce the life and excitement his performance adds to the album. The instrumentals do typically take a backseat to the soaring vocals, but Beyrodt's guitar play is consisent and varied enough to be interesting.

Despite the bindings of writing lyrics around a concept, the lines never sound out of place, or forced, with the album mantaining a nice flow uninterrupted by awkward moments. The contrast of more involved songs like the title track and "New Experiment," with more up-tempo songs like "Tell Me Why" and "Six Past The Hour," keeps the album from falling into the common power metal trap of sounding monotone or repetitive.

D.C. Cooper fans take note of this album, as it is his best work outside of Royal Hunt, thus far. It's also a great album for lovers of concept albums, or power-prog metal in general.