• About
    • Comments Policy
    • The Staff
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Staff Playlists
    • Staff Picks
    • PSA
  • Reviews
    • Reviews – Books
    • Reviews – Audio
    • Reviews – Classics
    • Reviews – Visual
    • Reviews – Live
    • Reviews – Vinyl
  • Blogs
  • Contact Us
Hellbound.ca - FOR THE LOVE OF METAL FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
  • Features
    • Staff Playlists – November 2020
      Staff Playlists – November 2020
    • Round Eye – Culture Shock Treatment
      Round Eye – Culture Shock Treatment
    • The Texas Gentleman – Floor it!
      The Texas Gentleman – Floor it!
  • Interviews
    • A chat with IRON VOID
      A chat with IRON VOID
    • Jungle Rot interview – Dave Matrise, May 2019
      Jungle Rot interview – Dave Matrise, May 2019
    • Interview: NECROT
      Interview: NECROT
  • Live
    • Monuments in Manchester, March 2020
      Monuments in Manchester, March 2020
    • Thrice – Feb 28 in Pomona
      Thrice – Feb 28 in Pomona
    • MOUNT AIRY CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF GEOFF TATE’S “EMPIRE”
      MOUNT AIRY CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF GEOFF TATE’S “EMPIRE”
  • Audio
    • The Germs – (MIA) The Complete Anthology
      The Germs – (MIA) The Complete Anthology
    • Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
      Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
    • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
      Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
  • Video
    • Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
      Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
    • Mean Gene’s favorite movie releases of 2019
      Mean Gene’s favorite movie releases of 2019
    • L7: Pretend We’re Dead (DVD/Blu-Ray)
      L7: Pretend We’re Dead (DVD/Blu-Ray)
  • Classics
    • Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
      Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
    • Greenslade – Sundance
      Greenslade – Sundance
    • Wally – Martyrs and Cowboys
      Wally – Martyrs and Cowboys
  • Vinyl
    • The Germs – (MIA) The Complete Anthology
      The Germs – (MIA) The Complete Anthology
    • Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
      Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
    • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
      Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
  • Books
    • Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
      Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts From Northern Ireland 1977-1984
    • Irish Service Women In The Great War: From Western Front to Roaring Twenties by Barbara Walsh
      Irish Service Women In The Great War: From Western Front to Roaring Twenties by Barbara Walsh
    • North Vietnam 1972 Easter Offensive by Stephen Emerson
      North Vietnam 1972 Easter Offensive by Stephen Emerson
By Gruesome Greg Reviews, Reviews - Audio February 2, 2018

Empress – Reminiscence

Rating

I told you Elder’s got a posse! A West Coast gig from our new stoner rock saviours inspired this here Vancouver trio to start kicking out their own respective jams, which has resulted in their five-song debut EP, Reminiscence. There’s two distinct types of tunes on Reminiscence—three sub-four-minute tracks, and then a pair of eight-plus minute epics, where they really take things to another level.

We start off with “The Offering,” a tight, four-minute tune with some great big gurgling riffs, pounding percussion and fairly typical hoarse, post-sludgey shouts. Not a bad beginning. But second song “Immer” takes it to a whole new level. There’s more of a bit of Anciients in this eight-minute number, with a good mix of proggy riffs and heavy breakdowns. But then things take a bit of a black-metal turn around the midway mark, with a vicious onslaught of atonal riffage, with a slight post-rock sheen, that I definitely didn’t see coming!

Clocking in just under three minutes, “Baptizer” is a pretty tight sludgy hardcore tune that not coincidentally kinda reminds me of Baptists…or at least some of their slower, heavier numbers, before throwing in another blackened metal flourish at the end. Then we get the longest song on here, “They Speak Like Trees,” which is just a little under 10 minutes. The opening bass line reminds me of Sleep, but they sound a little more proggy, more akin to Anciients, Elder or maybe even Neurosis with some of their shimmering riffs. They’re definitely off to a pretty good start…

thisisempress.bandcamp.com/album/reminiscence

www.facebook.com/EmpressBC

Gruesome Greg

Gruesome Greg

Seahawks/Stamps/Flames/Zags/Jays/Raptors fan and lifelong metal head with a beer gut and a self-deprecating sense of humour. Reviewer/blogger (Yon Senior Doomsayer) for Hellbound.ca.

  • Share on:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +

7.5 Rating

Read more about...

doomEmpressmetalpost metalpost-rockpost-sludgeprogreviewsludgestoner rock
Previous article
The History of Metal Blade Records
Next article
Wardruna in North America

Stay Connected

Want Hellbound delivered straight to your inbox? Signup to receive our weekly newsletter!


Recent Posts

  • The Germs – (MIA) The Complete Anthology
  • Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
  • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
  • Art Bergmann – Christo Fascists
  • Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta

Recent Comments

  • Jason Bouchard on Wardruna in North America
  • Shawn Martin on Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
  • The Metal Pigeon on Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
  • Berenice Ramìrez on Ghost: The Hellbound Interview
  • Gruesome Greg on Perturbator + Bulkhead @ The Velvet Underground, 1 October 2017

More Stories

ProgPower USA 2011 – review of Thursday, September 15

“Even though the annual ProgPower USA festivities started the night before with Evergrey’s absolutely amazing acoustic performance, a performance in which I was very skeptical about initially, Thursday was the true beginning of the festival. Thursday night held the promise of a returning Vanden Plas, a band that has tried to make it over several times but was unsuccessful each time due to different circumstances. On top of that, Evergrey was set to play the entire In Search Of Truth album, an album considered by many to be their magnum opus.”

Justin Richardson recaps his experience at the first official day of ProgPower USA 2011, which happened on Thursday, September 15th at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia.

About Hellbound.ca

Hellbound is one of Canada's leading online magazines featuring heavy metal in all its glorious forms. Hellbound is written by fans for fans.

Sign up for our weekly digest!

Want Hellbound delivered straight to your inbox? Signup to receive our weekly newsletter!


Copyright © 2009-2019.

Latest Comments

  • Avatar
    1

    Jason Bouchard

    Wardruna in North America
    I will have to admit: I actually only heard of Wardruna last year when I saw through the Evenko Facebook page that Wardruna would play in Montreal. I was impressed…
  • Avatar
    2

    Shawn Martin

    Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
    Cool list. I'll be sure to buy Pallbearers new album. I haven't listened to many new albums from this year, but really like "Incorruptible" by Iced Earth and "The Grinding…
  • Avatar
    3

    The Metal Pigeon

    Heavy metal in 2017 by Adrien Begrand
    Enjoyed reading this, particularly the "My 2017 in Metal" section. As a distressed American metal writer who's had more than my fair share of freakouts over the current political situation,…

More Posts on Hellbound

  • The Germs – (MIA) The Complete Anthology
  • Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
  • Jamie Wyatt – Neon Cross
  • Art Bergmann – Christo Fascists
  • Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta
  • Staff Playlists – November 2020
Powered by WordPress.
Back to top