Cold Empire
From The Ashes Of The Empire

Anyone who is a fan of Black Metal made in Italy will surely have heard of Cold Empire, a Sardinian band that has been active for several years now in the underground scene and beyond. Cold Empire is the brainchild of Valker (already active as a guitarist in Streben) who, for this release, is joined by an individual known as Misanthrone on vocals and Leendert Kersbergen as a session drummer in the studio.

One cannot say that “From the Ashes to Empire” is a particularly innovative or modernist album. Instead, it is heavily influenced by the classical Black Metal school, but not the Norwegian Darkthrone-like one (which undoubtedly is the most followed in these cases) characterized by cold sounds and productions bordering on decency. Instead, Cold Empire follows in the footsteps of Swedish Black Metal with a sound much closer to early Marduk. For most of the tracks, there are abundant blast beats, a thundering bass, and fiercely angry screams, a mix that outlines a very full and granite-like sound from which little light filters through. However, Cold Empire is not just brutality; they have a remarkable taste for melody, such that at certain points you can't help but exclaim “Wow!”. Despite "From the Ashes to Empire" being a work that favors breakneck speeds, occasionally Valker and his colleagues indulge in more reflective compositions with a purely Doom flavor. The concluding track “Forest of Hate,” despite the questionable title, is a highly successful track in perfect Black/Doom style. If the rest of the album were on these standards, we would be facing a work that would make even the most established bands pale in comparison.

“From the Ashes to Empire” is not a particularly personal album, but with many good insights and quite fluid. The band needs to work more on a style they can define as “their own” and on a higher quality production to make their compositions truly shine. The band is currently working on new material; I recommend all fans to keep their ears open. For now, let's listen to “From the Ashes” which is fully sufficient!