Dark Empire
Distant Tides

Reminiscences of "Blind Guardian", "Symphony X", and "Iced Earth" can be noticed when one listens to the debut album of the "Dark Empire". Originating from the United States and led by shredder guitarist Matt Moliti, Dark Empire plays an energetic form of power/progressive metal completed by the flamboyant voice of singer Jens Carlsson, virtuoso solos from guitarist and keyboardist... all proceeding on tight and lashing rhythms. Although this "Distant Tides" contains only six songs, it must be said that each of them is over five minutes long... thus making the total duration of the album 37 minutes; which is less compared to recent music releases... yet it manages to offer listeners superb technique and musicality.

The album's opening "We Will Never Die" introduces us to a very European-sounding power metal... and shows the band, and in particular the singer (already a vocalist for "Savage Circus"), comfortable among the complex verses textured by guitar and keyboard; while the subsequent neoclassical "Alchemist" shows Moliti tackling a solo that stylistically and technically resembles what Michael Romeo of Symphony X is accustomed to performing. The symphonic "A Soul Divided" is based on heavy riffs, captivating melodies, and keyboards simulating a real orchestra... while the title track is like a large bubble of prog-metal complexity and thrash riffs that stand out against some actual growls produced by the guitarist Moliti himself. I truly enjoyed how Moliti's growl and Carlsson's sweet voice blend together to create a tangle of emotions that alternate between violent parts and calm moments. It brought to mind some works by "Mercenary"; and I would really appreciate hearing future works that continue in this vein. The last two songs are respectively the aggressive "Northern Sky" and the long instrumental "The Final Vision", both featuring powerful riffs and substantial hyper-technical guitar solos.

From what I have heard... I find that in this debut work by Dark Empire, there are the potentialities to certainly do well in the future. I hope this band is noticed by some major metal record distributor (Inside Out?) before too much time passes... you all keep your eyes on this band. We might see some great things.