This latest release from The Valiant begins with an instrumental titled, Origin. Though the opening may be sweet and charming, the second track, Changes, lives up to its title as it comes crashing into your sound system.
Continuing the heaviness of the second track, Alive resounds throughout the system with a great balance between the screams and the vocals. The accompaniment gets you head banging from the beginning, leaving you breathless by the end of the track.
Integrity is a musical break as the instruments take control before Empress Heights, the album’s title track, hits the speakers. Slightly slower, but nothing short of attitude when it comes to the accompaniment and the lyrics.
Gliding straight into In Memory Of, the tempo is taken down, leaving the vocals to take reign. Though the screaming is on the minimum side, there’s a great combination between the melody and the evident screams that come along side the vocals.
But by the time seventh track, No Surrender screams through your speakers – vocals, accompaniment and everything in between – you’re back to head banging and fist pumping. The chorus is definitely my favourite part of this song.
Convictions then takes a different turn as the vocals and accompaniment race to the closing of this album. Your heart rate starts to run along side the song and straight into the following track, Dead and Buried. This ninth track slows things down again, leaving the vocals to reign in more than the screams; it’s a great lead into the tenth track, Serenity. Serenity is a piano instrumental the leads into the finale of the album.
As Reaper closes the album, the high energy from all of this album’s components kicks back in and finishes the album with a bang.
Overall, Empress Heights is a high-energy album that will fly off the shelves for fans that love music on the heavy metal side. The screams are epically balance by strong vocals and a colossus-like accompaniment. It’s definitely one for the pits – mosh pits, that is – so that fans can rock out from head to toe.
Star Rating: ★★★