Local band Drip Fed Empire put out their muchly anticipated debut album yesterday. Being described as nu-metalcore, it’s kinda the perfect fit for their sound. I’m familiar with a couple of their songs from being around the scene, but am excited to check out the whole album! Let’s dive right in!
After a fantastic intro track, opener ‘Give Me More’ explodes in with a great industrial metal riff. The electronics behind it add melody to the bouncy heaviness, and combined it sounds awesome. The early 2000s industrial/almost nu metal feel continues through the verse, it stripping back a bit and having an awesome radio-vocal effect. It gives vibes of everything from Rammstein to Nine Inch Nails. I’m loving the resurgence and evolution of this sound, as it’s rather reminiscent of 3TEETH’s album last year (check out our review of that here). The electronic element adds so much and really sets them apart from their peers in a big way. The screamed chorus is also a lot of fun. It’s a simple yet massively fun track, and a great way to open the album!
Single ‘MK4’ is a heavier, more hardcore-inspired take on the bands style. The band get to show off their impressive talents more in the track, most notably drummer Burcher who goes off in this track. However, that isn’t to take away from the riffing at all, which is also top notch! The breakdown is also SICK, a real highlight of not just the track, but the whole album. I’m liking the scratching involved too, giving off early Linkin Park or Slipknot vibes. Meanwhile the bridge screams Prodigy or even Electric Callboy in all the best ways. It’s a track that very easily makes our playlist. Great stuff!
‘The Work of God’ again has heavy Nine Inch Nails/Ministry industrial vibes, the focus being on the simple electro instruments, HUGE riffs and great screamed vocals. The cleaner vocals through the verses are awesome too, adding some fun dynamics in the almost whispered delivery. It has heavy Architects vibes too because of it all, which I love. I feel like this would be so good live, I’m gonna have to see the band again soon! Another awesome track!
The Architects vibes continue through tracks like ‘Digital Drug’ and ‘?’. Honestly, it works for the band’s talents perfectly, and certainly sounds better than the last couple of Architects albums! It’s a style that I haven’t heard that much outside of a couple of bands, and Drip Fed Empire pull it off masterfully here. The former is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and another that easily makes the playlist. The lyrics in it are especially fantastic. However, the latter is certainly also a great track, and a great to close out the album!
The last two tracks on the album, ‘systemreset’ and ‘Arcane’, are almost one long song split into two. The former acts as a longer, more atmospheric, ambient intro track to the latter. It sets the theme, tone and slower pace perfectly. I love it when albums do this, making everything feel important to listen to as a collective, tying things together seamlessly. Meanwhile ‘Arcane’ is a perfect slower track for the album, still being heavy while being packed full of emotion. It still very much as metalcore vibes to it, but also feels different and unique compared to the rest of the album. And damn, that chorus is catchy as hell! A third track that easily makes our playlist!
Overall: This is an incredible album! It’s packed to the brim with amazing songs and, like I said previously, it actually feels like an album made to be listened to in full. Too many albums these days feel like they simply focus on the odd single and the rest are filler or don’t flow. This is the complete opposite. And, at only 29-minutes long, it’s easy to digest. Heck, that’s really my only complaint about the album, that it’s too short! While I LOVE that the band have finally put out a longer release, I need more of this ASAP, please guys!
The Score: 9/10