Now the results are ready to be unleashed with the news that Empire State Bastard will release their debut album ‘Rivers of Heresy’ on September 1st, which is launched alongside the new track ‘Stutter’.
The news comes after the band shared their debut single ‘Harvest’ and completed an instantly sold-out headline tour.
After ‘Harvest’ lays down the gauntlet, ‘Rivers of Heresy’ flows with pure sonic annihilation. Sprawling across the alt-metal landscape, Mike’s songs hit like a full-throttle collab between Siege and Slayer (‘Stutter’, ‘Palm of Hands’), toy between mathy-chaos, and grindcore ferocity (‘Blusher’, ‘Sold!’), or lurch with slow motion stoner rock menace (‘Sons And Daughters’).
The biggest surprise in an eye-opening set comes with ‘Tired, Aye?’, a stripped-back assault of just vocals and drums in the lineage of John Zorn’s Naked City. Delivery morbidly misanthropic lyrics, Simon’s vocals are just as eclectic, stretching from the shrieks and gasps of Mike Patton’s work with Fantomas to guttural death growls that echo Morbid Angel or Mayhem as well as all manner of other grotesque utterances.
As Mike candidly admits, “I set about making the most fucking poisonous vile music I possibly could, just unabridged hatred in musical form.”
Simon adds, “Lyrically, it’s as misanthropic and nihilistic as I’ve ever written.”
It’s a sound which calls for an exemplary drummer, so they called upon the best in the business: Dave Lombardo of Slayer, Testament, Dead Cross and countless other projects. His performances are akin to a runaway train just about staying on the tracks, the propulsive rush of manic fills and fleet-footed double-kicks pulverises and grooves in equal measure. The band are completed for live shows by bassist Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon).
‘Rivers of Heresy’ is available to pre-order / pre-save HERE. In addition to its digital release, it will be released on the following limited edition physical formats: CD with an exclusive 24-page fanzine; poison green vinyl and red/black marble vinyl; and cassette.
The Deluxe vinyl bundle adds a 7” single featuring ‘Harvest’ and a non-album b-side to either album vinyl.
‘Rivers of Heresy’ track list…
‘Harvest’
‘Blusher’
‘Moi?’
‘Tired, Aye?’
‘Sons and Daughters’
Stutter’
‘Palms of Hands’
‘Dusty’
‘Sold!’
‘The Looming’
Empire State Bastard will play select international festival dates this summer, including UK shows at Download, Glastonbury and ArcTanGent. The dates are:
JUNE
9th – UK, Download Festival
15th – UK, Leeds Brudenell Social Club
16th – UK, Cambridge Mash
18th – France, Hellfest
21st-25th – UK, Glastonbury, Earache Takeover
JULY
7th – UK, 2000trees Festival
21st – Norway, Malakoff Rockfestival
AUGUST
2nd-5th – Germany, Wacken Open Air
17th – UK, ArcTanGent
SEPTEMBER
15th-17th – USA, Riot Fest
Photo credit Gavin Smart
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2023
