ClearBits™

All The Empires Of The World - Return

All the Empires of the World return with a work of staggering ambition and scope. Taking their familiar desert-doom vibe and supplementing it with some furious chug, a drum machine borrowed from Streetcleaner-era Godflesh and blackened vocals, Return oscillates between extremes of tenderness and brutality. It’s the mark of a band supremely confident in their abilities who remain eager to stake out new territory. With an atmosphere of surreal violence that flirts with the sublime it brings to mind the films of Jodorowsky and the darker moments of Iain M. Banks’ novels, whilst musical comparisons can be drawn with Cult of Luna, Grails, Pelican and – in its quieter moments – Six Organs of Admittance. We know of few bands who push at generic conventions so compellingly and are overwhelmingly proud to be releasing this to the world. Must be listened to loud.