As a new listener to Empires, which consists of five members, I was curious to find out what I was in for after hearing the openers, which were sporadic genres at best. However, the group did seem to earn the applause, taking the stage with a strong enthusiasm and presence.

The group began with a song they dedicated to new listeners and told the crowd they hoped it would draw them in. With very heavy, screaming vocals, the lead singer was able to maintain good lyrical clarity so it didn’t feel — like so many other bands in smaller venues — as though they were yelling at me, which I greatly appreciate.

The back-up singer provided just the right amount of harmonies to the mix, creating a thicker sound to the entire show and making the times when the lead singer sang alone stand out.

Although the entire group blended together nicely and were able to stay on-point throughout the show (a harder task said than done during live music), the highlight was definitely the strength of the drummer.

Rarely in a non-rap show do I stand back and really admire a good bass beat, however in this case, it was hard to ignore and the results from a sometimes overlooked instrument were crucial.

They changed up the feeling of the show about three or four songs in with “Hello Lover,” a song that they referred to as blues, but I’m not sure that was fitting. It was one of the more enjoyable numbers nonetheless.

It took on a slower, softer feel of Marilyn Manson’s background beats circa “The Dope Show” without the slightly disturbing visuals of the surgically-altered man himself.

The highlight and the downfall came all at once in the show, however, with a song titled “Blue Eyes.”
Though I enjoyed the song and the “accompanying” music as well as any of the others, herein lies the downfall — the overwhelming instrumentals. Though it very well may have been a mishap in microphones or an amp turned up too high, it still seemed like a whole lot of music for one man’s pipes to contend with.

Overall, I can’t argue with the fact that Empires’ gave their crowd exactly what they wanted.

At no point was there a person in the audience I could pick out as not having a good time, and while I might not enjoy this type of music personally, the band brought great energy as well as an obvious love for what they do which definitely makes their show worth catching.