Label: Peaceville Records
Review by Tony Cannella
White Empress is a symphonic death metal band which features former members of Luna Mortis, Cradle of Filth and Coal Chamber. The band is fronted by lead vocalist White Empress (AKA Mary Zimmer) and her style ranging from guttural death metal growls to clean singing is a major aspect of this band. She has also surrounding herself with an outstanding array of musicians which include female bass player Chela Harper formerly of Coal Chamber. You can experience their full impact on the debut album “Rise of the Empress”, which is out via Peaceville records.
Even though White Empress is a relatively new band, their members aren’t exactly rookies, having gained quite a bit of experience with various bands over the years. There are no soft moments and nothing too pretty, instead the band blasts through 10-songs (2 extra on the limited edition) and do an impressive job of combining subtle symphonic moments with the death metal mayhem. Highlights include: “The Congregation”, “Darkness Encroaching”, “Erased and Rewritten” and “Sven’s Tower”.
I would say that “Rise of the Empress” is a beautifully chaotic debut. White Empress delivers a full-blown aggressive metal assault is as relentless and fierce as anything that I’ve heard this year.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Rise of the Empress
- The Congregation
- A Prisoner Unleashed
- Darkness Encroaching
- Sven’s Tower
- Erased and Rewritten
- The Ecstatic and the Sorrow
- Dethroned
- Obsession With the Empress
- Ours to Burn
Line Up
- Mary Zimmer – Vocals
- Paul Allender – Guitars
- Jeremy Kohnmann – Guitars
- Chela Harper – Bass
- Will Graney – Keyboards
- Zac Morris – Drums