EMPIRE DROWNS challenge the boundaries of melodic doom and death metal on their haunting new album "Endless Nights." Drawing from the desolate beauty of Scandinavian winters and the raw intensity of East African landscapes, the Danish collective delivers a sonic experience where melancholy, atmosphere, and aggression collide in compelling fashion. While the music retains a core of Scandinavian winter and grey skies, "Endless Nights" was forged not only in Denmark, but also in the vibrant heart of East Africa - a region of majestic landscapes and rich cultures, scorching sun, devastating cycles of drought and flood, profound political tumult, unforgiving poverty and deep resilience", the band states. "The album's inspiration is a paradox born of the extremes that shape these vastly different worlds it stands as a powerful sonic reflection of life's relentless contrasts."

The album has nine songs, and "Volcanic Funeral" is first. A slow, stiff, and somber sound comes out of the gate, with plenty of low end power. It doesn't have a long run time, but it is very memorable. "A Choir of Fallen Angels" begins with gentle piano notes before the heavy, weighted riff enters like a tower climbing high into the sky. The harsh vocals and throaty, and meaty, and very commanding. "Stoneheart" is another powerful song, and so far, the band has a sense of balance between the aggression and somber tones. It enters with strings, and makes your heart ache, before a massive riff plows in. The harsh vocals are guttural, and each note sounds like another nail pounded into your coffin.

"Santiago Sunrise" enters with eerie keyboards and vocal hums, and they set a stage for destruction, just in time for the weighted riff that takes care of it. When they sing the chorus, it's like they are telling a tale of Doom. "The Great Flood" is a song that also has an excellent balance. The weight of the music and the weight of the emotions you feel as a listener are nearly matched here. The lead breaks have a lot of feeling also. "Endless Nights" pushes more tones of anguish, and pain, and both are very sharp. The guitar work is excellent as well…sometimes they make congruent harmonies, and other times, they scream to the sky. "Silence" uses lead breaks in combination with piano and guitars to create a thick sound of despair, and that right with it.

"Life is Fading" is the final song, and it brings a message of doom along with it. The powerful riff is augmented with deadly vocals, and the entire song carries a prophetic tale. Overall, the album has great balance…each instrument like the keys, guitars, bass, vocals, and drums work together in a synergy that is hard to find. This was a terrific album, expertly combining the genres of Doom, Death, and Melo-Death together to create a sound of anguish, pain, even terror at times, but all done with a melodic touch.