EMPATHICA's career has been afloat for the past seven years, only releasing an EP in 2013 called "Orchestral Nightmares". And then just a year after that, the band decided to part ways with original singer Dario Vitaly "due to huge differences". Fast track to five years later: here they are presenting their debut full length release "The Fire Symphony".

Knowing that their first ever EP is Symphonic Black Metal inspired by CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR, this album is surely a surprise to their earliest followers. Some might call it a case of metamorphosis, but some will see it as abandonment of their roots. So, what's with the album? Well, nothing like the EP. They are now playing a full Symphonic Metal style. It definitely still has touches of darkness and heaviness every here and there, but it's more of a NIGHTWISH - SIRENIA type of dark Gothic/Symphonic metal.

Even if they made a complete shift in their musical direction, they are doing really great with it. The symphonic arrangements are made so dark yet so lively. The dual attack of Alessia and Filippo really worked wonders in the album. Together with Francesco's virtuous guitar works, they created an album that is darkly theatrical - with a touch of spice and certain levels of heaviness. "Prophecy" kind of summarizes all the contents of the album - operatic female vocals, crunchy riffs, dark symphonies, tense atmosphere, and occasional growls. They also have an epic opus with the title track, where they compiled all their signatures and compressed it into ten minutes of grand musical exhibit.

The type of music they play is no longer new to the masses, and so is their approach on it. There are tons of bands out there that have the same style, naming DIAMORTE, NIGHTWISH, EPICA, and SIRENIA to name a few. But like I said, despite being not-so-original, they are definitely good at it. Their Black Metal roots gave them so much idea on how to apply dark shades to their theatrical music - and it worked just fine. In terms of memorability, it does not stick with you instantly. Instead, it slowly grows and consumes you the more you play it. Their production and songwriting is also huge, and from here on I can assure that this band is worth watching out for.