I normally dread opening my inbox. In the real world, I get 100's of emails a week, across multiple devices, most of which are marked "Urgent" or "Action Needed Now", there's no escaping them. But, since joining the Metal Temple family, I have a new, secret inbox. I never know what's going to appear in that inbox, but one thing is for sure, I can't ever wait to find out. One of the joys of writing for Metal Temple is that you never quite know what you are going to be reviewing and every now again you pop on the stereo and boom, something smacks you square in the face; today EMPIRE 21 did exactly that. EMPIRE 21 are another excellent example of the crisp, clean, Swedish Power Metal set, with the members having graced bands like NARNIA, DARK WATER, and HARMONY.

This self-titled album is EMPIRE 21's debut, and from the opening moments of "When You Are Falling" you embark on a harmony fueled trip along the EMPIRE 21 galactic highway. There are equal measures of Power, Prowess and Punishment. Ricard Hulteke vocals are strong and when coupled with CJ Grimmark's guitar work, EMPIRE 21 set the overdrive dial to warp speed. "I Can't" continues the tirade, with another solid and well written track that harnesses the essential components of a great rock song, punchy chorus, catchy hooks, and storming guitar solos, CJ Grimmark really is a remarkable guitarist. "Traveler" has a slightly differently, more bluesy feel to it; in which EMPIRE 21 manage almost effortlessly, to infuse the blues essence into their sound, without comprising any of their standards. This infusion results in the "Traveler" showing subtlety, strength and something a little bit different. The song "Empire 21" on the album "Empire 21" by EMPIRE 21 is a mammoth of a song, even if its title is a tad repetitive. The song has harmony, heaviness, and a heap of depth, with a main riff reminiscent of RAMMSTEIN. This formula of strong harmonies, heavy riffs and solid vocals surges forward throughout the rest of the album. EMPIRE 21's "Empire 21" is a great listen, it's enjoyable, and has some really great songs, but what starts out on a truly classic trajectory, soon becomes a Metal by numbers album. EMPIRE 21 have all the right chemistry to be great, but they seem to have found a formula with "Empire 21" and they have stuck to it. Ricard Hulteke vocals are strong, but they aren't dynamic nor have a real amount of depth. I was waiting for EMPIRE 21 to break their own mould and serve up something a little different after the first three or four songs, but it never came. With that said though, "Empire 21" could quite easily become one of your go to albums. Filed in the "I'm not quite sure what I fancy" part of your collection, "Empire 21" really does cover all the bases on the song writing and grunt front. EMPIRE 21's "Empire 21" is a bloody good album; it does exactly what it says on the tin, "It Rocks, but it's safe".
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