EMPIRES OF EUPHRATES is an extreme metal band from Maryland, United States. “Echoes of Ancient Past” is their debut EP. The members of the band are veterans of the scene, Kevin Talley (from every band ever), Jim Ross (BACK DOOR ASYLUM, BANDWHORE, DOOMSILLA, among many others) and Vince Matthews (CRIMINAL ELEMENT, ex-DYING FETUS). The band's sound is varied but death metal would be the closest style I would align them with. Their sound leans towards the more melodic side of the fence but they also throw in a lot of groove. While this is a solid little EP, there isn't a lot here that really excites me. Talley is on fire as usual but nothing stands out to me. It's fast and heavy but only serviceable rather than outstanding.

The album opens with “Spiritual Submission,” and it leans towards atmospheric textures as the heavy riffs come in. The song flows pretty well, the faster paced riffs matching up with the vocals. I like the low, low growls he does but the rest of his style sounds like a heavier version of Randy from LAMB OF GOD. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does take away from the intensity. The later half of the song brings back deeper, more disgusting vocals which I think just sound better for the band’s approach. “Never Meant To Be” is the highlight of the album. It opens with ambient textures before settling into a slow crawl. The down tempo seems to work very well for the band as it gives them plenty of time and room to let the song grow. The song speeds up alongside a ripping solo while the double bass rips up an intense undercurrent.

“Wars and Rumors of Wars,” follows the same pattern as the other songs…..atmospheric and epic intro, the meat of the song being death and groove, and the ending having a guitar solo. Again, none of this is bad and there aren’t any actual bad songs here but it just doesn’t grab me. But it’s hard to judge a band on an EP, especially when one of the songs is a cover and the final one is an instrumental that doesn’t go anywhere. I’d like to see what they can do with a full length and more thought put into the songs. It may not be my cup of tea but the band definitely has potential.