The End Records/ADA, as part of a unique partnership with Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Group, will release the debut album from British prog-metal band EMPRESS AD.
Formed in 2011 by brothers Ollie (guitar and vocals) and Alex Loring (bass), together with Edd Unwin (drums) and Tom Meadon (guitar), EMPRESS AD has crafted a sound that belies their young age. Soothing and vicious in turn, they juxtapose gentle harmonies with frantic ferocity; relaxed strumming followed by thrashy beats, time signature changes and other interesting meanderings.
For The End Records, which will release the group’s full-length album exclusively in the United States this summer, the timing couldn’t be any better. As label owner Andreas Katsambas states, “Our global deal with ADA/WEA enabled us to reconnect with our good friends at Roadrunner. They have always displayed remarkable vision at discovering new talent and EMPRESS AD is no exception. We are excited to be collaborating with Roadrunner and together really get behind such a special band!”
Roadrunner Records’ Senior Vice President of A&R, Dave Rath, who played an integral role in inking the deal adds, “Roadrunner Records is proud to team up with The End Records to bring our newly signed artist EMPRESS AD to the United States. Our long-standing relationship with The End and their commitment to releasing great new heavy bands makes this arrangement a win for the labels, the band and, most importantly, fans of great hard rock in America.”
In the U.K., EMPRESS AD have already picked up plaudits left, right, and center, with Rock Sound magazine declaring them “Band Of The Week” and industry bible Music Week enthusing, “Like the four guys from MASTODON riding a whale, wearing an ELBOW t-shirt. You’ll be amazed.” The Guardian labelled them “likely to headline Download” and made them “New Band of the Day,” exclaiming, “Forget quiet-loud, these prog-metallers can go from quiet to sounding like they are exhaling dead matter from the bowels of hell. That’s a recommendation, by the way!” Kerrang! magazine declared the band were “more in your face than a pair of eyeballs.” Add to that, terrific radio support from well-respected, tastemaker DJs Ian Camfield (XFM), Daniel P. Carter (BBC Radio1) and Zane Lowe (BBC Radio1), and it’s easy to see why the band are gathering steam at a phenomenal rate.
There are as many elements of MASTODON, METALLICA and OPETH in their music as there are of the more melodic PINK FLOYD, KING CRIMSON and ELBOW – all huge influences. The band also cites influences such as post-hardcore pioneers UNDEROATH and THRICE. If that seems quite the motley crew, you’ll understand why the band’s sound is hard to pin down.
EMPRESS AD’s Ollie Loring says, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of the Roadrunner and The End Records family.
“Changing the band’s name was a necessary step to safeguard against any name issues down the line. EMPRESS was then. EMPRESS AD is the watershed moment and very much ‘the now.'”