Empire

The fourth Empire album was originally released in late 2007 in Europe. Being I'm in the US, I don't hear of these releases. I randomly emailed Rolf one day in early January saying how much I liked a track from his last one, and he told me there was a new one out and (again) graciously sent me a copy of it.

The last two featured former Sabbath singer Tony Martin on it. This time around, they didn't use Tony, the vocalist was former Rainbow singer, Doogie White who appeared on just one album with Rainbow, that being 1996's "Stranger in Us All". It was really nice to hear Doogie again. I thought he kind of got the shaft when Ritchie went off and pulled his John & Yoko move to play his Renaissance music. Anyway, Doogie's vocals on this album are very strong, and fit the previous feel of "Empire Rock" well.

What makes all these albums cool for me is Rolf's guitar work. It's got a crunch and a melody that you don't find in a lot of tunes these days - and I really wish the Empire albums would get more coverage here in the US. They don't. This one however, was released in the US, and you can order it now at a reasonable price, so I suggest you hit the cover art here and order a copy.

The third Empire album released in 2006 features former Sabbath members Neil Murray & Tony Martin. Again, as with the other Empire albums, if you like the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath, you're likely to like these. If you liked Empire & Trading Souls, you're due to like The Raven Ride. Definitely worth a listen. The opening track, "The Raven Ride" is one of the crunchier opening tracks I've heard in awhile.

It's available in the US, but it's unfortunately not sold domestically so you have to pay import prices. It can be a bit $$$ that way, but unfortunately this kind of music doesn't sell well in the US anymore, so record labels don't want to push it over here.

Hey Rolf, contact Sanctuary, or Eagle Rock - I know these guys distribute this kind of music in the US!

This is an album by a band called Empire, which is headed by guitarist Rolf Munkees. Rolf was kind enough to send me a copy of the album. On it are Tony Martin & Neil Murray of Black Sabbath fame, along with Don Airey (Sabbath, Ozzy, Deep Purple), This album is in the vein of Tony Martin's 1992 solo album, as well as Tyr era Black Sabbath (although maybe not as "hard" as Sabbath). If you're a fan of Tony Martin, it's definitely worth picking up. Not obnoxious like some really out there metal is, this is melodic, and has a nice sound.

The first album by Empire. Another AOR metal album. It didn't light my CD player on fire, but it's a pleasurable enough listen. Features Neil Murray and Don Airey (who are also on the second Empire disc), too. A big thanks goes out to Rolf Munkees who sent me the disc (he's the guitarist on the album). If you're into melodic metal, then you should check this out. Hopefully, there's a third.