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Fire Red Empress are a hard rock band from the UK formed in 2014 releasing 'Hail The Face' in 2016 as the first single from their upcoming debut album 'Black Morphine'.    
             
Fire Red Empress first came to my attention when I heard the song 'Hail The Face'. The pace, power and aggression was overwhelming as 'Hail The Face' hit like a sledge hammer smashing concrete. With the gorgeous Jennifer Diehl and her amazing vocal range, spitting the vocals with venom and aggression, Fire Red Empress exuded an attitude and a hard hitting, in your face style of music. So, with adrenaline pumping through my veins, I was drooling at the prospect of what was to come with their debut album. Anticipation levels were high as I pushed the disc into the player, levels that dropped like a brick in water as 'Dead Nature' got underway. A feeling of "uh" came over me, as 'Dead Nature' displayed none of the aggression, attitude and sledge hammer attack I was expecting. Yes, it's heavy, yes it has a great vocal delivery and will get your head nodding, but for me, a mild pang of disappoint... Disappointment that soon became joy as the second song 'Giants' exploded into life with the ferocity and fierceness I was expecting, Jen's vocal delivery taking on the attitude and rasping aggressiveness I was so looking forward to. 'Giants' hits harder than the sledge hammer, more like a jack hammer...    
             
The intriguingly titled 'Half Bird, Half Beetle, Half Man' continues the aggressive attack, delivering an uncompromising and brutal slap around the head. Mixing elements of thrash and stoner with the traditional sound of heavy metal, 'Half Bird, Half Beetle, Half Man' is as hard hitting as anything that hits hard. 'Under The Barren Light' does away with aggression and attitude, replacing it with mellow and fluffy. Showcasing the amazing vocal range of Jen, 'Under The Barren Light' floats gently along the border of ballad territory, taking a dynamic swerve after the first minute, back towards the bands signature sound. A meandering journey of differing styles, 'Under The Barren Light' is a song that stretches the boundaries of the bands chosen musical direction. Next up is 'Hail The Face', enough said about this earlier, bloody brilliant song, followed by the one minute, acoustic led 'Seven', acting as the intro for the title song 'Black Morphine'. Co-written with (NWOBHM legends) Diamond Head founder and guitarist Brian Tatler, 'Black Morphine' is raucous and forges ahead with the hard hitting aggression that Fire Red Empress have in abundance. Brian Tatler also contributes a guitar solo.    
             
'The Little Death' again takes away the aggressive nature, fuelling the song with mellow acoustic, pushing the band to new limits, and beyond... The vocal delivery is perfect, and with lighters raised high everywhere, fans will be swaying from side to side as 'The Little Death' rolls on to a conclusion. 'Dear Mister' lollops in, with an injection of the Southern rock and Stoner genres, opening the Fire Red Empress sound to a much wider audience. Foot stomping and mid tempo, 'Dear Mister' is a swaggering swish of different musical styles. Thunderous and in your face, '11.59' is a hard hitting slab of the hardest hard rock on offer. Fire Red Empress cram twelve songs into fifty minutes, and after a slightly disappointing opening first few minutes, the band have delivered a very good listening experience. The fusion of hard rock and heavy metal is alive and doing very well. The album is brought to a close with the two part 'Maldoror' . . . part one, a one minute instrumental intro, part two, the nearest the album gets to the bands Stoner influence. Mixing aggression, attitude and sledge hammer style riffs, the bands debut album comes to an end in a furious flurry.    
             
Overall, hard hitting, aggressive and laden with attitude, Fire Red Empress impress greatly with their debut album, mixing differing genres to great effect.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Hail The Face (single)      
           
"hard hitting, punchy and thunderous hard rock, with cracking riffs and a superb vocal performance...definitely a band to keep an eye on" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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