Rock trio Black Orchid Empire are releasing their new album ‘Semaphore’ on 12th June! Its filled with huge, memorable rock music that combines heavy hitting savagery with intense melodic beauty. This sci-fi concept record sees them continue to push the musical envelope even further.
The album opens with ‘Emissaries’, a slightly unsettling spoken word piece that really plays to the sci-fi theme. After this is ‘Singularity’, a heavy, powerful track that fully embraces their rock roots! These tracks really grab your attention!
‘Natural Selection’ sees the band veer towards a more pop rock sound with its tight beats and catchy lyrics. This opens up the possibilities for the rest of the album, opening the door for more alternative songs.
Adding yet another layer to the album is ‘Motorcade’. This is a dark, fierce song with rumbling bass and underlying distortion, making it one of the heaviest songs on the album. ‘Semaphore’ is an album that thrives off being unpredictable.
‘Red Waves’ ramps up the pace of the album, adding a metallic sound in to the mix, similar to what is found later in the album with ‘Death From Above’. But this is brought to a dramatic halt with quietly distorted instrumental track ‘Heiliopause’, reiterating that sci-fi theme.
‘Winter Keeps Us Warm’ is unlike any of the other songs on the album. The initially silky vocals erupt in to the immense chorus, giving it the kind of force that you can imagine being projected over the fields at a festival. Following a track such as this is a difficult job, but ‘Dust’ offers similar bursts of energy and a roaring rhythm, keeping the bar high.
‘Faces’ embraces many of the alternative sounds already heard on the album but puts particular emphasis on Billy Freedom’s insane drumming. The track has an almost mechanical sound fitting with the concept of the album.
‘Evergreen’ was the first single to be taken from the album. It embraces interesting chord progressions, riffs and melodies, creating a feeling of insanity. It details a slowly receding island of lush greenery in a barren wasteland.
‘Semaphore’ is quite a rollercoaster of an album. It explores so many different sounds and overall does an impressive job of it. The album ends with ‘Crash’, a chilling track with some heavy distortion. Its quite a mellow track to end on in comparison to others like ‘Monolith’, making it a bit of an anticlimactic end.