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Empire is the creation of Rolf Munkes, one of the most talented German metal guitarists. Although he isn't much of a brainstorming judging by the band name, he is one hell of a string bender and song writer which he once again proves with the third Empire album. "The Raven Ride" is however lifted to an even higher level by the voice of Tony Martin whose experience comes in more than handy. As usual Munkes has scored an all-star line-up and Neil Murray provides his finger skills once again while André Hilgers (Axxis, Silent Force, Razorback) makes his debut behind the drums. Mr. Munkes may be the one who is calling the shots in the band but in my humble opinion the veteran Tony Martin steels much of his thunder because his vocal performance is stellar. Without him I doubt I would consider "The Raven Ride" to be one of the best albums of 2006 so far but now I do. I sincerely hope that the guitarist focuses his energy and talents on Empire in the future because both Majesty and Razorback fall short in comparison. This is what classic hard rock sounds like at its best - it's melodic, it's passionate and it reaches deep inside of you, grabs you hard and does not let go. Excellent!
| Tracklist |
| 1. The Raven Ride |
| 2. Breathe |
| 3. Carbon Based Lifeform |
| 4. Satanic Curses |
| 5. Al Sirat - The Bridge To Paradise |
| 6. What Would I Do? |
| 7. Changing World |
| 8. Maximum |
| 9. I Can't Trust Myself |
| 10. The Devil Speaks, The Sinner Cries |
: 45.53
| Buy other Empire albums |
