In our Track by Track feature, artists guide listeners through each track on their latest release. Here, Empire State Bastard dive into their debut album Rivers of Heresy.
Before they were a band, Empire State Bastard existed as a concept.
While on the road in their full-time band Biffy Clyro, Simon Neil and Mike Vennart spent their downtime hypothesizing an extreme metal band on paper — one that would channel the harshest examples of the genre (grindcore, metalcore, post-hardcore, sludge, etc.) into a singular musical force.
It almost sounds impossible. Considering how much metal already exists — and their decidedly more prog/alt-rock backgrounds — how could Neil and Vennart possibly hope to reach the outer limits of extremity? Tapping the legendary Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Mr. Bungle, Misfits) for drums was a good start.
The fact that Neil and Vennart aren’t necessarily metal guys, in the general sense, plays to their advantage, because the songs on their debut album Rivers of Heresy don’t sound like they were derived from any templated style of metal. Rather, it’s the result of two gifted musicians exploring the limits of their craft, naturally reaching an amalgamation of heavy music that’s certainly extreme, yet undefinably so.
To give us some insight on the inner workings of the album — which is out now — Neil and Vennart shared this track-by-track breakdown exclusively with Heavy Consequence. Their musings on each song are fascinating, revealing details that would otherwise lie beneath the surface. We encourage you to listen along to the album while you read their song descriptions below.
“Harvest”
Simon Neil: This song is about harvesting other people’s identities and thoughts. It’s tough these days to know what you think yourself, because everything is telling you how to think, how to look, what to feel. You have very little time to think about things, rather than just taking in what’s on the internet and social media. It’s about trying to shake that pressure that we’ve put ourselves under.
Mike Vennart: It’s coming to the realisation that you can have two completely opposing thoughts in your head at any one time, and that’s ok — you don’t have to pick a side, you don’t have to “know.”
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