Emperors Lair - Dare Mighty Things

Release Date: February 14th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Dare Mighty Things: Tracklisting

1.House of the Righteous 06:47

2.Gravity 08:46

3.Kronos 09:17

4.The Mind's Eye 12:07

5.Deimos 03:24

6.The Elephant 06:30

7.Dare Mighty Things 10:42

Members

Luis - Guitar

Djast - Bass

Simon - Drums & Samples

Sebastian - Vocals

Review

Dare Mighty Things is the new album from Psych Doom/Stoner Metallers Emperors Lair and it’s quite a slow paced journey with a big FUZZ ROCK attitude to match the sludgy Psychedelic sounds the band use to propel their Progressive vibes to the next exciting moment. There’s also elements of Spaced Out Rock with an AMPLIFIER based adventure contained with the majority of the songs. Taking cues from bands such as Black Sabbath, KYUSS, MONOLORD and SLEEP but with a cool style of their own. 

Emperors Lair brings a gloom laden atmosphere with classic Hard Rock/Heavy Metal vocals on the stunning opening track House Of The Righteous. Extended Psychedelic grooves work really well within this song that can be quite Groove based in places. The song echoes with delicate FUZZ energy even when played at a slow to mid pace. There’s even a LOW & SLOW approach to the riffs when mixed with the Ambient driven synths that appear on this track.

Second song Gravity is another FUZZ based driven number with a down-tuned BASS heavy sound leading the way. The music is a super fresh mix of classic Doom Metal and modern day Stoner Metal. The lyrics are perhaps more fantastical but the vocal delivery used here gives Emperors Lair extra weight in the heaviness department. The music is quite Progressively Psychedelic with the down and dirty FUZZ ROCK grooves. The later stages of the track is a sweet mix of Post-Doom and Post-Stoner moments that have a more melodic feel to them before Emperors Lair goes all out for a fantastic Hard Rock finish.

The album runs about fifty seven minutes in length and Emperors Lair does include some interesting soundbytes into their songs and use of Science Fiction folklore into the whole flow of the story for the album. However, the album has a warm organic feeling that sees the band write some top-notch lyrics on songs such as Kronos, The Mind’s Eye and Dare Mighty Things.

The later stages of the album do veer into more Psychedelic and Fantastical based narratives which suit the WEEDIAN and PROGRESSIVE themes of the album.

My favourite tracks for myself are Kronos, Deimos and Dare Mighty Things which allows Emperors Lair to create some highly original grooves of their own. The album is warm and engaging throughout with top-notch production values allowing Emperors Lair to show a more adventurous spirit that I didn’t initially expect.

Dare Mighty Things knows what it needs to be and this allows the ban to play to their creative strengths’ with some bone-crunching DOOMY and SLUDGY riffs that will keep listeners coming back for more repeated listens for a long time to come. 

Emperors Lair have offered a bold vision with this release and could see the guys become more well known within the Doom/Stoner Metal Community. The FUZZ is strong with this release and allows Dare Mighty Things to be an outstanding release.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Emperors Lair (EP Review)

Release date: June 15th 2019. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Emperors Lair – Tracklisting

1.Satanic Cyanide 06:20

2.The 4th Kind 08:06

3.Phobos 02:40

4.The Elephant 06:02

Members

Luis - Guitar
Djast - Bass
Simon - Drums & Samples

Review

Emperors Lair released their debut EP back in June 2019 and this one totally passed me by. I’m sure a lot of folks have missed this release and that’s a shame. As this EP is a superbly entertaining slice of Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal that opens with a “BIG FUCK YOU” to US Religious Pastors such as the one portrayed in the excellent opening song – Satanic Cyanide.

You can hear to expect an instrumental style of Psychedelic Doom and Stoner Metal with influences such as Black Sabbath, SLEEP and Church Of Misery shining through to fight the good fight against the religious leaders of the world with Emperors Lair addictive blend of ROCK AND ROLL.

The instrumental onslaught continues with the standout song on the EP with the superb 2^nd song – The 4^th Kind. Emperors Lair continue with their blend of lo-fi Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Rock that is quite progressive in places and the band add another WTF soundclip to the mix which allows them to play their addictive grooves against.

Third song – Phobos – is the shortest song on the EP and acts as a brief stop for the band to play a more Ambient style of Post-Rock with interludes of Stoner riffs appearing here and there. It’s a very good song indeed but doesn’t really progress the EP further in any shape or form. Though I admire the band for including this song on the EP. As it shows a different side to their standard heavy grooves.

The final song – The Elephant – is perhaps the most riff-orientated song with the band opting for a more Desert/Stoner Rock style delivery but the heavy Psychedelic Doom and Space Rock vibes are never too far behind. As Emperors Lair leave you wanting more from this song alone.

Emperors Lair did everything themselves on this EP and it sounds awesome. The production is excellent and it’s even more impressive when the band are a true DIY band in every sense of the word. I maybe late to the world of Emperors Lair but I’m not leaving anytime soon. I want to hear more as I feel these guys could forge a bright future for themselves in the near future.

This is an outstanding EP and one I hope the Doom/Stoner Metal community will take notice of. As Emperors Lair are a seriously exciting prospect indeed.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp