Review by Greg on February 3, 2024.

You know, I'm not really into super proggy/experimental/fusion stuff, so when I say that Biomechanical is probably the most breathtakingly over-the-top band I'm aware of, I'm sure as Hell missing something even crazier and more complex. However, in any way this is meant to detract from how impressive this band's formula was, especially on their sophomore The Empires of the Worlds, the ideal compromise between the 'simpler', modern groove/thrash-sounding debut Eight Moons and the severely ADHD-suffering swansong Cannibalised. This album is the sound of a band trying to erase as many boundaries between metal subgenres as they could in 54 minutes, and if its successor had only one fault (spoiler alert: it doesn't), that would be depreciating the here presented accomplishment by obstinately trying to do something more, at all costs. Just think about it, after hearing Cannibalised, this album doesn't feel so 'ambitious' or 'extreme' anymore, but it surely remains admirable in how it never loses its focus on the fact that it is, after all, a musical album.

That being said, despite how many times I've heard Biomechanical labeled quite generically as a thrash metal band (unsurprisingly, mainly on Italian sites), their music is still heavily founded on their groove metal basement, they just began to cover it with more efficiency. In short, you won't find an hour's worth of fresh and typical tech riffs that would be required in order to be classified as an 'intelligent' thrash album, and even the fast-paced songs are often carried by simpler low-notes patterns. All this doesn't cause any problems to me, but may annoy someone else like I read on previous reviews. The fact is, groove metal is widely recognized as probably the most stagnant sub-genre in all metal, so even when bands like this try to enrich its sound as much as possible, people will still complain that the foundation is basically the same. I can understand such point of view, but I don't recall having heard so much criticism about Grip Inc., which was a far less experimental band (but I'm not complaining, because they were awesome). Long story short, if everything that contains the word 'groove' makes you sick, you'll probably still not bother about giving this a chance, and you can safely close this page.

But what about the other people? Well, they'll probably find out that The Empires of the Worlds is an admirably, maniacally thought out and constructed album, no more, no less. Even if the band members' names read like a bunch of nobodies, everyone clearly mastered their respective instrument, and contributed to reach a peak of complexity unimaginable for the genre, since I feel that Cannibalised, albeit more technical, is more predominantly rooted in traditional extreme metal. Just free yourself from the urge to classify every single form of music you come across; I assure you that the listening experience provided by this album is really something to try. In the five minutes of the opener 'Enemy Within' we already have the perfect summa of everything the band has to offer: Dimmu Borgir-esque symphonic intro, guitar noodling between the riffs, a chorus catchy as fuck with amazing high-pitched vocals by John K, and a solo that kicks in without wasting time. Again, it's not the most overtly complex thing you will ever hear, but it may be the perfect opener for this kind of album. When the more elaborate riff goes voluntarily off-beat from time to time... that is simply stunning.

That's not to say every song here is a winner, however. The title-track is the typical more subdued second track, but apart of the slightly irritating 'victory/genocide' post-chorus part there's nothing inherently bad. Moreover, once discovered of that hidden Queensrÿche lost twin half-ballad 'Save Me' on the debut, I was also a little disappointed seeing that feature practically abandoned by now, with even the most 'tranquil' songs like 'Relinquished Destiny' and 'Long Time Dead', unluckily placed one after the other, picking up pace in the middle, after a rather unconvincing first half: the former with a juicy groove Dimebag Darrell probably imagined in a weed trip and forgot to write down, and then with... some chaos with keyboards I guess, while the latter exposing once more John K's impressive vocal extension and one of those solos that hit you right in the feels. 'DNA Metastasis' possesses the only chorus catchy enough to rival the debut album, with the spirit of Geoff Tate briefly reclaiming John K's body again. Ultimately, I didn't care much only for 'Existenz'.

Still, as already pointed out by other reviewers, it was clear by now that Biomechanical were specializing on the more elaborate and frenzied takes, which inevitably end up being the best tunes here. 'Assaulter' picks up where 'Enemy Within' left and even raises the intensity up a notch, with tasteful quasi-blast beats. Sure, the bridge still sends those Machine Head vibes at a certain point, but Robb Flynn may have experienced this much craziness only in his nightmares. 'Regenerated', other than for its solo building up with a ridiculously perfect transition, is notable for dropping an unexpected self-quotation at the end, reprising the first seconds of 'The Awakening''s verse. I can assure you that there are several other innuendos to Eight Moons' songs, at least lyrically, scattered across the album. But that should come to no surprise, considering that 'Enemy Within' even anticipates the title of the successor's opener... just some little tricks K uses to lure our minds into his own three albums wide twisted world. And what's that... sort of a tech-death riff which introduces 'Truth Denied'? Whatever, I'm not a fan, it won't gain points based on that, but simply for being an absolute banger of a track. Seriously, it's incredible. It's like a Cannibalised song gone horribly right, in all departments. After that dissonant solo I had a grin on my face whose extent I hadn't seen since a long time ago, rivaling Batman's Joker (or Elizabeth Short – ouch).

So. Much. Insanity. It actually made me build the hypothesis that this song was originally conceived to be the conclusive act of The Empires of the Worlds, in a way, even more so considering that the tetrasuite 'Absolution', which actually closes the album, starts with the same exact segment that introduces 'Enemy Within' – scratching my head so much I had to check I didn't send the CD back to start by accident. This suite was obviously created to up the ante in whatever was left still untouched off Eight Moons (the title-track), settling up slowly in the first two parts, dominated by symphonics, effects and spoken words, picking up steam in the third, and finally demolishing everything in the fourth and last, though in my eyes it doesn't mark the most successful episode of the album overall, like it was meant to be. Was I too tired? Probably, but a 54 minutes long album can be way more tiring than this. And in all truth, K may have his best moments ever on the last two parts. Either way, to erase the doubt, better give it another spin, because it's an album that a) needs time and b) invites, or even forces you to take multiple listens. It's not gonna be painful, at all, so I wouldn't complain if I were you.

I feel like I've already gone overlong for my standards, but the production deserves its own paragraph as well: just like what I said about the musical offering, Biomechanical found the perfect balance in the sound as well. The Empires of the Worlds is basically their only album in which you can hear practically everything, courtesy of Andy Sneap, and who else? His trademark clean, overproduced sound understandably makes some purists look the other way, but on albums like this it's simply a must. The guitars are fat and, dare I say, cold, with a sort of industrial touch that works fine with their formula, but not creating an impenetrable wall of sound, and revealing instead a muscular bass rumbling beneath the surface (not to mention when it goes on its own – masterful). The symphonic parts don't enter the scene in full hard tackle mode forcing something else to exit, but rather they blend without much clashing and empower the overall sound when needed, or at least when K considers it appropriate. Shame all this was dropped on the subsequent Cannibalised, hence put particular emphasis on the title of this review, because it sadly turned out to be a one-time feat.

Ultimately, The Empires of the Worlds stands as the most adequate legacy left by Biomechanical. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a sick effort that could even have been a masterpiece. The way things stand, I rate it not so far from Eight Moons, because they show two different faces of the band, each with its own strength. Go ahead and pick your favourite.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Nathan on February 3, 2024.

Amidst the flurry of guitar wanking, jarring industrial metal rhythms and power metal falsettos, it can be easy for one to forget just how goddamn much The Empires of the Worlds sounds like Pantera most of the time. Sure, there's plenty of other frills along the way that constantly try and distract you from this fact, but their effect only lasts so long. The chunky Dimebag-esque groove is what remains after the novelties wear off. So, if you've ever wondered what Great Southern Trendkill would sound like if every member of the band was trying way too hard all the time, this is the perfect album for you. I could see some asshat journalist labeling this as "thinking man's mosh music", but the rest of us will be left scratching our heads, wondering what the point of this really is.

Now, Great Southern Trendkill is a pretty solid spin when you're in the right mood, but part of its charm lies in how single-minded and focused it is while it mercilessly pummels your senses. It sounds fuckin' angry in that way only a dirty Southern-style groove can. When you take a similar riffing style and shoehorn it into a progressive framework as Biomechanical have done, it loses that meat-headed heaviness. The guitar tone of The Empires of the Worlds is big and booming, but when surrounded by all the soaring melodies in the vocals and the solos it gets neutered. You can tell the idea was to make the heavy riffs sound really intense by contrast, but the heaviness isn't given enough time to drill itself into your brain. The constant time changes coupled with the immersive "industrial" feel in the drumming doesn't help matters either. At the end of the day, the meaty groove metal riffs, which are the main feature of the album, occupy this unhappy medium where they are unmemorable, yet still dwelt upon for far too long. There's a lot of ideas on this album, only about a third of which actually end up working the way they're supposed to.

Perhaps it is unfair to compare this band to Pantera, though. For starters, aesthetically this is probably a lot more comparable to something like Strapping Young Lad (especially when considering Devy's eccentricities). In addition, The Empires of the Worlds wasn't written like a one-trick pony because it wasn't supposed to be a one-trick pony. The meat and potatoes of this album may be mediocre, but maybe the frills and garnishes are good enough to get you through the album on their own. It certainly seems that way at first--the way "Enemy Within" fires up in a flurry of keyboards and shredding gets you pretty damn stoked for the rest of the album. Unfortunately, Biomechanical blows their load way too early in most songs, leaving you bored whenever there isn't some acrobatic instrumental showcase. Not only does The Empires of the Worlds fail at keep up the chaotic tension after the massive intro, it spend a good deal of time focusing on its weaknesses afterwad. The album settles into more comfortable, melodic territory around the middle, spending way to much time on attempting to be soulful and grandiose. The intent was obviously to give the album a sense of dynamics, but in an attempt to try and create a well-rounded album that does everything, Biomechanical instead created an album that doesn't do much of anything at all. I feel like this album would have worked a lot better if it had just been stupidly fast and aggressive all the way through, because when they give the more melodic and brooding elements in the music a chance to shine, they never work well at all.

When The Empires of the Worlds eases up in pacing, you're not only disappointed at the intensity lost--you also have to deal with the wailing clean vocals even more. They become increasingly annoying as the album goes on and are downright intolerable after a few spins. It's difficult to articulate what bothers me so much about these vocals, because the performance is professional and the range of styles used is diverse. It's always difficult to give flak to metal vocalists that use a wide variety of styles, because just being able to perform with so many different voices is a somewhat commendable feat in itself. To explain why Biomechanical's vocals bug me, though, it would help to compare them to a vocalist who is also diverse that I genuinely enjoy: Matt Chalk. Both vocalists change up what they're doing a lot, but with Chalky each individual vocal style used is still compelling on its own. The weird purring quality some of his lower growls have and the hardcore yells over tech-death aren't things that you see very often, either. In comparison, John K. has the diversity, but the individual styles he uses don't really stand out on their own. The harsh vocals, which can be anything from lower grunts to high shrieks, all fall within the Phil Anselmo/Randy Blythe range of vocal performance--there's nothing on here that either of those two guys haven't done better. The clean vocals, while well-done in their own right, really grate against the oddly-timed groove going on underneath. If the only clean vocals used were the high, scratchy wails I might have let them slide, but Biomechanical likes to throw in some awful crooning here and there as well. They can first be spotted in the track "Relinquished Destiny", with all the awful forced intensity bringing to mind something like Creed. (Disclaimer: I don't actually listen to Creed, so I have no idea if that comparison is accurate.) If your album begins to remind me of late 90s butt rock, that's never, ever a good sign.

I've spent a good amount of time criticizing this album, but at the end of the day, it isn't actually that bad. When the solos do pop in, they're pretty crazy and really capture that unhinged, chaotic sort of feel. The keyboards are well placed, never quite overstaying their welcome and the musicianship is tight. Really, there's a lot of good things about this album, and if you've ever wanted to hear what mid-90s groove metal would sound like with more diversity and complexity, you'll probably find a lot to enjoy out of this. If you're the type who really likes Unexpect or other stuff of that ilk that's just pure novelty and almost nothing else, you'll like Empires of the Worlds for the same reasons. I don't fall into either of those categories, though, so to me this album is dissimilar sounds forced together by a bunch of jocks who just discovered how to write in different time signatures.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10