Music often takes the listener on a mental journey to far off lands, the deeps of space, or even within oneself. When any genre adds a blend of psychedelic sounds it tends to expand upon that journey. Emperors Lair has created a mix of Psychedelic, Doom, and Stoner Rock into a way to fill the void of their musical tastes in their lacking local music scene of Frankfurt, Germany. Emperors Lair released their independently recorded, mixed, and mastered self-titled debut EP on June 17, 2019.
The EP opens with a sampling of a Texas Pastor John Hagee 2013 sermon about the dangers of Rock and Roll music for the very appropriately titled “Satanic Cyanide”. The song is heavy, riff centric, and steady with a fuzz filled lead and solo. Keeping with the heavy riffs, “The 4th Kind” is a great follow up. About midway through, the real spaciness starts and it mellows a bit, but flows back to the heaviness perfectly. While littered throughout with clips of talks of UFOs and aliens, the real gem is the final clip of an interview with an abduction victim, tying into the meaning of the title. “Phobos”, taking its name from one of the natural satellites orbiting Mars, is where the psychedelic sound becomes more prevalent in the lead guitar and melody. While the shortest song at 2:40, it is a great transition from the first 2 heavier Doom tracks, into the desert sound and groove of the final song of the EP, “The Elephant”. The intro has an almost sitar sound and maintains that feel throughout, being one of those far expanding journeys for the listener. The backing synth brings back the spacey feel from “The 4th Kind” in such a great way.
Emperors Lair have delivered a heavy, doom influenced psychedelic desert rock sound that leaves Planet Earth behind. The mixing and mastering on this EP is excellent. Keeping with the Do-It-Yourself attitude, each instrument was recorded using an 8-track interface in a practice space, and mixed and mastered at home by drummer, Simon. The incredible quality of this EP further proves that not everything requires major budget or premiere studio equipment. Talent and skill truly shine in Emperors Lair. This band and EP are not to be missed. “Emperors Lair” is available on Bandcamp, YouTube, Spotify and other streaming services.