DINSTANT EMPEROR DROP A VAST AND EDGY ROCK OPUS
A new single release from Distant Emperor delivers a unique approach to hard-hitting and heavy rock soundscapes that can blend in elements of thrash, alternative rock, and a sort of vast and atmospheric undertone gives things a bit of a cinematic effect at times.
"Fourth Pillar" certainly boasts a few surprises around the corners but before those happen you start to get a feel for this distance and expansive vibe that the song gives off and this comes from these elements of reverb effect on some instruments but also from these keys and organs that come in and out of the track giving it this spacious backing.
The guitars are amazing throughout the whole track and the tonality of them is perfect for this track because, in combination with that vast undertone, it comes through with a bit of a catchy riff and it lends itself to classic metal and hard rock often.
The guitars have a lot going on and throughout the track, they change and throw in their two cents but do so with the same theme as the track which has a bit of a dark and edgy tonality to it.
So the guitars add to that sort of haunt that the track delivers, and I think that's a key element to the aesthetic of how the song actually played out in the end.
The vocals are dripping with that reverb effect and this also gives that sort of ambiance and distanced undertone but it also adds to the effect of the song and how that eerie almost gothic underbelly has a way of wrapping itself around you and keeping you right where it wants to.
The vocals have this sort of animated performance which makes the song a little bit more layered because they add another texture to the track, and at times it's the vocals that deliver that haunt I mentioned earlier.
The heavily theatrical appeal of this track hits hard and you end up getting pulled into this atmosphere so the track ends up being a bit of an escape from any kind of normality.
It felt like watching an old horror film from the 1950s, '60s, or even seventies. It's got that creepiness to it that sticks with you for long after the song has ended and it does again, both that aesthetic.
One of the surprises I mentioned earlier was how the song is arranged because towards the second half of the track, you get a change in the rhythm of the track and things pick up quite a bit and start to thrash out with a more metal feel.
I love this section because it was explosive and it still kept that expansive kind of feel but it hit harder and thrashed faster which I loved.
This was more of an experience than just a song because when you're done with it you do and do you feel like you just watched a short film or read a chapter of a book and you have to snap yourself back into reality when it's done.
This was a very well-thought-out track and you can tell there was a lot of attention to detail during its creation but it never loses this massive and robust character that it starts with in the first place and that may be the most important aspect of it all because I think that's what you hold on to throughout this song.
Into the back catalog of the band and I'm glad I did because a lot is happening in there with releases starting in 2023 with the release of several singles that ended up being on a full-length album later in the year. That album is outstanding and it's called Generation Salvation.
But again, I would suggest starting with "Fourth Pillar" and then checking that record out afterward because it's a better way to introduce you to the band's sound.
Either way, you're in for it so give yourself some time, put on some headphones because it's one of the best ways to soak in a track like this and see how this affects you.
