Very little info to be found on this Columbo (Ohio) based Hardcore act, who come along with their debut album here...so I guess I'll start off this review by giving you already the info (adapted to ConcreteWeb standards) related to us with the download promo copy of the album...
“A cast of warriors who have collectively done time in Palehorse, Under One Flag, Pitboss 2000 and countless others, unify in their hateful talents in Empire Of Rats, forming a devastating style which is a brutal reminder that Heavy Hardcore is alive and well. On their self-titled debut LP, these scene veterans have created a perfect record that is sincere, energetic and unapologetically pissed-off without coming off as paint-by-numbers, and eleven-anthem dose of Metallic, unrepressed aggression with a style which will inspire fans of Hatebreed, 100 Demons, Cold As Life, Ringworm, Crucified, Homawrecker and the like, to seek street revenge on their enemies in no time.... Bearing cover art by Linas Garsys, the deal is sealed and now A389will release the album via download and 12-inch vinyl on October 1st, 2013. Having stormed crowds live regionally across American wastelands including pit-fueled sets at U.S. Festivals (The Rubble, This Is Hardcore, and more), Empire Of rats will announce new live throwdowns and tour actions in support of the looming LP over the coming months.”
So far the info from the label. From the band's facebook page (www.) facebook.com/empireofrats (and the links found there), I learned that the band consists of persons named Dustin, Zac, Chris, Kurt, and Lee, but not what their individual functions in the band are. On that site's “BandProfile”, you can listen to 6 tracks of the band, which were culled from the band's earlier releases MMXII (a two-tracker) and the No Peace EP (a 6-tracker released through the small imprint Get It Right Records in Feb. 2012) both available for listening/ download, from the band's page on Bandcamp (http://) empireofratsoh.bandcamp.com, wherein the band is also recommended to fans of Nails, Buried Alive and Crowbar. Very fitting comparisons, by the way!
Oh...the album's 11th track “Early Mourning”, is somewhat different from the rest of the album: for starters, its an instrumental, and for seconds, it opens acoustically! Of the other 10 songs, two (album opener “Leeches” and “Rats Reign”) start off with a short spoken word intro, but otherwize the material will blow away the minds of anyone not prepared. So, if you're new to this extreme form of Hardcore (includes several frequent use of “gang” vocals, by the way), you stand warned. Meanwhile, while getting this review down, I've been listening to the album a couple of times again (with only just over 24 minutes of playing time, you know, that's not a difficult feat), and I've sincerely been considering increasing my original rating of the album to include it into my year-lists, at least by nomination. Well...be advised that I at least considered it...severely!