Rock on Wednesday: Black Orchid Empire

I want to start by thanking @florecitamejias and @jesuslnrs for proposing this initiative and a weekly chance to talk about rock music and bands. While exploring Hive in these first weeks of my experience here, I immediately thought that there was a lack of space that put the spotlight on rock but also - and above all - on certain more alternative music.

I'll go a little outside the box though. I -- like almost anyone -- discovered rock from the great names of the past. Bands that have made history from the 60s untill today. I started with AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Guns 'n' Roses and Aerosmith which shaped my musical taste.

But in recent years I have abandoned these giants in favor of more niche bands, sometimes underground, other times of medium popularity, but not enough to be known by the general public.

It's been already talked too much about the giants of rock and I think it's time to make room for new talents. So today I will introduce you to an English band that I adore and that deserves a lot but that few people know about.

BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE

Black Orchid Empire are an English power trio made up of guitarist/vocalist, bassist and drummer.

They offer contemporary hard rock, in which guitar riffs are a focal point of the songs. The distinctive features of the band are certainly the frequent use of odd tempos which give a progressive imprint to the sound but without falling into technicalities, and the singer's vocal style which always remains very clean and light, in perfect contrast with the energetic -- and sometimes really aggressive -- rhythms .

After the release of their debut album "Archetype" in 2016, they signed with the German label Long Branch Records to release "Yugen" (2018) and "Semaphore" (2020) - from which you can listen to the song Natural Selection

The band tours mainly in Europe, also participating in important festivals such as Download, Standon Calling and Planet Rockstock.

They signed with the label Season of Mist to release the latest album "Tempus Veritas" in 2023, from which you can listen to the song Deny The Sun.

What I personally like in general, and therefore I love in Black Orchid Empire, is precisely the strong contrast between an aggressive sound and a light singing, sometimes in falsetto.

Even if the band does not present a particular evolution in its sound and songwriting through its journey, the guitar riffs always remain surprising, never predictable, well thought out. They always give a certain unpredictability in the development of the song.

In my opinion, Black Orchid Empire have got a winning formula for modern and interesting rock. Even though the odd tempos may lead to confusion for the casual listener, I think that the groove of the rhythm section and the melodicity of the vocals are a good point to attract new listeners.

(photos and videos in this post are not of my property. Source is YouTube and the own band website https://blackorchidempire.com/ )

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Happy listening!