(just re-posting from FB for Matt since he's a friend)
"Dark Empire has been my sole creative output since 2004. When I started it, it was to be no more than a studio project, until I saw the possibility that it could turn into a live entity after I had written Humanity Dethroned. In the last year, I have had the opportunity to finally turn Dark Empire into a regularly performing band in the local New York and New Jersey metal scene, something that has been nothing short of a tremendous experience for me to finally enjoy and share with both my bandmates and fans alike.
Over the years, I feel I have grown as a musician and songwriter, and with that comes change. In the last several years, especially, I have seen my love for 1970s progressive rock come full circle and also my interest in extreme metal increasing. These elements were always somewhat present in Dark Empires music, albeit in much smaller quantities than I tried injecting them in on From Refuge to Ruin. It seems each new album was a leap forward in that direction, and the writing process I currently find myself in is no exception. Musical evolution is one thing, but when a dinosaur evolves into a bird, its no longer a dinosaur, so to speak. At some point I had to come to the realization that what I am writing is no longer Dark Empire. To try to pretend that it is, I think would be an insult to the fans that hold the music of Distant Tides and Humanity Dethroned as the sound of DE. To that extent, its quite possible that From Refuge to Ruin should not have been called a Dark Empire album either. I am so proud of the music on FRTR, particularly the title track, but Im not blind to the fact that it departed greatly from the identity of the band that many fans have come to expect.
So, I am faced with two options: do I continue to release all of my music, regardless of style, under the name of Dark Empire, or do I decide to close one chapter of my musical career and begin a new one? It has been a tough decision for me to make, but I feel it is time to put the Dark Empire name to rest, at least for the time being, and focus my energy on putting together an entirely new project. This decision has mentally allowed me to write what I am currently passionate about writing without the need to tie it into the previous Dark Empire sound in any way shape or form. Simultaneously, I can embrace Dark Empire as the identity established on the first two records, and I think at some point, when the time is right, I could resurrect it once more. Although if that were to happen, I would try my best to make sure both Andrew Atwood and Jens Carlsson would be invited back.
But Dark Empire activities are not totally over yet... I am contemplating starting an indiegogo to raise money for a Distant Tides re-issue, since it has been out of print for so long. Please let me know if there is interest for this. We will also honor two gigs scheduled for this November as farewell performances.
Once again, I cannot thank each and every fan who has stuck with DE over the years enough. you guys are awesome, and it really means so much to me that you have!"
I asked Matt what people can expect of the new band:
"Nevermore meets Ihsahn if Ihsahn came from a Stockholm Death Metal band instead of black metal and King Crimson"
Look out!
"Dark Empire has been my sole creative output since 2004. When I started it, it was to be no more than a studio project, until I saw the possibility that it could turn into a live entity after I had written Humanity Dethroned. In the last year, I have had the opportunity to finally turn Dark Empire into a regularly performing band in the local New York and New Jersey metal scene, something that has been nothing short of a tremendous experience for me to finally enjoy and share with both my bandmates and fans alike.
Over the years, I feel I have grown as a musician and songwriter, and with that comes change. In the last several years, especially, I have seen my love for 1970s progressive rock come full circle and also my interest in extreme metal increasing. These elements were always somewhat present in Dark Empires music, albeit in much smaller quantities than I tried injecting them in on From Refuge to Ruin. It seems each new album was a leap forward in that direction, and the writing process I currently find myself in is no exception. Musical evolution is one thing, but when a dinosaur evolves into a bird, its no longer a dinosaur, so to speak. At some point I had to come to the realization that what I am writing is no longer Dark Empire. To try to pretend that it is, I think would be an insult to the fans that hold the music of Distant Tides and Humanity Dethroned as the sound of DE. To that extent, its quite possible that From Refuge to Ruin should not have been called a Dark Empire album either. I am so proud of the music on FRTR, particularly the title track, but Im not blind to the fact that it departed greatly from the identity of the band that many fans have come to expect.
So, I am faced with two options: do I continue to release all of my music, regardless of style, under the name of Dark Empire, or do I decide to close one chapter of my musical career and begin a new one? It has been a tough decision for me to make, but I feel it is time to put the Dark Empire name to rest, at least for the time being, and focus my energy on putting together an entirely new project. This decision has mentally allowed me to write what I am currently passionate about writing without the need to tie it into the previous Dark Empire sound in any way shape or form. Simultaneously, I can embrace Dark Empire as the identity established on the first two records, and I think at some point, when the time is right, I could resurrect it once more. Although if that were to happen, I would try my best to make sure both Andrew Atwood and Jens Carlsson would be invited back.
But Dark Empire activities are not totally over yet... I am contemplating starting an indiegogo to raise money for a Distant Tides re-issue, since it has been out of print for so long. Please let me know if there is interest for this. We will also honor two gigs scheduled for this November as farewell performances.
Once again, I cannot thank each and every fan who has stuck with DE over the years enough. you guys are awesome, and it really means so much to me that you have!"
I asked Matt what people can expect of the new band:
"Nevermore meets Ihsahn if Ihsahn came from a Stockholm Death Metal band instead of black metal and King Crimson"
Look out!
