Moment of Impact

Eye Empire

By Todd Jolicouer

This debut release from Eye Empire shakes you to your core. This set of eleven tunes leaves no stone unturned in its attempt to get to the hard rock nerve in your soul. Donald Carpenter (v.) of Submersed, B.C. Kochmit (g.) and Corey Lowery (b.) of Dark New Day issued a limited release of 1,000 signed copies of this debut album on December 12, 2010, with a full release on the unsuspecting rock masses in 2011. Drumming duties on this disc were handled by Morgan Rose of Sevendust fame, although Will Hunt of Dark New Day and Black Label Society will handle that job moving forward.

Opener ‘I Pray’ starts the journey and I can’t think of a better tune from this disc to take charge. Another great track is ‘More Than Fate.’ This song really lets Donald show off his range as a vocalist. Immediately after that, the group shifts gears on ‘Bull In A China Shop.’ B.C. and Corey really cut loose, and Morgan follows closely to keep everything cohesive. Another favorite of this reviewer is ‘Victim’ featuring Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust. I do like Sevendust, but what I really like about this track is the way Donald and Lajon seamlessly trade off vocals. Weaving from song to song, the bands musicianship cannot be denied. The guitar work is phenomenal and the rhythm section doesn’t miss a step while setting the groove. Carpenters voice, ranging from singing to growling, really completes this puzzle. Not only was he meant to sing these songs, but these songs were meant to be sung by him.

This album has no clunker tracks. Every song seems to speak to the listener and make one want to rock out. I cannot wait to see these guys out on the road bringing these songs to the masses.