THE DUKE LISTENS TO
BLACK EMPIRE
BY FORCE OF EVIL
BLACK EMPIRE
BY FORCE OF EVIL
Shocking as it may seem, and you better believe it shocks The Duke
senseless, there are remarkably few songs in the world of recorded
music that take the plot of Maniac Cop as their inspiration. I
believe there was a track on the last Paul McCartney record that
dealt with Maniac Cop 3 – Badge Of Silence, but come on, Bruce
Campbell wasn’t even in that one.
Needless to say there are hardly any Prince compositions that
ponder the intricacies of the Friday 13th saga. Maybe somewhere in
the middle of Emancipation, but who the fuck in their right mind
got any further than the first six tracks before flinging the damn
thing out the window and watching it shatter under the wheels of
passing elephants.
Imagine the elation soaking through my very teeth, then, when I
hear word of a forthcoming record by the name of Black Empire, the
second album by long-haired, hard-faced sons a bitches Force Of
Evil. Apparently these folks used to be members of Mercyful Fate
and also played on King Diamond’s solo outings. Sadly, King
Diamond himself doesn’t show up here, and I gotta admit, it pained
me some. Where is the old pasty-faced fuzz-headed motherfucker
these days, anyhow?
Some of these kindsa thoughts were swimming about in the Skull De
Duke as I put the Black Empire by Force Of Evil into the old
stereo CD hi-fi recorder.
I didn’t have time for to worry about King Diamond, was the
surprising turn of events. Who has time to think about comedy
Satanists when there’s a track by the name of Black Empire
screaming out a fellas speakers, a track that takes as its subject
matter The Amityville Horror, although, let’s be honest, if they
wanted a truly engaging plot-line, they should’ve skipped the one
with Lois Lane and headed straight for Damiano Damiani’s masterful
Amityville II – The Possession.
Before you know what’s going on there’s a juddering old-school
thrash riff thundering along, and frontman Martin Steene’s getting
himself in all of a tizzy with his high-pitched screaming. Kinda
like Rob Harlford on Painkiller by, if I recall correctly, Saxon.
On this title track, and all through the record, every damn box on
the sheet is ticked in so far as the old-school thrash theatrics
are concerned. There’s the growly bit, but in the background he’s
doing a piercing shriek, then there’s the spoken-word bit with the
gruff “scary” voice, saying all about “The path to insanity lies
ahead” and so on and so fourth. Something about a church will
burn, and then another high-pitched sing-along bit regarding “The
dawn of time”.
To be perfectly honest, it’s all very Spinal Tap. It’s dangerously
close to Stonehenge, is what I would note, if maybe I had a
reporters pad on my lap and a pen that I tapped off my knee whilst
gazing thoughtfully into the distance.
It’s like Machine Head never happened. “Let what ring with a what-
now? I can’t hear you, you bearded bastard, I’m busy shouting
about ‘He is waiting for revenge… And he will drag you back to
Hell!’ on the song about Maniac Cop”.
What Black Empire the album concerns itself with, y’see, is
ensuring that the vast majority of the tracks are based on
American horror flicks. There’s Days Of Damien, 8 minutes and 20
seconds all about The Omen, even though it opens with the kind of
tinkly noises you’d sooner associate with John Carpenter (although
they do him later). Sadly, despite the boundless potential
afforded by the flicks about the tiny antichrist turns into a
teenage antichrist and then finally a politician antichrist, Force
Of Evil still see fit to waste no end of lyric-space with useless
old pish about “Wild winds are blowing” and “A distant thunder”
and “Dark clouds are closing in from Zion”. There’s also something
about “fast as a shark… hiding in the dark”.
But I gotta tell you, man, I dug the holy juices out this
motherfucker.
First of all, it’s about fucking time this kind of work was
undertaken. How many more records do we have to endure about “I
love you baby” or “I hate you baby” or “Fuck you baby, this isn’t
even my baby”. It’s high time there were a few thrash operas about
John Carpenter’s In The Mouth Of Madness.
I never thought I’d live to hear such a thing, is the harrowing
reality of it all.
There it is, though. Track 9, Hobb’s End. It only gets half the
running time of the Omen ditty, but fucking hell, it’s a song
about In The Mouth Of Madness!
“It started off as a horror book!
But what a wrong turn it surely took!”
Tell you the truth, what I was reminded of throughout the entirety
of Black Empire was no less an opus than To Hell With The Devil by
Stryper, except there the subject was Jesus, God and so on, and
here it’s all about Leatherface and Candyman. Swap “Jesus” for
“Jason” and I doubt you’d be fit to tell the difference. So if
those fellas in the white and black get you going, and it’s on
account of the music as opposed to the Christianity or, indeed,
the perms, then I figure you’d love the bejeesus outta this.
It’s pompous, pretentious nonsense, but it’s all the fun in the
world.
Also, sonically speaking, there’s a hell of a lot going on here,
man, every song utilising an array of time-changes and atmospheric
interludes and screaming and growling, all manner of riffs and
“licks” and such. In so far as the mid-1980’s thrash or speed-
metal or whatever the fuck goes, Black Empire is probably some
sort of masterpiece.
The Duke, though, it’s fair to say, would have flung it aside in
favour of some acoustic whining ages ago, if not for the subject
matter.
Not that every track concerns the horror flicks, or at least
specific examples of such. There’s four that ain’t got no
affiliation whatsoever, and then there’s Disciples Of The King,
based on “The books and films of Stephen King”.
All else pales into vaporous insignificance, though, in the shadow
of track 3, being a number by the name of Cabrini Green. I don’t
know how many songs there are about Clive Barker’s work, and
certainly I’d pay to hear Lucinda Williams do a ballad about
Rawhead Rex, but I’d imagine even if such wonders existed, Cabrini
Green, being all about Candyman, would still, at the very least,
be in the Top 5 of Clive Barker related compositions.
It starts with a sort of Ride The Lightening-era Metallica riff,
all sorts of grinding and licking going on, but nothing prepares a
fella for a chorus such as this;
“Candyman!” they scream. “His name is Candyman / You blame the
Candyman / Here comes the Candyman” etc etc. It’s like Motley Crue
doing My Name Is by Eminem, except Motley Crue when they were
Shouting At The Devil, and not now, when they’re more likely to be
shouting at the landlord about “Don’t you know who I am? How
fucking dare you call the police just cause I missed the last
twenty payments. I’m in a band with the fella what fucked her off
Baywatch, you son of a bitch!”
So what it all boils down is that Black Empire is ridiculous, but
also highly entertaining. And at least they don’t hide behind the
filthy veil of irony. You either dig it or you don’t. Call it
stupid or moronic, but fuck you, we’re gonna go off and write
another song about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and you can fuck
off with your Bright Eyes and your Willy Masons.
How many songs did Willy Mason write about Candyman? Hardly any,
I’m guessing.
The Duke salutes you, Force Of Evil. But seriously, Amityville II
was the one to go for.
Check Out The Force Of Evil Website
Thanks folks.
Drop The Duke A Line
senseless, there are remarkably few songs in the world of recorded
music that take the plot of Maniac Cop as their inspiration. I
believe there was a track on the last Paul McCartney record that
dealt with Maniac Cop 3 – Badge Of Silence, but come on, Bruce
Campbell wasn’t even in that one.
Needless to say there are hardly any Prince compositions that
ponder the intricacies of the Friday 13th saga. Maybe somewhere in
the middle of Emancipation, but who the fuck in their right mind
got any further than the first six tracks before flinging the damn
thing out the window and watching it shatter under the wheels of
passing elephants.
Imagine the elation soaking through my very teeth, then, when I
hear word of a forthcoming record by the name of Black Empire, the
second album by long-haired, hard-faced sons a bitches Force Of
Evil. Apparently these folks used to be members of Mercyful Fate
and also played on King Diamond’s solo outings. Sadly, King
Diamond himself doesn’t show up here, and I gotta admit, it pained
me some. Where is the old pasty-faced fuzz-headed motherfucker
these days, anyhow?
Some of these kindsa thoughts were swimming about in the Skull De
Duke as I put the Black Empire by Force Of Evil into the old
stereo CD hi-fi recorder.
I didn’t have time for to worry about King Diamond, was the
surprising turn of events. Who has time to think about comedy
Satanists when there’s a track by the name of Black Empire
screaming out a fellas speakers, a track that takes as its subject
matter The Amityville Horror, although, let’s be honest, if they
wanted a truly engaging plot-line, they should’ve skipped the one
with Lois Lane and headed straight for Damiano Damiani’s masterful
Amityville II – The Possession.
Before you know what’s going on there’s a juddering old-school
thrash riff thundering along, and frontman Martin Steene’s getting
himself in all of a tizzy with his high-pitched screaming. Kinda
like Rob Harlford on Painkiller by, if I recall correctly, Saxon.
On this title track, and all through the record, every damn box on
the sheet is ticked in so far as the old-school thrash theatrics
are concerned. There’s the growly bit, but in the background he’s
doing a piercing shriek, then there’s the spoken-word bit with the
gruff “scary” voice, saying all about “The path to insanity lies
ahead” and so on and so fourth. Something about a church will
burn, and then another high-pitched sing-along bit regarding “The
dawn of time”.
To be perfectly honest, it’s all very Spinal Tap. It’s dangerously
close to Stonehenge, is what I would note, if maybe I had a
reporters pad on my lap and a pen that I tapped off my knee whilst
gazing thoughtfully into the distance.
It’s like Machine Head never happened. “Let what ring with a what-
now? I can’t hear you, you bearded bastard, I’m busy shouting
about ‘He is waiting for revenge… And he will drag you back to
Hell!’ on the song about Maniac Cop”.
What Black Empire the album concerns itself with, y’see, is
ensuring that the vast majority of the tracks are based on
American horror flicks. There’s Days Of Damien, 8 minutes and 20
seconds all about The Omen, even though it opens with the kind of
tinkly noises you’d sooner associate with John Carpenter (although
they do him later). Sadly, despite the boundless potential
afforded by the flicks about the tiny antichrist turns into a
teenage antichrist and then finally a politician antichrist, Force
Of Evil still see fit to waste no end of lyric-space with useless
old pish about “Wild winds are blowing” and “A distant thunder”
and “Dark clouds are closing in from Zion”. There’s also something
about “fast as a shark… hiding in the dark”.
But I gotta tell you, man, I dug the holy juices out this
motherfucker.
First of all, it’s about fucking time this kind of work was
undertaken. How many more records do we have to endure about “I
love you baby” or “I hate you baby” or “Fuck you baby, this isn’t
even my baby”. It’s high time there were a few thrash operas about
John Carpenter’s In The Mouth Of Madness.
I never thought I’d live to hear such a thing, is the harrowing
reality of it all.
There it is, though. Track 9, Hobb’s End. It only gets half the
running time of the Omen ditty, but fucking hell, it’s a song
about In The Mouth Of Madness!
“It started off as a horror book!
But what a wrong turn it surely took!”
Tell you the truth, what I was reminded of throughout the entirety
of Black Empire was no less an opus than To Hell With The Devil by
Stryper, except there the subject was Jesus, God and so on, and
here it’s all about Leatherface and Candyman. Swap “Jesus” for
“Jason” and I doubt you’d be fit to tell the difference. So if
those fellas in the white and black get you going, and it’s on
account of the music as opposed to the Christianity or, indeed,
the perms, then I figure you’d love the bejeesus outta this.
It’s pompous, pretentious nonsense, but it’s all the fun in the
world.
Also, sonically speaking, there’s a hell of a lot going on here,
man, every song utilising an array of time-changes and atmospheric
interludes and screaming and growling, all manner of riffs and
“licks” and such. In so far as the mid-1980’s thrash or speed-
metal or whatever the fuck goes, Black Empire is probably some
sort of masterpiece.
The Duke, though, it’s fair to say, would have flung it aside in
favour of some acoustic whining ages ago, if not for the subject
matter.
Not that every track concerns the horror flicks, or at least
specific examples of such. There’s four that ain’t got no
affiliation whatsoever, and then there’s Disciples Of The King,
based on “The books and films of Stephen King”.
All else pales into vaporous insignificance, though, in the shadow
of track 3, being a number by the name of Cabrini Green. I don’t
know how many songs there are about Clive Barker’s work, and
certainly I’d pay to hear Lucinda Williams do a ballad about
Rawhead Rex, but I’d imagine even if such wonders existed, Cabrini
Green, being all about Candyman, would still, at the very least,
be in the Top 5 of Clive Barker related compositions.
It starts with a sort of Ride The Lightening-era Metallica riff,
all sorts of grinding and licking going on, but nothing prepares a
fella for a chorus such as this;
“Candyman!” they scream. “His name is Candyman / You blame the
Candyman / Here comes the Candyman” etc etc. It’s like Motley Crue
doing My Name Is by Eminem, except Motley Crue when they were
Shouting At The Devil, and not now, when they’re more likely to be
shouting at the landlord about “Don’t you know who I am? How
fucking dare you call the police just cause I missed the last
twenty payments. I’m in a band with the fella what fucked her off
Baywatch, you son of a bitch!”
So what it all boils down is that Black Empire is ridiculous, but
also highly entertaining. And at least they don’t hide behind the
filthy veil of irony. You either dig it or you don’t. Call it
stupid or moronic, but fuck you, we’re gonna go off and write
another song about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and you can fuck
off with your Bright Eyes and your Willy Masons.
How many songs did Willy Mason write about Candyman? Hardly any,
I’m guessing.
The Duke salutes you, Force Of Evil. But seriously, Amityville II
was the one to go for.
Check Out The Force Of Evil Website
Thanks folks.
Drop The Duke A Line
