Drummer Billy Freedom of progressive rock trio BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE is now sharing a brand new drum play-through for “The Raven!” The song is taken from the band’s new album, ‘Tempus Veritas,’ which is out now via Season of Mist! The clip can be seen at THIS LOCATION.
The band comments, “‘The Raven’ is one of our favourite songs from ‘Tempus Veritas.’ It has such a satisfying blend of progressive technical styles with huge melodies, and it’s super fun to play. Billy came up with some incredible parts for this song, including some beautifully detailed ride work that really speaks to his jazz and soul inspirations as well as those from heavy music. We hope you enjoy this amazing drum play through from him!”
“Lyrically this song is written from the point of view of the first human in space – Yuri Gagarin. In his final moments aboard the test flight on which he would ultimately lose his life, he contemplates the stars above him – realizing he will never reach them again.”
‘Tempus Veritas’ was released on April 14, 2023 and can be streamed, ordered, and downloaded HERE.
The cover artwork for ‘Tempus Veritas’ was created by BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE and Ines Hernandez. It can be found below along with the tracklist.
BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE create huge, memorable rock music that combines heavy-hitting savagery with intense melodic beauty. Their technical, fearlessly complex grooves and gigantic sing-along choruses have already earned them a widespread fanbase.
A ferociously tight live band, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE have toured Europe and the UK extensively, supporting Skunk Anansie, HED p.e, INME and Black Map as well as festival slots at Download, Standon Calling and Planet Rockstock. Black Orchid Empire have sealed the bands reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
Having released their debut album ‘Archetype’ (2016) to universal acclaim, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE signed with German label Long Branch Records to release the follow up albums ‘Yugen’ (2018) and ‘Semaphore’ (2020). Both albums received stellar reviews and over 3,000,000+ combined streams.
“Tempus Veritas” is a collection of stories that seeks to find compelling imaginary narratives hidden away in what we all think of as history. Behind every milestone or major event in humanity’s long, complex past lies a treasure trove of possibilities for invention – how did Pope Urban VIII feel when confronted by his friend Galileo about the true nature of the sun? What really happened during an almost triumphant but ultimately doomed Everest attempt? What was it like to be a Norse settler amongst the Saxons; did the omens of the ancient gods begin to disappear?
In approaching “Tempus Veritas”, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE sought collectively to push themselves both musically and thematically. Their pursuit of heaviness, melody, emotional power and rhythmic complexity has pushed them to create something they‘re immensely proud of. “Semaphore” was an album of Sci-Fi, this is an album of Hi-Fi. Tempus Veritas.
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