Windwaker are set to release their sophomore EP, Empire, on the 22nd March, and I am here to tell you that you need it in your ears right now(or at least tomorrow when it officially drops). 

Most commonly labeled as metalcore, Windwaker have a lot more on offer here.  From the opening track, Reject, the band switch seamlessy between crushing metal riffs and soaring alternative rock melodies.  It’s as if Killswitch Engage had a baby with Janes Addiction, and Tool and Mr Bungle were that babies weird uncles… 

This is a band that make genre defying music, of a complex nature.  It’s the sort of stuff that can’t just be background noise, it demands your full attention, especially on a song like The Sitch witch makes full use of all of Windwakers talents, or Grey World which is completely immersive.

Colourless is a ballad for all intents and purpose.  It’s an emotive track, with a slow build to a fantastic guitar driven climax.  Arrested brings back the heavy, and is my personal favourite of the EP.  There are major contrasts between these two tracks, yet they sit along side each other beautifully. 

My Empire closes out this release, and it’s a song that blends all of the elements displayed throughout the EP to create something that is truly epic, not in length, but as a listening experience. 

At the conclusion of the EP, I’m convinced that the band have only just started to let us hear what they’re capable of, and I can’t wait to hear where they go from here.  

Turn Empire up loud, and let Windwaker take you on a journey.

9/10