Alec Empire

The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven

[4/5]

The first album on his newly established Eat Your Heart Out label, The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven sees former Atari Teenage Riot leader Alec Empire completely abandoning conventional instruments and re-embracing electronica. Fears that the album will fail to “rock” as a result are completely unfounded; akin to Nine Inch Nails’ Year Zero, Empire uses the cold, harsh sounds of his various toys, and the result is an album as heavy as anything ATR ever produced. It’s also arguably the most melodic, accessible piece of work that Empire has put his name to, with “New Man” and “Death Trap In 3D” actually featuring some semblance of structure. Heaven’s highlight is the ethereal “1000 Eyes,” an epic song clocking in at longer than seven minutes, but this is an album that needs to be listened to in its entirety. (EAT YOUR HEART OUT) Brett Callwood