It took a moment of clarity for brothers Ollie (guitars and vocals) and Alex Loring (bass) joined by Edd Unwin (drums) and Tom Meadon (guitars), to realise they’d been making music they never truly loved for years. It was time to start following their instincts 100 per cent. They trusted their music tastes implicitly so decided to ignore the trend and appease their own minds by forming Empress.

Empress have been writing since the start of 2011, honing their style together; quietly and carefully. The result is a sound that belies their young age – all are in their 20s. Soothing and vicious in turn, they juxtapose gentle harmonies with frantic ferocity; relaxed strumming followed by thrashy beats, time signature changes and other interesting meanderings that you’ll just have to find out about for yourself.

There’s a comforting feeling of control about all of it though – as if Empress know exactly what they’re doing. They know what they’re doing because they’re finally making music that speaks to them; music that they love.

There are as many elements of metallers Mastodon, Metallica and Opeth in the music as there are of the more melodic Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Elbow – all huge bands and all huge influences on Empress. The band also cites more recent but no less prominent influences such as the now-defunct Surrey rockers Reuben and American post-hardcore pioneers Underoath and Thrice. If that seems like quite the motley crew, you’ll understand why Empress’s sound is so hard to pin down.

With an imposing arsenal of songs at the ready, Empress are preparing to become your new favourite band. A bright future awaits.