Empire State Bastard – ‘Rivers of Heresy’
If idle hands are the devil’s playthings, then Simon Neil is holiest among us. Between his return to pop-rock outfit Marmaduke Duke and teasing the upcoming valium-laced project Tippie Toes, the Biffy Clyro frontman has his plate filled to the brim for the foreseeable future. So naturally, what is one to do but join your touring guitarist and Oceansize frontman Mike Vennart and drumming legend Dave Lombardo of Slayer in an experimental metal fusion band? Naturally. Empire State Bastard is the rabid love child of this unholy trinity, an esoteric experiment that attempts to intertwine the tenets of extreme metal with each member’s own musical flair. Punky, sardonic, and visceral, their debut release, ‘Rivers of Heresy’ is an eclectic, but exciting, release. Neil is no stranger to the odd att...