Search - Envy :: Empyreal Progeny

The record, Empyreal Progeny , began with, surprisingly enough, inspiration. Although the actual songwriting commenced in 2002, in a very real sense, it actually began seventeen years earlier. Niko wrote his first song at the age of five, and his first professional music for radio and television at fifteen. He has a background in piano, drums and cello, and played percussion in symphonic band, jazz band and marching band. This unusual and eclectic combination may explain why the songs on Empyreal Progeny are so compelling and have such potential crossover appeal. Sure, every band says things like that. But there's that one in a thousand where it's actually true. ENVY produced its first album, Sweet Painful Reality, at Rocky Mountain Recorders, and the band learned an amazing amount: new techniques for recording guitars, the possibilities of sound replacement, the process of drum editing, mixing guidelines. When it came time to produce the second record, Empyreal Progeny, the band decided they'd record the new album entirely in Niko's ProTools-equipped studio. They wanted total control, and the ability to take as much time as they needed to get it right. Good decision. The sound of the record is both powerful and articulate. True, bands like to say those kinds of things, too. But in most cases, it's really more wishful thinking than fact. After the initial keyboard tracks had been laid down, Niko auditioned several drummers, but none were quite good enough. So he ended up playing the challenging drum parts himself, just as he did on the first record. Then John, the band's talented lead guitarist, nailed the fierce, and sometimes technical, guitar tracks on Empyreal Progeny. Michael, fresh from a popular Denver band, provided the chunky rhythm guitar and intricate bass lines. Both guitarists not only read music, but know theory. Again, unusual. Niko recorded his own vocals, usually in the dead of night when no one could overhear. Niko's engaging voice quality-the naked emotion-is one of the biggest improvements from ENVY's first album to its second. He really let it out on Empyreal Progeny. Finally, the sound design and critical refinements: highlight this phrase, bring out this drum figure, sculpt specific frequencies. From start to finish, the record took more than a year and a half to complete, with nearly three months dedicated solely to anal-retentive mixing and mastering. Once, at the age of twelve, Niko wrote nine songs in a single day. Perhaps his standards are a little higher now. Because of Niko's vision, Empyreal Progeny was crafted to be a juxtaposition of metal and melody, heavy and haunting, powerful and passionate, tender and technical, edgy and empowering. The result is truly empyreal. No other band in the world can say that.