Empire Auriga - Auriga Dying

Empire Auriga - Dreaming Of Breath And Stars


Wow. Sometimes black metal bands are hilarious. The liner notes for Auriga Dying say the band consists of Boethius on communications on 90000065B on transmissions. I mean, does communications mean vocals? Does it even matter? And does 90000065B really think his name is hardcore? 'Cause it's not. Like, at all. It sounds more like the name some nerdy computer whiz gave himself who makes electronic music using only his motherboard and a Talkboy. I'm sure he's going for that random star name thing, but come on. 90000065B? Really?

But names aren't everything. I mean, yes, Auriga is the name of a constellation, and Auriga Dying has celestial references throughout, including a quote inside that reads "Sleep my beautiful planets, and I shall awaken you not..." But that doesn't really matter. It all boils down to the music. And in that respect, Empire Auriga wins. They are fucking awesome. Grim, chugging, buzzing, and cinematic black metal. Hell. Yes.

Auriga Dying is black metal, yes, but it's also got some other stuff thrown in (like all good records). There's definitely some industrial percussion, especially on the track, "Dreaming Of Breath And Stars," and there are bits of shoegaze and ambience as well. All in all, a solid combination, which Empire Auriga pull off making it sound like they've been doing it for ages, when in fact, this is their debut album. Not too shabby guys.

This album isn't constantly going full blast, though. Empire Auriga know the importance of dynamics and they end the album with a few half soothing/half terrifying lullaby drones. The last track, "Dust And Ether," is a gorgeous spacey song with sprinkles of far away noises, sounding much like what I would expect floating in space to sound like (except for that whole "no air" thing).

I highly recommend Auriga Dying and I'm pretty psyched about any future releases from Empire Auriga. I mean, how could I not be? This record is so fantastic. It's out now on Moribund Records and can be purchased on their website. Also, head on over to Empire Auriga's website to listen to "Sorrowsong," another great track from Auriga Dying.