When Empires burn is the fourth solo release from Bob Catley, and the much anticipated follow up to the masterful Middle Earth. After three collaborations with Ten singer and songwriter Gary Hughes, it was time for a change. This time all songs have been written by Catley's keyboard player Paul Hodson (also Hard Rain), and he certainly knows what he's doing. This is without a doubt Bob Catley's heaviest album to date and also of the same high quality as The Tower and Legends. Personally I still have a closer relationship with Middle Earth, which I thought was quite magical and a small masterpiece.

When Empires Burn goes back to the style of The Tower, albeit much heavier and a little more straight forward. I'm not sure yet if it manages to surpass that one, but it certainly comes very close. One thing is for certain though, if you're a fan of Bob Catley you will not be disappointed. This is a quality release where only a couple of songs aren't as good as the other ones. When empires burn will speak to all fans of Epic Hard Rock and bands like Ten and Magnum.

After a symphonic prelude, Children of the Circle kicks off the album with a brilliant guitar solo. Bob Catley's voice is more powerful than ever, and when he sings it feels like he lifts the music of the ground. Children of the Circle perfectly sums up what this album is about. Powerful, Epic Hard Rock with beautiful and catchy melodies, harmonising vocals in several layers and heavy guitars with loads of detail. Overall the music has a very bombastic feel.

This album hit me right the first time and was instantly infectous. This feeling still hasn't worn off after countless listens, so I can vouch that the album has a good longevity. The only minor problem I have with it, is that I'm reminded strongly of another UK band at times, namely Ten. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing as I totally love Ten, but I sometimes wish the references weren't so obvious. I'm especially reminded of Ten in the two ballad-like songs, The meaning of love and Every beat of my heart. These are also the two songs that drag the album down for me. Still two good songs, but they don't hold anything new and don't move the album forward. Though I love Bob's singing here, I don't feel they are standout tracks.

My absolute favourites include the incredible title track. It is very well composed, and has one of those huge choruses with brilliant hamonising vocals, and I can't help but get caught up in it and sing along every time. This is almost the epitome of Epic Hard Rock. Also the drums have some nice detail in this song. Someday Utopia is another high ranking favourite. Powerful, heavy and another great sing-a-long chorus. The constant drive keeps this song together along with Bob's fantastic voice. His vocal performance on the whole album is one of his very best ever. Gonna live forever is a typical melodic and bombastic song with a big emphasis on the catchy chorus. The Prophecy is perhaps the heaviest song of the album and is kept together by a great groove.

The production of the album couldn't be much better. Heavy and powerful, while allowing the details of each instrument to show themselves clearly, okay maybe the bass is a little hidden away... Yet, sometimes I feel the keyboards are overused. A few times the heavy guitars are almost drowned by the "sweet" keyboard. I'll be your fool is an example of that, but the intro guitar certainly saves that song. A definite highlight is the delightful guitar playing of Vince O'Regan. He keeps the pace of the album up, and helps it flourish by adding many little touches. His playing is always melodic, and his guitar has a very sharp sound that fits great. He has a strong part in making the album work as well as it does.

And on a final note, The beautiful and epic My America is the perfect ending to the album.

So to conclude, this is an excellent album with no real bad songs. High quality Epic Hard Rock that will appeal to everybody who likes melodic music. Here's to hoping that Bob Catley will finnaly make a full European tour.

Favourite songs: Someday Utopia, When Empires burn, Children of the circle, My America, Gonna live forever

Written by Steen
Thursday, June 19, 2003
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Ratings

Steen: 7.5/10

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Comment by Ian B (Anonymous) - Tuesday, August 7, 2007

One day in some remote part of northern Britain some demented but rich patron of the arts will erect a 30 foot bronze statue of our Bob for services to Rock and Roll/Metal/Pomp Rock/Melodic power symphonic mish mash. Worshippers from around Europe will flock to the site and buy small plastic minature statues from the various emporiums surrounding the "Big Bob". Even the Angel of the North will bow to Bob. That's how good this CD is -10/10.