DARK EMPIRE Announces New Drummer

DARK EMPIRE, the band featuring vocalist Jens Carlsson of PERSUADER/SAVAGE CIRCUS and bassist Noah Martin of ARSIS, has announced the addition of drummer Sam Paulicelli of the New Jersey based prog-metal outfit SUSPYRE the group's ranks.

Commented guitarist/band leader Matt Moliti: "Noah got us in touch with Sam through working with SUSPYRE on their latest album. He sent me some videos that Sam had uploaded on MySpace and I was absolutely blown away. This kid is a monster drummer, and I really feel he has the chops and versatility to take DARK EMPIRE to the next level. It's funny because we were gearing up to have a whole audition process and wound up not having to need any of it."

Sam, who's been in SUSPYRE since 2005 was already familiar with DARK EMPIRE's music. "When Noah flew up to Jersey to record bass for the new SUSPYRE album, he showed me some new DARK EMPIRE material, and I was an instant fan," he said. "I am even more excited now that I am actually joining the band. I know that the next album is going to kick some major ass, and I am very much looking forward to working with Matt, Noah and Jens in creating this masterpiece."

Aside from announcing the new drummer, DARK EMPIRE has also revealed the details of its upcoming album, entitled "Humanity Dethroned". The tentative track listing is as follows:

01. Eyes of Defiance
02. No Sign of Life
03. Humanity Dethroned
04. The Forgotten Sin
05. Faded Dreams
06. Salvation Denied
The Apparition Sequence:
07. I Prelude (instrumental)
08. II Haunted
09. III Possessed (We Are One)
10. IV Closure
11. The Knife (GENESIS cover)

Stated Moliti: "Overall, the sound is much heavier than 'Distant Tides' with less power metal elements and more thrash, prog, and even some melodic death creeping into the mix. There is also more interplay between clean and death vocals, and that appears in almost every song on the album. I really feel like I've come a long way with my songwriting since I wrote 'Distant Tides', and I can safely say that 'Humanity Dethroned' is going to completely smoke it.

"'The Apparition Sequence' is a series of songs that segue and are tied by the common theme of each one having to deal with some sort of supernatural encounter. 'The Knife' is a song I've wanted to cover for a really long time. I'm a huge fan of Peter Gabriel-era GENESIS, and I always thought this track would lend itself to an awesome metal rendition. This will probably wind up as a bonus track. I'll write more about each individual track in a studio diary to be posted on our website very soon, to keep everyone up to speed."

The band will start rehearsing next month, and tracking begins in January. Production duties will once again be handled by Jeremy Krull.