WESTWARD – The Empire of Deception

WESTWARD - The Empire of Deception

Following their debut album, The Deadly Rapture of Space, Westward are back to click their Rock-n-Roll spaceship up a few notches. On The Empire of Deception, we find the band’s familiar yet unique blend of Classic Rock influences hard at work. Impressive arrangements abound with tracks like “Redemption” which features some of the act’s best vocal layering to date. Lead vocalist Andrew Marshall seems to have perfected his delivery of “coyboy space rock”, as they call it, reminding us of iconic voices like Brad Delp, Freddie Mercury, and a more raw sounding Steve Perry.

The album starts out with a fun mix of Synth Wave and Classic Rock, and continues along the Rock path, with occasional psychedelic and indie flavors thrown in as the album progresses. The Empire of Deception‘s lead single, “The Last Stand”, brings forth déjà vu memories of The Beatles, in both the guitar tones and the songwriting. This track eventually grows into a massive Classic Rock style number along the lines of Golden Earring or Warren Zevon. Part of what makes this release so much fun to listen to, is how each song starts in a familiar way, but then takes itself to a place that you’d never expect from the get-go. Fans of both Classic Rock acts and more contemporary, indie leaning, organic Modern Rock bands will enjoy this track, as well as the rest of The Empire of Deception.

With the turbulent waves within what’s left of the music industry, Westward might be just in time to slip themselves into the scene’s fan-favorite position thanks to their eclectic combination of Classic Rock elements and current, trending, atmospheric vibes and quasi-indie styles.

About Maxxxwell Carlisle 232 Articles
Maxxxwell was a reviewer and the host of The Maxed Out Metal Hour here on Metal Express Radio. He is the current lead guitarist for LA based metal veterans Hellion. In addition to his ongoing role in Hellion, he has also released 5 albums as a solo artist and appeared as a guest writer and soloist on Michael Angelo Batio's Intermezzo album, named one of the Top 5 shred albums of 2014 by Guitar World Magazine. He continues to collaborate with various Metal musicians and teaches guitar technique and Metal composition via Skype. Additionally, he is a former competitive bodybuilder and enjoys a lifestyle based around health, fitness and Metal.

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