ALBUM REVIEW: Tempus Veritas – Black Orchid Empire
For the past seven years, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE (BOE) have been quietly but confidently carving themselves a reputation as the go-to procurator of elegant, loud and, above else, memorable prog rock. Their three-strong discography established the band’s rich ilk, setting expectations for their love of grandeur, snaggle-tooth riffs and gracious command of beauty with pin-point consistency. Like with any sub-genre, however, the trio fight a contested warzone among heavily armed combatants, and conquering the prog rock scene as part of these Black Orchids’ empire is no minor task. Their latest war machine, 2023’s Tempus Veritas, is a mighty addition to their arsenal, cementing the band’s unyielding consistency, tightening the odd screw, and venturing beyond into lands uncharted; this is a statement of war.
With a squeaky-clean set of slate, BOE would be forgiven for giving their fourth venture the same lick of paint that has brought them such success three times over. Complacency is not in this band’s battle plans, however. Tempus Veritas doesn’t re-write the rule book by any means, but it’s an undeniable step forward for the band as craftsmen of great music and tellers of great stories. On a larger scale, too, the album shows fascinating evolution of an ever-changing gene pool, digging out a larger cause for prog rock that is direct, punchy, and easily-digested; untempted by solos large enough to warrant intermissions and time signatures that disrupt the fabric of reality. That’s not to throw shade against those that thrive on whatever boggles the mind, but it’s not what prog rock needs to be and BOE do fine work in championing that very point. Tempus Veritas doesn’t dumb the genre down or dilute it but is much more likely to make you bang your head than break out the abacus.
Its superb 11-track run is the perfect showcase of BOE in their tightest, most proficient form yet – a valiant victory cry leagues beyond the band that first broke back in 2016. Archetype and Yugen, the band’s first two LPs, gave the perfect introduction to a glimmering career but were spotty in their songwriting. Not here. Songs flow in and out of one another with greater ease, tracks feel complete with little to no instance of being bloating or unfinished and the trio’s performances are simply career-defining. Hydrogen defines what it is to be an ear-worm, The Raven is an emotionally desperate banger, Scarlett Haze blooms with a chorus of beauty, Weakness brings unfound levels of aggression in its final breakdown and Deny The Sun may just be the band’s most well-rounded song to date. There simply isn’t a note that falls flat on Tempus Veritas.
BOE have always been a band to dress themselves up, put some narrative into their tales of heavy chugs and theatric vocals, and no different is their fourth outing. Where 2020’s Semaphore gave sci-fi escapism to a year of isolation and confinement, Tempus Veritas asks ‘What if?’ in a world of uncertainty and possibility. Grabbing us by the wrist and pulling us forward, we traverse Nordic England, Everest, the period of enlightenment, answering questions untold from the worlds of science, theism and general plights of life and death. No greater can you feel the band’s growing maturity than the congruence of such diverging themes, woven without fault into a tapestry that explores behind the scenes of our written history.
Tempis Veritas’ combined feats are an astounding work, but not quite perfect. It’s a trivial matter but, considering its strong start, the album finishes somewhat on a low point – Latimer. It’s a great song but just not the greatest of the bunch, and leaves the album’s rampant momentum slowing to a drag at the final hurdle.
Besides what is only a blemish on an otherwise stainless platter, BLACK ORCHID EMPIRE have set the new standard for prog rock. Boasting a distinct maturity across its lyrical and musical penmanship, while retaining means to stun and to ensnare minds, the trio prove themselves once more the kings of concise complexity. The genre’s canon, congested as it is, always has room for a new rising star and this will assuredly be the record that has their name etched in stone amongst their renowned peers. If 2023 sees another album that is as memorable, direct, complex and hard-hitting as Tempus Veritas, minds won’t be ready.
Rating: 9/10
Tempus Veritas is set for release on April 14th via Season Of Mist.
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