Empyria
| Empyria | |
|---|---|
 Empyria 2013 line up | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, CA |
| Genres | Progressive metal, power metal |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Labels | Nightmare Records, Scrape Records, Noise Records |
| Associated acts | Thor, Life, Ten2Nine, Severed Serenity |
| Website | www.empyria.ca |
| Members |
Mike Kischnick Phil Leite Scott Gamble John Buck Steve Bifford |
| Past members |
Paul Falcon Simon Adam Ken Firomski Troy Taillon |
Empyria is a progressive power metal band, formed in 1991 by Mike Kischnick, Paul Falcon, and Simon Adam in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
History
The first album (8-song cassette), Ornamental Ironworks, was released in 1993, featuring a progressive rock influence. Behind Closed Doors, which featured a more progressive metal sound and was their first actual label release, was released in 1996 on the Noise Records (Germany) record label.
In 1997, original singer/bassist Falcon left the band and was replaced by Phil Leite (vocals) and Ken Firomski (bass). The third album, Changing Currents, was released in 1998 independently and distributed by Nightmare Records (U.S.A.).
A progressive metal compilation album, The Awakening, was released in 1998 by KMI Ent., which featured Empyria's title track Changing Currents.
In 2000, The Legacy was released by Nightmare Records (USA). It featured for the first time all four parts of Empyria's The Lighter Sides of Darkness as a continuous 25-minute epic, plus a cover of The Police's "Synchronicity II".
The next album, Sense Of Mind, from 2002, continued the vein of the previous album in general, adding more melody to the songs.
A compilation album, Westcoast Canadian Metal Feast, was released in 2001, just prior to Empyria's Sense Of Mind album and featured the title track.
In 2003, Empyria took a long hiatus due to Kischnick's involvement in 5 albums and 2 tours with Canadian Metal band Thor and various other projects.
The three remaining members — Leite, Adam, and Firomski - continued to work on various music projects, shows/bands.
In 2009, Empyria released The Long Road Home[1][2] through Nightmare Records, with the return of Falcon (bass), Phil Leite (vocals), Kischnick (guitars/synth) and new drummer Scott Gamble. The album saw a return to their progressive rock & metal influences.[3]
A New Single "The Sheltering ( 2011 A.D.)" was released July 1 (CANADA DAY) 2011 with former bassist Ken Firomski. The band played and continues to play Live shows with bands like Sabaton, Firewind, Warrel Dane, and Nickleback.
Empyria side project "New Horizon IV" released new single/video "Days Of Remembrance" on Nov. 11 / 2013.
EMPYRIA released a "NEW" single "Beyond The Doors" & B-side "Green Manalishi" March 28th, 2014. This is the first release featuring all current Empyria members.
Discography
Studio albums
- Ornamental Ironworks (1993 (8-song cassette))
- Behind Closed Doors (1996)
- Changing Currents (1998)
- The Legacy (2000)
- Sense Of Mind (2002, DVD format Limited Edition)
- The Long Road Home (2009)
- The Sheltering (2011 A.D.) (2011, FREE Single)
- Beyond The Doors (2014, Single w/ B-Side)
Compilation albums
- Powerquest (compilation) - The Awakening (1998)
- Westcoast Canadian Metal Feast (compilation) - Scrape Records (2001)
- BW&BK Knuckletracks XXVI (compilation) - BW&BK (2001)
- Nightmare Records Sampler (compilation) - Nightmare Records (2010)
- Armstrong Metalfest Sampler (compilation) - Armstrong Metalfest (2012)
Band members
Current members
- Mike Kischnick: guitars/synth (1991–present)
- Phil Leite: vocals (1997–present)
- John Buck: bass (2011–present)
- Scott Gamble: drums (2008–present)
- Steve Bifford: guitars (2010–present)
Former members
- Paul Falcon: bass (1991–97; 2008–2010)
- Simon Adam: drums (1991–2008)
- Ken Firomski: bass (1997–2008)
- Troy Taillon: drums (1993 & 1995)
Special guests
- Troy Taillon: drums ("Forever" 2002)
- Rob Matharu (Mongoose): guitar (solos on the songs "Heaven's Cry" and "Sense Of Mind" (2002)
- Neville Bowman: keyboard (solo on "The Endless Circle" (2009)
- Pat Brown (Ten2Nine): vocals (background vocals on "No Other Way" (2009)
References
- Garry Sharpe-Young (2003). The A-Z of POWER METAL. Cherry Red Books. pp. 135–136. ISBN 1-901447-13-8.
- Martin Popoff (1997). The Collectors Guide to Heavy Metal. Collectors Guide Publishing Inc. ISBN 1-896522-32-7.