The tracks are finally complete! No sooner had I written an update complaining that I was too sick to record, than I started to feel better, and then yesterday I had a session with my vocal coach and my voice felt really good. Today I warmed up properly and hit those final vocals hard, and that’s it all done! Phew!

Now I just have to mix and master it and it’ll be ready for your ears. Obviously you won’t hear it until Lucifer’s Fall are ready and Shadow Beast have sorted the release, but we’ll do our best to get it out soon.

This is exciting for me as it’s my first release since I went solo. It’s been a different kind of experience to work on these completely by myself and has been very rewarding. I’ve invested a lot of time in working out how to get them sounding good. Tom and I recorded the first two releases ourselves, and I was pleased with the sound, but I’ve learned a lot since then. The biggest change is that the most recent recordings have miked up guitar amps instead of direct and this has really enhanced the sound.

Keep your eyes peeled and hopefully the next announcement will be a release date!
~Devon~

Things have been going quite smoothly on the recording front. I successfully recorded and mixed all the guitars for the split, experimenting with some different amps. I picked up a VOX valvetronix amp that gives me a lot of versatility and two of the tracks have guitars using this amp. The rest of the guitars were recorded through an Orange CR120 head and Laney 2×12 cab. The bass was recorded using digital modelling, with two tracks – one clean, one dirty.  I have also managed to record most of the vocals – only one song remains, and it would have been done already but I caught a cold and even after that went, I developed a sore throat. I have a lot of trouble with my throat due to some sinus problems that cause me to snore, and although I have medication for this, once I get a sore throat, it takes a long time to clear up. It’s very frustrating that I didn’t quite get that last song sung before the cold hit, or I’d be mixing and mastering all the tracks now.

I am looking forward to doing the final mixes. I’ve learned a lot recently and I think these mixes sound better than ever. Hopefully you’ll agree when they are released. It won’t be long now. I’ve had updates from Lucifer’s Fall and they will be finished soon, and assuming my throat clears up soon, I’ll be putting the finishing touches to my tracks.

What will they sound like? The two original tracks (the third is a cover) will cover some new ground while still maintaining that core Myopic Empire sound. I’ve tried some new things, and have tried to push myself to create better, particularly with my vocals.

More soon…
~Devon~

The next scheduled release for Myopic Empire will be a split EP with Australian doom band, Lucifer’s Fall. This project has been in the works for some time, so it’s very exciting to announce that it is near to completion.  Each band will contribute two or three songs, including one cover of one of the other band’s songs. I’ve heard a demo of Lucifer’s Fall’s cover of the Myopic song and it’s truly a treat for the ears!

It’s a great honour to work alongside Lucifer’s Fall, whose music I admire and whose riffs can absolutely melt your face!

The split will be released through Shadow Beast Records (date to be announced).

~Devon~

Hey doomsters, Devon here. Time for an update on what’s up with the band: As of today, Myopic Empire is a solo project. James and I have parted ways so that I can continue this alone. It’s a long story, but the short of it is that what I want to do with this music is incompatible with it being a band. I much prefer recorded music to live music, and so I prefer making records to performing gigs. I do like gigging, but it is very much secondary to producing recorded material. This is very different to what James, and I think Tom before him, want to do. These folks really do enjoy gigging and James has even said to me that, for him, it is prioritised far above producing recorded material. We gave it a go, but in the end we just want different things out of being in a band.

It’s sad to part with James, who has been a great comrade for the last few years and is a fantastic musician. I know I learned a lot from him. Thank you James, and good luck for the future. As for Myopic, you can expect lots of cool things to emerge in the near future, details of which I’ll post at the appropriate time.

Why not get a new band together? I think my personality makes it hard for me to do that for a project where I do most of the writing. I can see myself being in someone else’s band quite easily, but when it comes to writing my own songs, I find it hard to allow other people in on the creative process. In the future of Myopic, I plan to work with other musicians, but on a more ad-hoc basis, recruiting people to play certain bits on certain songs. This way I retain control over my ideas while working with other people whose talent I admire. The end result should be quite focused and possibly quite intense as a listening experience.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the band so far and I hope you are as excited as I am about what’s to come – mostly much less gigging and a lot more recorded output!

~Devon~

As I embark on a new chapter of the musical journey of Myopic Empire, it makes sense to start with a fresh canvas on which to unveil the work, and thus this website was born.

I hope to be able to make regular posts to show you what’s occurring ‘within the Empire’ and host the results of my hard work.

Stay tuned, and I should have some news soon!

~Devon~