EMPYRIUM

Folk Metal / Non-Metal / Metal Related / Symphonic Metal / Doom Metal • Germany

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Empyrium started as a symphonic folk doom metal band from Germany founded in 1994 by Markus Stock (mostly using the pseudonym Ulf Theodor Schwadorf) and Andreas Bach, but later Ulf T. Schwadorf separated from Andreas Bach and took Thomas Helm as his partner. Their first two albums, A Wintersunset and Songs of Moors and Misty Fields, can be considered doom metal with folk and symphonic influences. They combine harsh and operatic male vocals with deep slow guitar parts and atmospheric keys. Their music is heavy, dark and romantic.

Two next albums, Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays and Weiland, are acoustic, and aren't really related to metal. The genre of these albums can be defined as folk. Instead of keys they use acoustic instruments such as violin, cello, flute. The main theme is lead by monotonously repeated acoustic guitars. There are still operatic male vocals included, and in Weiland read more...

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EMPYRIUM Discography

EMPYRIUM albums / top albums

3.84 | 10 ratings

A Wintersunset...
Folk Metal 1996

EMPYRIUM Songs of Moors & Misty Fields album cover

4.12 | 10 ratings

Songs of Moors & Misty Fields
Folk Metal 1997

EMPYRIUM Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays album cover

4.46 | 5 ratings

Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays
Non-Metal 1999

4.00 | 7 ratings

Weiland
Non-Metal 2002

EMPYRIUM The Turn of the Tides album cover

3.50 | 1 ratings

The Turn of the Tides
Metal Related 2014

0.00 | 0 ratings

Über Den Sternen
Metal Related 2021

EMPYRIUM EPs & splits

EMPYRIUM Drei Auszüge aus Weiland album cover

0.00 | 0 ratings

Drei Auszüge aus Weiland
Non-Metal 2002

0.00 | 0 ratings

Dead Winter Ways
Symphonic Metal 2013

0.00 | 0 ratings

The Mill
Doom Metal 2015

EMPYRIUM live albums

0.00 | 0 ratings

Into the Pantheon
Metal Related 2013

EMPYRIUM Bochum | Christuskirche | 2012 album cover

0.00 | 0 ratings

Bochum | Christuskirche | 2012
Metal Related 2013

EMPYRIUM demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

EMPYRIUM ...Der wie ein Blitz vom Himmel fiel... album cover

0.00 | 0 ratings

...Der wie ein Blitz vom Himmel fiel...
Folk Metal 1995

EMPYRIUM re-issues & compilations

0.00 | 0 ratings

A Retrospective...
Folk Metal 2006

0.00 | 0 ratings

1994-2014
Folk Metal 2014

EMPYRIUM singles (0)

EMPYRIUM movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

0.00 | 0 ratings

Into the Pantheon
Metal Related 2013

EMPYRIUM Reviews

EMPYRIUM Songs of Moors & Misty Fields

Album · 1997 · Folk Metal

SilentScream213

Empyrium continue their unique sound of Folk Doom Metal, with tons of Symphonic elements and a medieval touch for good measure. This one is an improvement over the debut on all fronts, having a good amount of variety in sound and dense, lush soundscapes of flute, keys, acoustics… all manner of folky instrumentation.

Melancholy permeates this release, but it’s not the depressive kind. This is an almost peaceful, romantic gloom, poetically painting beautiful nature scenery with admiration of love lost or unattainable. Vocals have a nice range of somewhat epic, deep cleans and Black Metal shrieks. The occasional double bass drumming adds great energy to this release as well, the band knowing when to kick things into doomy overdrive.

The music occasionally borders on boring, but most of the time, the rich orchestrations and gentle melodies are more than enough to carry the release. Very unique for its era, and still pleasant today.

8 months ago
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Report #865582

EMPYRIUM Songs of Moors & Misty Fields

Album · 1997 · Folk Metal

Warthur

Dialling back on the symphonic elements of their debut album, leaning on the folk metal aspects more and teasing out the doom metal undercurrents of their sound, on their second album Empyrium produce what may be the finest release of their metal-oriented years. With the next album onwards, they would shift into the dark folk territory they already find themselves on the threshold of here, but this last incorporation of metal aspects into their sound is quite excellent, and sets a precedent for musical territory later explored by the likes of Agalloch. An enchanting 45 minutes and an album that truly deserved to put Empyrium on the map.

more than 2 years ago
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Report #343301

EMPYRIUM Weiland

Album · 2002 · Non-Metal

Warthur

I have found that over time my appreciation of Empyrium's non-metal work has been sharpened and elevated by my explorations of the dark folk scene as exemplified by groups like Tenhi and albums like Ulver's Kveldssanger. The latter, in particular, seems to be a major influence here - though piano is more of a focus than on that album, you still have a chapter structure going on which suggests a conceptual framework comparable to Ulver's early concept albums. Morose vocals about nature and spirituality lend an air of the sacred to proceedings. A laudable achievement, and enough to prompt me to perhaps look again at Empyrium releases I'd not valued so highly previously.

more than 2 years ago
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Report #343114

EMPYRIUM Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays

Album · 1999 · Non-Metal

Warthur

Empyrium abandoned metal entirely after Songs of Moors and Misty Fields and instead went a pure folk direction on Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays. Having originally come to it after exposure to their metal work, I couldn't help but feel disappointed, but after digesting more works in the dark folk field that this is part of (and helped to kick off) I find that it's grown on me more and more, to the point where in comparison to Weiland I think this is the best of Empyrium's folk-oriented albums, just as its predecessor Songs of Moors and Misty Fields was the best of their metal-oriented releases. One for fans of Tenhi, or Ulver's Kveldssanger.

more than 2 years ago
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EMPYRIUM A Wintersunset...

Album · 1996 · Folk Metal

Warthur

Empyrium's A Wintersunset bears a fairly close resemblance to the sort of gothic doom metal produced by My Dying Bride at around this time - the main difference being that whilst My Dying Bride contained an occasional flavour of death metal, Empyrium instead show a very occasional influence from black metal, which usually manifests itself in the vocals, which lurch between the sort of gothic clean intonation My Dying Bride often used at the time and a black metal shriek. The themes of nature, sorrow and romance are somewhat soppier and more lovey-dovey than black metal fans are used to, but otherwise those who like the My Dying Bride sound might enjoy this one; at first I struggled to get to grips with it, and some of the songs don't hang together as well as they should, but in providing a basis for the dark folk explorations of later albums it's pretty decent and I find I enjoy it better if I listen to it with my folk ears on rather than my metal ears.