Review of the Album Bloody Empire by Japanese Melodic Death Metal Band Thousand Eyes

Thousand Eyes (not to be confused with the band Thousand Leaves) is a melodic death metal band from Tokyo, Japan and these guys are really melodic just like the bands Serpent and Shadow were before we would never hear from them again because they disbanded. We need to hear about more melodic death metal in Japan because the country could use a few more extra talented musicians to compete with the other major heavy metal hot spots such as Germany, Sweden, Norway, or even the United States. The debut album of Thousand Eyes is called Bloody Empire and this was released in 2013.

The style of this album is really harsh vocals with a mixed influence of Soilwork and In Flames with a touch of Norther. The vocals of Dogen Kubota sound like Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork and the result of this album is not quite flawless but it is close to an elite work of melodic death metal for sure! Listening to this brilliant work makes me want to avoid listening to some of the newer American thrash metal because that sounds boring compared to what we hear on this album. It takes an experienced music listener to be able to hear and witness the kind of melodic death metal that Thousand Eyes play! This is not the last effort from Thousand Eyes but it is a very well-written melodic death metal album that one night of listening all the way through shows just how well written it is. This album is like a work of art that will always be beautiful. Speaking of speed. This album has plenty of that in addition to the drums that keep on pounding but it is not the raw kind of tin can drumming that you hear on St. Anger or a drum machine but natural drum sound. If there are any real cons to this album it may be that the style really doesn't change at all throughout the album as it is melodic death metal with very fast solos and harsh screams and shouts. Thousand Eyes lyrically is like many bands of the genre having lyrical themes having to do with anguish, anxiety, despondent feelings and other similar themes such as in the song Divided World.

Immediately, the title track of this album starts off and this is a message from these guys that this album is not for those that can't handle it. The riffing is going to leave you in awe and it may bombard your ears with some of the most intense melodic death metal we have heard. “Last Rebellion” is a song that sounds sort of like Sweden's Arch Enemy. The lead guitars are impressive also and never feel out of place especially the second time you listen to this album all the way through. “Shades of Black” continues the Arch Enemy and In Flames influenced guitar work as this song is lyrically about a person that continues to be haunted by his nightmarish past. “Sign” is a song that lyrically describes a future that is dark, desperate, and despondent. None of us would want to live like that but such a scenario does happen to some people. “Cardinal Sin” lyrically brings attention to the sins committed by humans that needs to be wiped out but then again, humans are flawed creatures by nature so we cannot expect them to not make mistakes. The best songs in Bloody Empire are the title track, Last Rebellion, and God of Blind but it is hard to find anything wrong with any of the songs on this album.