Hempire - Weight

I came across Hempire purely by chance one evening. I went to The Odd in Asheville, NC, to see the excellent Heavy Temple and they opened up for them. Completely unknown to me I did not know what to expect, however, this stoner/ hash thrash trio knocked me off my feet! So I quickly procured a copy of their 2025 debut CD 'Weight' and man, it's pretty damned great! From the word go Hempire are completely relentless and come at you with full force. It's not full-on speed constantly, they know when and how to change the approach to give the songs substance and keep the listeners attention. Don't get me wrong though, Hempire goes for the jugular with no intention of backing down.

 

Going wide open right from the bat 'Nugrunner' flattens me outright. No holds barred yet it is catchy as hell. 'The Grind' and it's like Judas Priest and Motörhead had a child together. Onslaught with sharp riffs, obliterating drums and full of hooks. On 'Sounds Of The Hellbound' Hempire go for weight – pun intended – instead of speed while lacing it with chainsaw riffs and melody, this is a crusher. And people, this is how you breakdown! The bass guitar takes away 'Without The Darkness' perfectly. Slower pace and going for weight again. Builds up gradually. A really nice trippy segment towards the end before exploding. 'Wasn't Born Yesterday' is mid-tempo and kinda trippy while building up. Once the verse kicks in Hempire are lethal and on a mission.

 

'Deathbringers, Inc.' is a neck-breaker right out of the gate while holding it back in the verses slightly. Drops even more about halfway through only for mayhem to ensue before the solo moves in. Fades out very effectfully. 'Gravediggers' follows and it is short, sharp and ferocious with the band not holding back whatsoever. Unleash the fucking fury! An electronic intro akin to anything John Carpenter has composed takes the instrumental 'Bongbroth' away. Slow, lurking and lead-heavy it drops even more and turns trippy while holding on to the heaviness. There's even a bottom-heavy bass solo. It's back to full throttle on 'Deathtrap'. Full-on stoned out heavy as hell stoner rock'n'roll is what Hempire gives us. The gauntlet is thrown and no one is spared. Album closer 'Ain't Leavin' Here Alive' is bottom-heavy, slowish, crushing and unforgiving. Blow by blow Hempire pounds you into the ground.

 

I love it when a band comes into my life by basically slipping in on the old banana peel and blow me away. Apart from that feel-good sensation it also gives me hope for the future of music. What I mean is discovering such a good band as Hempire shows there are still musicians and bands who wants to follow their own path and not be sheep who only follow trends. Hempire are such a band who walks their own way, that in combination with being good musicians and songwriters elevates them. Don't miss out on these guys, they deserve to be out there, and then some!

 

-Swedebeast