Artist description 5'11", 155 lbs, brn hair and eyes.

Music Style Shoegaze/Rock/Wall of Sound

Musical Influences Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Chapterhouse, New Order, Joy Division, Blur, Pixies, Sugar, Mogwai

Similar Artists My Bloody Valentine, Sugar, Pixies, Idaho, Slowdive, Jesus and Mary Chain

Artist History Formed in Boston, HRE is primarily a studio project. While rock and roll is the backbone of our listening habits as well as our philosophy, we don't feel the need to add yet another rock trio band to the global roster. Instead, we try to reinvent the phenom that was shoegaze. Leaning more towards early 90s british acts such as Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Sisters of Mercy, House of Love, and Chapterhouse, HRE attempts to bring that mildly-electronic (read: new order, curve, et al) and heavily smothered sound into the world of orchestration and premeditation found in bands like Spiritualized and, some might say, Radiohead, Six By Seven, Placebo, blah, blah. Comparing yourself other musicians is really fairly weak, but beggars can't be choosers ... so, there. At least it's out of the way. If you enjoy putting on headphones, doing drugs, and listening to really big music, then you might like our sound. The mp3s available on IUMA are, of course, some of our favorites, however we never strive to create singles (one exception being Over Doing Anything) and the vast majority of our work is better in context. Which is to say that we come from the mindset of rock as an artform, not as a commodity. Our albums (and your albums, I should hope) are entire albums, not simply 9 disconnected songs and a single. Because we took the time to craft everything we include on a release, we really hope that they are listened to as such. So, block off an hour, eat some pills, and dance around your room naked. Or maybe just rock back and forth. It's up to you.

Group Members HRE is made up of a core group (based in Boston), with satellite contributors. The whos and wherefores are entirely immaterial ... just download the songs.

Instruments drums, bass, guitar, synth, vocals, effects.

Albums correctional

Press Reviews This Boston-based group would undoubtedly be a big contender in indie-rock circles if they were able to recreate what they do on record in a live setting and then tour with this material. That appears to be the unfortunate catch to Holy Roman Empire - that the most impressive creations are the result of many hours of overdubbing and tweaking behind a mixer and therefore exist primarily in a hyperreal vacuum instead of a smoky bar or liberal gallery. The end result of all this recording is an extremely diverse yet cohesive body of work (most of it now available in the form of a CD) that has endless layers, none of which are superfluous to the tremendous impact of the music if you are patient enough to wait for it to unfold in all its post-punk-influenced glory. Vocals are just another instrument or texture in the mix and are left off of many of their songs. Choosing a song to review by this band was difficult because they are so diverse that it seems inevitable that whatever I pick will not quite be representative of their work as a whole. Rather than fuss over which song incorporates the widest amount of their talent (such as the well-paced Yo La Tengo-like "This is Only Part of It"), or one which displays their pop sensibilities (e.g. their cover of Billy Joel's "Pressure"), I will focus on an outtake which finds the band at one extreme. "Two Whole Minutes Underwater" is a cathartic overdriven aphorism that is incredibly intense (thanks to the excessively loud metallic percussion and wall of sound guitars), without losing touch with more subtle elements of timbre or melody. For example, the use of electronic percussion is slight but adds a great level of detail in its contrast with the bombast of the rest of the drums on the track. For the melody, a guitar plays a single-string melodic solo beneath the din which brings to mind early Joy Division. Indeed, this track sounds similar to the raw buzz of that band's most intense live moments. If "Two Whole Minutes Underwater" represents Holy Roman Empire at their least focused or at their worst, that should give you some idea of just how good they are. Holy Roman Empire is a great find, and while their songs may not have an immediate impact on you, give them a chance with a few downloads and repeat listens. Its likely that their music will grow on you. Reviewed by: Delusions of Adequacy PO Box 23554 Rochester, NY 14692 doa@adequacy.net

Location Boston, MA - USA

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