It can be both super cool and super awkward when receiving a pitch for an artist that features someone you know in any sort of way. Be it personal or professional, we definitely hesitate to press “play”/brace for the worst more often than not. Luckily for us (We’re knocking on wood as we type actually), we have yet to encounter anyone in our circle that hasn’t delivered some absolute magic and being a Metal Head at our core, it’s especially exciting to wax poetic on the upcoming new full-length from Employed To Serve called Fallen Star!
Featuring vocalist Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin who co-run Church Road Records (That “professional” connection and a label that we cannot recommend highly enough!), the newest from ETS has the potential to be one of the greatest Metal records of 2025 and it all starts with proper rager “Treachery” and Jones’ unearthly cries heralding the ensuing heaviness much in the same way that Tom Araya’s screams did at the beginning of “Angel Of Death” surrounded by a relentless percussive and picked pummeling.
The title track is a gorgeous Metal masterpiece with raucous riffs that rip as fast as rapid fire weapons from Urwin and David Porter as Jones runs the gamut of vocal styles (Sometimes within the same verse even!) and dueling with Urwin’s clean lines. Speaking of vocals, the opening run on “Atonement” alone is worth the price of admission and then fans get treated to Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos dropping some bars to spar with Jones’ growl while some seriously sick soloing happens around all of that.
“Breaks Me Down” is erratic and unsettling… but in a good way! Beginning with Urwin behind the mic and a synth-flavored air, the song soon devolves into a crushing stomp with Casey McHale’s drumming and Nathan Pryor’s bass laying the foundation while “Familiar Plan” is the complete opposite of “Breaks Me Down” and a heavy shredder from start to finish. “Brother, Stand Beside Me” is atmospheric heaviness that widens the Employed To Serve aural palette on this gnarly march that’s offset by banger “Now Thy Kingdom Come” with Porter and Urwin’s guitars intertwining with McHale’s drumming for a fiery sonic showdown!
Svalbard’s Serena Cherry stops by next on the rather straightforward Heavy of “Last Laugh” followed by proper crusher “Whose Side Are You On” which is perfectly suited for a Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage, Seemless) guest spot as Jones’ and Leach’s unclean chords collide with some sinister guitar screams. Penultimate puncher “The Renegades” is a compelling heavyweight filled with rambunctious melodies, soaring choruses, and complex moods while “From This Day Forward” makes the case that just because something sounds Heavy doesn’t mean it can’t still sound fun as well. Because this one definitely is that and put a big smile on this reviewer’s face as the anthemic shredfest manages to capture the combined essence of mid-’00’s New Wave Of American Heavy Metal (Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, etc) with mates/contemporaries from the next wave of modern British Metal torchbearers (Loathe, Venom Prison).
Fallen Star releases through Spinefarm Records on April 25th and can be pre-ordered or pre-saved now by heading here. For more on Employed To Serve, hit the socials to stay in touch when you click here, here or here.