Empire of the Ants – The Watchmen (Album Review)

Today’s review features Empire of the Ants’ new album “The Watchmen.”

Empire of the Ants is a cross-continental collaboration between songwriter/producer Tin Raven and vocalist/lyricist Jody Fiteni. Blending post-punk roots with eclectic alternative influences, they create emotionally rich, genre-defying music from opposite sides of the world.

Tin Raven is a seasoned songwriter, musician, and producer who has been crafting original music since his teens. His work is marked by sincerity and a refusal to conform to trends, resulting in a sound that’s both grounded and distinctive. Jody Fiteni, lead vocalist and lyricist, was the frontman for several West London bands in the 1990s, including The Switch, The Mustard Seeds, and Hunkpapa. He now lives in Malta, where he established a creative advertising and design studio while continuing to pursue music.

Drawing on a diverse range of influences—from The Cure, Bauhaus, and Dead Can Dance to John Martyn and New Model Army—their music blends the emotional depth of post-punk with the atmospheric textures of alternative and indie rock.

What began as a mutual appreciation of each other’s YouTube channels has evolved into a cross-continental musical project. Despite the distance, Tin and Jody collaborate closely to write, record, and produce original material under the Empire of the Ants banner.

So let’s have a listen …

Sirens, the first song on the album, kicks off with a drone and a descending guitar riff. Enter the vocals, catchy, full of angst. I’m liking the heavy sound of the rhythm guitars. The single-note guitar riff propels the song forward. Eventually, the song hits the chorus, then falls into a cool middle bridge, lots of notes, followed by a reverb-heavy lead guitar playing a simple melody. The lead guitar appears again in the second verse section, drives into the chorus, which has slower lyrics – “Sirens in the night.” Again, I’m liking the heavy rhythm guitar riff that ends the song. Well done.

The Maker kicks off with a string section making eerie sounds, followed quickly by a very cool electric guitar delay-based riff. The voice has a nice blend of vocal effects. Again, the chorus part features slow, staccato-style vocals. I like how the strings remain in the song to accentuate the verses. The voice is in the lower range on this song. Sort of a doom metal feel. Liking the eclectic noises added at the end of the track.

Black n Blue Tuesday – this song rocks out of the box, thanks to a killer guitar riff, really digging it. The voice is effected, but sounds nice and clear sitting on top of the mix. The song is making my feet stomp to the beat. Very nice heavy guitar song. The shortest song on the album at 3:12.

Helium, the fourth song on the album, sounds a lot like the prior song. “Never thought I could fly so high inside your big balloon.” I’m really digging the effects mix on the lead vocal. Oh, cool, there’s some type of radio voice buried in the middle of the track, like an air traffic controller. Followed by a very tasty lead guitar solo. This song is ready for commercial rock radio.

Radar, the fifth song on the album, kicks off with some fun, eclectic noise, followed by a mellow bass riff. Slow vocals, more talking than singing. Nice, heavily compressed lead guitar line enters during the chorus. The bass line on this song is really well done and gives the song its sense of intensity. The song ends with finger snaps and more eclectic noises.

The Watchmen has a very nice driving single-note guitar riff. Very compelling. The voice is in the lower range, “Who watches the watchers?” Sounds like a keyboard doubling the lead guitar’s single-note riff, which is cool. In the middle of the song, everything drops out, and an old movie-type voice enters the fray. Then the lead guitar riff picks up again. Nice song.

Words Left on the Shelf, the seventh song on the album, has a nice drum beat and bass riff to kick off the song. There’s an arpeggiated reverb-heavy lead guitar that accentuates the song’s melody. Very modern rock feel. The lead vocal does a nice job of capturing the hip eclectic feel of this song.

Archetectonic. More weird noises. When the vocal comes in, it sounds exactly like Nine Inch Nails. A driving guitar riff like Pond or Ty Segall. The title of the song is repeated with a low-volume chant in the middle of the song. The lead vocals soar on top of the mix, adding a compelling ghost-like feel over the title chant. Loving the weird noises and delay at the end.

Future Self – the sound of water falling “Do you hear your own heartbeat” says the movie-like voice at the beginning of the track. Very Ty Segall. The guitar riff is slightly distorted and sings against the steady drum pattern. The voice is heavily effected and sits in the middle of the mix, until the middle bridge, when the talking voice becomes very clear on top of the mix. This song reminds me a lot of Ty Segall’s work. And lots of bands I love.

Midnight Sun, the final song on the album, starts with a keyboard chord riff that floats in an ethereal mix. The vocals on this song are nice and clear, with a drip of reverb. Eventually, a lead guitar enters the song to drive the melody forward in the chorus. I’m loving the strings that pepper the middle of the track. The vocals sound really good on this track. Very nice job on the mix and mastering on this song, and frankly, on the whole album.

Would I listen to this album again? Definitely yes. And I may even include some of these songs on my modern and classic psychedelic rock radio show. This album is extremely well produced, with epic performances.

SCORE/Outstanding: Empire of the Ants smashes the sound barrier with an outstanding mix of tasty sounds that is very ready for commercial radio. Would I buy this album? Definitely. And, if you like NIN, Ty Segall, Pond, or Fuzz, you should too. Much love, Beth

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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