White Empress mastermind and former Cradle Of Filth guitarist Paul Allender is featured in a  new interview with Roppongi Rocks discussing the birth and development of his new band. An excerpt from the story is available below: 

The band White Empress is based around the concept of the female figure of the White Empress, something which has been built around singer Mary Zimmer. 

"I came up with the concept. I like being in bands which are theatrical, obviously coming from Cradle. I like doing that sort of stuff. I wanted a figure, I wanted someone which fans could look up to, this really strong figure. This time I said I wanted a female singer involved. I want someone that can do the harsh vocals, punk-rock vocals, normal singing, opera vocals, everything. I want to find someone who does all of that in one person. Mary – she is a fucking God send for this band, it’s as simple as that. I wanted someone to do that so I could have vocals – if it’s a heavy part of the riff it goes extreme, if it is a softer part she sings normally. The vocals are actually arranged specifically on parts of the music on purpose. It catches the atmosphere,” explains a very excited Allender. “I wanted to come up with a figure, someone the fans could look up to. I was thinking ‘What can we do?’ I think we can go for a real bad old fucking warrior – strong, hard female presence figure, someone who doesn’t take any fucking shit, who cut your throat without thinking about it. This is before I thought of the name."

"I didn’t want to do anything in black again or that type of thing because of Cradle. I wanted to go the complete opposite way. Hence the reason I got Mary dressed up in white and the solid black eyes which adds some sinister edges to it. Then it kind of built from there. Then the artwork and everything, it kind of expanded. I wanted a strong female presence that when you look at her you’re gonna be scared. She’s gonna kick the shit out of you. That’s what I was after. We’re still working on it. Because we’re a new band, we’re still working on it and refining it and stuff. The image is slightly changing, I’m making the image a lot darker as time goes on. When the next album comes out, the image will be a lot darker, a lot more sinister, a lot scarier."

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On May 1st, White Empress kicked off a short string of live dates at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI. Fan-filmed video from the show is available below:

Allender recently issued the following update: "As a band we have a ton of stuff planned for 2015. Firstly we are going overseas to play for our Japanese fans in May as well, as some warm up shows in the US prior to the Japanese dates. The shows are being recorded, so watch this space for future releases. We are extremely excited to get out on the road for you all and play. We will be meeting anyone who wishes to 'meet and greet' before or after the shows, or both. We have a European booking agent on board now who is working very hard to filling up 2015 dates. White Empress is all about the live experience, so come see us."

Formed by guitarist Paul Allender and with a full band lineup, this new venture into the metal landscape under the moniker of White Empress exudes the depth and ferocity of his prior work whilst pushing new boundaries. Allender's signature razor-sharp riffing and epic, melodic twists and turns compliment the sumptuously alluring and often demonic voice of Mary Zimmer (Luna Mortis) to create a master class in savage, yet uplifting metallic darkness.

The album was recorded in White Empress' studio and has been mixed and mastered by veteran producer, Kit Woolven (Thin Lizzy, Cradle Of Filth). With Allender's relentless guitar and Zimmer's diverse vocals, ranging from operatic to death metal screams, White Empress is exploring new areas of metal.

Tracklisting:

"Rise Of The Empress"
"The Congregation"
"A Prisoner Unleashed"
"Darkness Encroaching"
"Sven's Tower"
"Erased And Rewritten"
"The Ecstatic And The Sorrow"
"Dethroned"
"Obsession With The Empress (Human To Divine)"
"Ours To Burn"
"Exile (The Empress Returns)"
"Fall Of The Old Guard"