Distant Emperor is rock delivered with authenticity, originality, and thought-provoking observations of our place in the world. A studio project and fusion of Marc Di Camillo's alter egos Lance Gunn-Shott (flamboyant guitarist and songwriter), and Wednesday Thurston Friday (aka WTF, the shy bass player and lyricist). Thundering and emotive vocals are delivered by Aliz AJ accompanied by drummer Chris Brush who foregoes sticks and attacks the pig skins with his bare hands. The essence of the 80's underpins the sound with a canvas of influences ranging from classic metal (Iron Maiden/Judas Priest), rock (Midnight Oil/Talking Heads/FNM/Living Colour), symphonic legends (Vangelis) and Chuck Norris to add a little kick. The Emperor is not stuck in the past and is paving the way for a new sound for the 2020's. 2023 is the year the Emperor unleashes their debut album “Generation Salvation” from afar taking you on a sonic journey of powerful, dramatic, and uplifting soundscapes.
"Living Our Way" Single Review
The track begins right away with some Rock twant that pulls in the listener with ease. The tempo hits its stride around the thirty second mark and unleashes its Rock chaos. The melodies soar with deliberate intent while managaing to sway to and fro with its dynamic range. There's quite a bit of Progressive elements in its instrumentation as well as some old school Rock flair when its peaking at times. The two minute mark of the guitar solo flows naturally and fits right in. The track caps off with its extremely catchy chorus and dips down further and further until slowly fading out.
Verdict:
Distant Emperor hit all the right notes with the newest single.
"Binary" Single Review
The track begins right away with a shapeshifting sound that falls into the groovy Alternative category with its funky riffs backing melodic vocals. The track then shifts gears into more of a driving Rock pacing before dipping back down with uts Faith No More like twists and turns. The groove of the instrumentation is top notch while the vocals keeps up the intensity. The midway point keeps the track interesting with its shifting tempos. The last minute if the track sees it soar high with a much more Progressive nature and transendent guitar solo to cap things off.
Verdict:
Distant Emperor fire on all cylinders with their genre melting new single.
-Interview- (7/27/23)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name "Distant Emperor" and is there any meaning behind it?
I taught myself how to play guitar many years ago just after starting college. I played bass in an originals heavy rock band but it was just for fun as we all had day jobs. I ended up relocating to Queensland and after a few false starts trying to join established bands I decided to do my own thing and turned to songwriting. After a few months I had written several songs and began developing my skills on LogicPro. The songs were quite eclectic ranging from heavy rock to funk to full on 80’s synth, however my passion lies with rock music. This is when Distant Emperor became a thing. The name came about by accident. I was playing around with impolite phrases and substituting words with the same meaning for each syllable. “Distant” is a substitute for “far” and the rest you can work out!
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
I endeavor to make music that sounds original with lyrics that mean something to me but are ambiguous enough for the listener to make their own interpretations. Not having others involved in the writing means I have to trust my instincts and choices. Hopefully find some enjoyment in the music.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
The sound is heavy rock. There is a bit of an 80’s vibe with modern and progressive treatments. Some say they hear influences from bands like Faith No More with some funk vibes thrown in the mix
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Being a studio project I am not thinking about touring but focussed on getting the next album ready. If I was to go on tour I’d like to tour with whoever is on the ticket because I don’t want to find out what my favorite bands are really like to hang with!
5. How has Covid affected what you do?
Covid derailed attempts to getting a band together, so I changed tact and decided to commit to a solo studio project, and here we are!.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
Rock is a pretty broad genre. I tend to listen to independent artists and am finding that the creativity is very much alive and kicking.
7. What's the current music scene like there in Australia?
Independent artists are alive and well in Australia, pretty much like everywhere in the world. I am constantly listening to new music and amazed at the talent and originality.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
The system is not sustainable. Making music is a labor of love for me and the streaming platforms are a way for my music to reach an audience.
9. What's next for Distant Emperor?
I have another two albums worth of material in demo form so working through that so that Distant Emperor has material to release for 2024 and 2025.
10. Any shoutouts?
Aliz AJ who does the singing and Mike Trubeskov who does the mixing and mastering.
