Dreams And Empires ( Glasgow, Scotland)

With a taste for the cinematic and epic side of contemporary post-hardcore, Glasgow’s Dreams and Empires produce music that’s every bit as evocative as their moniker. Like their countrymen Flood Of Red (who the band played their EP release show alongside back in December), this sextet eschew the Americanised vocals and cliché structures of many of their contemporaries for something altogether more interesting: for this lot, the use of keys and other forms of electronic ambience is less a gimmick and more an integral part of their compositions. Emotionally charged and richly melodic, their aforementioned self-titled EP is well worth a look for fans of Heights (non instrumental), The Elijah, and the other proponents of the wave of atmospheric , post-rock indebted post-hardcore that’s sweeping the UK at the moment. Keep your eyes peeled for further UK dates in 2011, and meanwhile you can pick up the band’s EP gratis via their MySpace.

Review by Rob Sayce

Myspace Page – http://www.myspace.com/dreamsandempires