Destined for a heaving mosh-pit, The Empress Of Lies by The Reasons Why is a masterclass in hard rock revelry.
Melbourne band The Reasons Why have taken aim at deceivers on their fiery new single The Empress Of Lies. The track, which follows on from the July release The Teacher, opens with the white noise treble of an old scanning radio, expertly setting the stage for what becomes a masterclass in hard rock revelry.
From the outset, all the staples of classic rock and roll are there, from bandmate Scotty Bell’s infectiously drawn-out vocals and gritty timbre to the blissful distortion of electric guitar.
Rhythmic riffs ascend to their loudest octave, and Daniel Shevchenko’s percussion is so punchy you’d think it was wearing boxing gloves.
It’s the kind of wilfully in-your-face rock that’s destined for heaving mosh pits, aggressive and compelling enough to force you into head-thrashing. The achievement is due in part to Travis Watson ‘s earworm bass, and the thunderous assist of guitarist Paul Johnson.
For a lesser band, the relentless energy might be difficult to sustain, but The Reasons Why ensure the tune’s longevity with an array of ear-catching flairs, from guttural backing ad libs to the rapid-fire explosion of instrumentation in the song’s latter moments.
On its surface, The Empress of Lies feels like a staple grunge thrasher, but there’s a surprising depth to Bell’s vocal performance, which flits between hard-hitting drone and pop-punk whine with finesse.
The result is a captivating exercise in well-crafted clamour, with each bandmate utilising their talents in service of a cathartic sonic release.
Lyrically, The Empress of Lies sees The Reasons Why grapple with dishonesty and deception, lamenting a person whose lies somehow “make sense in [their] head.” Later, Bells says he “want[s] to go to the end where you lie, just so you can deny and deny.”
The impassioned stance against liars befits the track’s perpetually vexed tone, one that “clearly expresses the anger people may have with dishonesty,” the band explained in a press statement.
The Empress of Lies adds to the already stellar catalogue of The Reason Why, whose debut album Decade arrived in 2020. More recently, the Melbourne four-piece shared the singles Breed and The Teacher, and if those tracks — as well as The Empress of Lies — are anything to go by, then hard rock fans the world over are in for a treat.
Listen to The Reason Why’s new single The Empress Of Lies below.
