Review by Adam M on July 24, 2010.

Another piece to the excellent Thrash legacy is added by this newest work by Overkill. Though it has a bit of modern sheen, this is undeniably a Thrash album in the classic sense and worthy to stand up to a lot of the more memorable entries in the genre. It has all the meaty riffs and catchy chorus’ to catch one’s attention. The band is consistently shifting into different territories with their abrasive approach and always pummels the listener to the greatest extent.

Everything starts off with a bang as the first track is a solid 8 minute opener that segues into the title track 'Ironbound', which is perhaps my favorite on the disc. The rest of the material keeps up the pace and intensity quite well and never fails to let you down on your Thrash needs. A combination of aggression and versatility is a key factor maintaining an entertaining approach throughout the length of the album. There are some moments where the band adds interesting elements into their sound, such as on 'Give A Little' with its background chanting, or the more serene sections of the stellar title track.

Overall, the sound is Classic Thrash for the most part with a bit of a modern edge and this is perfectly welcome when it’s done as well as it is here. Don’t expect any overt technical displays as everything is kept sounding tight and focused. The material on this album is perhaps a notch shy of that of "Horrorscope", which is my favorite in the band’s discography. Still, "Ironbound" gives that album a run for its money with its efficient Thrash outpourings. Fans of the genre should hold this in the highest esteem as it sticks within the confines of thrash quite impressively.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 8.7

Rating:8.7 out of 10

Review by Alain on April 21, 2020.

Recently, we have seen some death metal bands trying to combine the most brutal sound you can imagine with epic or folk touches, trying to forge a unique style where melody, majesty and relentless aggressiveness can coexist. The Americans Nile is, without any doubt, the most notorious example, but we can find through Europe other fine examples that shows us how theoretically incompatible styles can tastefully combined with some success. One of the best examples are the Italians ADE, a band founded 12 years ago in Rome. This city and the whole country have an enormously rich and grandiose history, so it is not a big surprise that these guys took the inspiration from their ancient history and tried to create a beast, equally influenced by the most aggressive metal and majestic history of Rome and Italy. From its inception, ADE has tried to mix a perfect technically executed death metal, with great Eastern/Mediterranean folk touches. The aim was to create a folk infused death metal, which sounds imposing, a key aspect because lyrically, the band is equally epic with lyrics based on the Roman Empire and its legendary history. The band debuted with an interesting album; whose limited attention didn’t stop the band's hunger to reach higher levels. The sophomore album entitled Spartacus was a higher step as it got more attention in the scene, not only because of its indubitable quality, but mainly due to the contribution in the drumming section of George Kollias, the master behind the drums in Nile. That was indeed a great excuse for many fans to discover the band. Spartacus was an inspired album, where brutality, technicality and epic infused folk arrangements were masterfully mixed. A key member in the latest aspect was Simone who played all the folk instruments. Sadly, he left the band after this album, and this had an important impact on the band, as in the later album the folk influences were decreased in favor of a more symphonic and epic approach. Carthago Delenda Est was the third album and although it was a nice effort, I still preferred Spartacus, as it sounded more distinctive.

Three years later ADE returns with a surprisingly almost renewed line-up, where only the founder guitarist Fabio remains. With this initial surprise, I didn’t know what to expect, maybe a major change in ADE's sound. Fortunately, at least for me, this isn't the case as the band retains a great part of its core sound. Rise of the Empire is another piece of powerful death metal, profoundly influenced by its epic and historical lyrics. The new vocalist doesn't sound too different and his well-executed growls remind me the previous front man. His cavernous voice has enough power to fit perfectly well with ADE's notoriously aggressive style and it is the perfect companion of the precise, yet brutal guitars. The drums played by the new member Decivs are as brutal and technically accurate as they were in the past, which says a lot, because ADE has been always a pinpoint machinery. The song 'Veni Vidi Vici' is a clear example of how good the drums are, with many tempo changes, going easily for the fastest sections to more mid-tempo ones. This track, alongside other ones like 'The Blithe Ignorance' and 'Once the Die is Cast', for example, are also useful to write about one of the most important aspects of this album, the folk and symphonic arrangements. Although, as far as I know, there is no a specific member behind these duties, Rise of the Empire seems to be a creature born from the combination of their previous two albums. I can happily say that this album contains more folk touches in the vein of Spartacus as it retains the choirs and other majestic arrangements, but in a slightly lower degree than on Carthago Delenda Est. The closing track 'Imperator' reflects this fusion as it combines both sides in a very tasteful way.

Rise of the Empire is definitively another great addition to ADE's discography. Although it is a little bit early to compare it, in terms of pure quality, to albums like Spartacus, I sincerely hope that this album can be another step in the right direction. Rise of the Empire should bring a greater recognition for a band, which clearly deserves it.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10