Toy Empire

A decade ago, Simon Neil and Mike Vennart would be found sitting on the back of the Biffy Clyro tour bus sharing the most extreme, confrontational or just downright twisted music they could find. Simon had always had the name Empire State Bastard lurking in the back of his mind if he ever formed a sickeningly heavy band, leaving Mike with the challenge of writing music that could live up to that moniker. Now the results are ready to be unleashed with Empire State Bastard releasing their debut album Rivers of Heresy on Roadrunner Records.

RIYL: The Horrors, Moon Duo, Wooden Shjips, Spiritualized, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dungen, Goat, Clinic. Their fourth album, and their first for new label Tough Lough Records, it's unquestionably their most direct and propulsive album to date. Recorded between their own home tape studios and mixed at Dan Carey's Studio B in South London, the album was entirely produced and mixed by the band. Having recently released a limited 12" featuring The Willo and Energy , the band have today shared the latest track from the album, Sequence One.