Empire of the Ants – Seven Rays (Album Review)

Today’s review features the new album Seven Rays from Empire of the Ants, which is a creative collaboration between Tin Raven and Jody Fiteni—two artists united across oceans by a shared passion for authentic, genre-defying music.

Tin Raven is a seasoned songwriter, musician, and producer who has been crafting original music since his teens. His work is marked by sincerity and a refusal to conform to trends, resulting in a sound that’s both grounded and distinctive. Jody Fiteni, lead vocalist and lyricist, was the frontman for several West London bands in the 1990s, including The Switch, The Mustard Seeds, and Hunkpapa. He now lives in Malta.

Drawing on a diverse range of influences—“from The Cure, Bauhaus, and Dead Can Dance to John Martyn and New Model Army”—Empire of the Ants’ music blends the emotional depth of post-punk with the atmospheric textures of alternative and indie rock.

What began as a mutual appreciation of each other’s YouTube channels has evolved into a cross-continental musical project. Despite the distance, Tin and Jody collaborate closely to write, record, and produce original material under the Empire of the Ants banner.

So let’s have a listen …

Utopia is the first song on the album. Has a very nice atmospheric soundscape. Very simple repeating chord progression. I was liking the vocals until the chorus. I would have sung U-top-i ah! Instead of U-top-i uh! But a really nice track, other than that one vocal error. Nice production.

Bonafide has a nice groove. The vocals are down in the mix. I like the sound effect on the rhythm guitar. Breaks into a Peter Green type riff – nice! The vocals stand up on this track; could be a bit louder in the mix.

Stay with Me has a very Phrygian feel to it. Very middle-eastern sound in the lead guitar rhythm riff. The vocals are more bass-y than the first two tracks. The track’s soundscape is very nice. I’m digging the lead guitarist.

Capitulate. More of the bass-y voice. Repetitive guitar riff. But some nice reverb-laden lead guitar work in this song. The soundscape is quite cool. The voice is sort of INXS mixed with Robert Smith/The Cure or Morrissey.

Feathers starts with a bongo/hand drum beat, and a very cool psychedelic Beatles-type guitar riff. The vocals in this one are talking, a speech about the universe. I’m digging the vibe. Then the chorus kicks in and the vocals switch to singing. “You may have the watches, but we have the time.” The track sounds a lot like your favorite psychedelic Beatles songs. Very nice.

One Thousand starts with an acoustic guitar, which becomes the star of the song. The vocals are in the bass vocal range. I would love to hear this song with a female vocalist as the instrumental performances are epic.

While We Sleep. The lead guitar plays a slow, reverb-laden, guitar motif. Creates a nice vibe. More of the bass-y vocal. Some keyboards enter the mix, very nice sonic atmosphere. The voice does remind me of Morrissey. I even stopped, and listened to a few Morrissey videos to confirm this, LOL. The electric guitars and keyboards create a nice atmospheric background.

What You Mean to Me has a lovely finger-picked acoustic guitar riff. The vocals are more of the Morrissey vibe. I would love to hear this with a female vocalist. Creates a nice mellow atmosphere.

Here Come the Sheep kicks off with a smoking hot lead guitar rhythm riff. The vocals are mixed and sound quite different, more sonically pleasing, on this song. Has more of a heavy-metal type feel, different than the rest.

Seven Rays, the title cut. “Seven Rays, shining through the darkness.” The vocals sound different on this song as well, not bass-y at all. I like this mix. Very alternative rock. The lyrics on this album tend to be on the good side.

My only suggestion is that I would like to hear some/all of these songs sung by a female vocalist. I think that might prove to be spectacular.

SCORE/Excellent: I love the sonic atmosphere this album creates. If you’re a fan of Morrissey, you’ll probably dig the shit out of this album. Much love, Beth

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