Fall of an Empire plays as if heavy metal stopped its evolution around 1982, and I mean that as a compliment. The Spartanburg quartet specializes in monolithic riffs that descend down Mt. Sabbath, propelled by strutting, staggering rhythms. Speed is not a factor; size is.
Then you get to the stunning vocals of Kenny Lawrence. Sounding like some sort of Ian Astbury/Glenn Danzig/Rob Halford hybrid, Lawrence’s leather-lunged howl is a powerful instrument, letting loose with gruff authority and even engaging in some occasional Zeppelin-style call-and-response with guitarist Brent Carroll’s primordial riffing.
– Vincent Harris, Free Times