Employed to Serve – Fallen Star Album Review
Employed to Serve is a female-fronted metal band from Woking, UK, that has been around since 2011. They have achieved so much within this time, from various festivals to "Exist" being elected by Loudwire as the 6th best metal song of 2021.
They later released a collaboration that no one saw coming, which came in the form of ‘Atonement’ featuring Will Ramos from Lorna Shore and ‘Fallen Star’ at the start of 2025. This album has been highly anticipated and is sure to be nothing short of amazing with a few surprise collaborations along the way.
From the opening track ‘Treachery,’ which is a little bit of an earworm track with the roaring vocals from both Justine and Sammy. ‘Familiar Pain’ kicks in with blasting drum beats and amazing vocals from Sammy and Justine again along with screaming guitars and bass from Nathan and David. Going into ‘Atonement,’ which features Will Ramos from Lorna Shore with his incredible vocals screaming ‘remove your hands around my throat’ while remaining to be a classic ETS track.
I should also mention the opening guitar riff on ‘Now, Thy Kingdom Come.’ It is so infectious that it will be stuck in your head from the very first listen; it gives the vibe of a track that would belong on a soundtrack of a game.
Another awesome collaboration on this album is Last Laugh feat. Serena Cherry, who is the co-vocalist and guitarist of the UK-based band Svalbard, this track truly packs a punch with pelting vocals and roaring guitars, all while remaining a fast-paced and hard-hitting track with stunning vocals from both Justine and Serena, proving that female-fronted bands are not to be messed with.
Ploughing straight into ‘Whose Side Are You On?’ (Feat. Jesse Leach) a huge moment for Employed to Serve featuring the legendary vocalist that is Jesse Leach from metal heavyweights Killswitch Engage. This is everything you’d expect from an Employed to Serve track—fast-paced, all-gas-no-brake vocals and drums alongside Jesse screaming ‘when push comes to shove, you’d be the first one on the edge’ —giving the vibe of early 2000 Killswitch Engage, we all know and love.
Rounding off this incredible album is ‘From This Day Forward’ with full-pelt drum blasts and screaming vocals from Justine and co. This is a true Employed to Serve anthem with catchy riffs and addictive vocals.
All in all, this album truly shows how far Employed to Serve have come and will continue to smash the boundaries of the metal world over and over again. Catch them on their upcoming tour if you can; they will not disappoint.
Tracks that really stood out are - Now Thy Kingdom Come / Treachery / Whose Side Are You On? (Featuring Jesse Leach). It was a hard choice considering that all the songs on this album are incredible, which made it hard to choose.
For fans of – SpiritBox, Bury Tomorrow, and Ithaca.
