Empire Trading Souls

2012, TRADING SOULS was the sophomore release from Empire, the super-group project from guitarist Rolf Munkes. Alongside the German axe slingers skills we have the formidable vocal talents of Tony Martin (Ex-Black Sabbath), the keyboard wizardry of Don Airey (Deep Purple/Ex-Rainbow), whilst bass legend Neil Murray (Ex-Whitesnake) forms a tight rhythmic unit with drummer Gerald Kloos (Winterlong/Condition Red). There's even a special guest in drummer Anders Johansson (Hammerfall/Ex-Yngwie J. Malmsteen) who plays on two tracks. Originally released in 2003, TRADING SOULS saw Empire return after their 2001 debut HYPNOTICA with an album full of killer songs in a classic melodic hard rock setting. These ten tracks perfectly showcase the combined decades of experience and talent from this super group. The end result is a melodic hard rock record brimming with catchy anthems and great ensemble playing.