The band’s grinding, gristle-chewing riff-work blends the classic churn of ‘90s indie darlings The Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid with the primal punch of such underground metal acts as Budgie, Iron Maiden and Witchfinder General. Lest that sound too dense and intense for repeated plays, the Troopers leaven the proceedings with a better melodic sense than any of those bands ever mustered…the parts are masterful, the whole is positively titanic. This is what rock is supposed to sound like. Listen.
--J. Eric Smith, Times Union, Albany, NY
They are one of relatively few bands that I know of whose recordings are proof that they are of an embarrassingly rare breed of great live bands. This immediately sets them apart from the current landscape of bands…They are the real deal.
--Jason Loewenstein (Sebadoh, Fiery Furnaces), Engineer of ‘Upstate Again’.
Kelly Murphy's lyrics are a fevered search for a trap door in the root cellar of her heart. Digging in the pitch-black dirt of sordid relationships and leaving claw marks on the backs of her captors, she regales us with stories of inner personal battles on the wind of her golden pipes. Accompanied by Thom Hall driving riffs on guitar that, depending on where, can be construed as descending into or climbing out of crescendos. The railing to these ladder riffs —if there were such a thing—, acting as a safety device throughout the whole album, is Jeff Fox on bass. Nothing sly about his bass playing because this here bastard plays as subliminally as a kick in the teeth. And he has to in order to keep up with and tie together the heart pounding drums of Nathan Pallace. Wonderful really. What more can I say? This band is so tight I'd swear they were illegal to look at. But they're not. The resume of each band member is enough to give lift to any upstart band. The fact that these four are playing together brings to the forefront the possibilities of professionalism among unsigned, under-the-radar bands. Their shit is together.
--Eric Smiarowski, Unlikelystories.org
Seldom do I encounter a singer who seems to pour every ounce of his or her soul and emotion into their lyrics, but that’s precisely the case in regards to EST’s resident banshee, as she seemingly teeters on the edge of a tearful hysteria at times…Backing up EST’s phenomenal songstress and laying down the heavy foundation of the band’s music is Jeff Fox on bass, Thom Hall on guitar and Nathan Pallace on drums, all of whom contribute remarkably to the end product. There is no substitute to what I feel when I hear their unique s t y l e. It’s like several rivers of emotions, vigor, and electricity flooding from my ears, into my veins, and flowing throughout all at once. Instrumentation is nothing short of masterful the entire way through, obviously the result of four highly skilled musicians; everything comes together so well…I’m shocked at how such a fantastic band such as Empire State Troopers has remained strictly underground for so long, yet at the same time genuinely excited for them as they continue to gain the exposure and popularity they deserve.
--Mute, Funeralopolis.com
One of the most obvious elements to EST is the powerful chick singing of Kelly Murphy. A force to be reckoned with, Murphy seems to be on a tear in every song. If the band is a '71 Challenger, she's the bottle of Super 104 Octane Boost.
--Josh Schwartz, False45th.com
URL: http://www.empirestatetroopers.com
