EMPERICAL - LIKE LAMBS: TO THE SLAUGHTER

• Emperical: Like Lambs: To The Slaughter
      (2026, cd, --, whirlwinds recordings)

The award-winning UK jazz vanguard, Empirical, returns with a new album entitled "Like Lambs: To The Slaughter". Following the relocation of long-standing vibraphonist Lewis Wright to the US, the core trio of Nathaniel Facey (alto sax), Tom Farmer (double bass), and Shaney Forbes (drums) has adapted beautifully into a shape-shifting unit. For this expansive project, they have enlisted long-time collaborators Ivo Neame on piano and David Preston on guitar, forming a stellar quintet that navigates the album's dense textures with sheer brilliance.

The foreboding album title refers to the surrender of our individual autonomy. According to composer and drummer Shaney Forbes, the phrase "Like Lambs: To The Slaughter" represents entering a dangerous situation completely unaware, mirroring how modern society surrenders independent thought and an inner voice to the comfort of mass consensus, algorithms, and fragmented media manipulation.

Musically, the record is an uninterrupted, multi-part suite that mirrors this heavy philosophical weight. It bridges the gaps between post-bop, fiery free jazz, and contemporary classical arrangements.

-- info: Danny Mathys