Blood of Your Empire is the debut studio album by English metal band President. It was released on 4 September through Atlantic. The album's ten tracks were both written and produced by the band themselves. Blood of Your Empire was supported with the release of four singles, including "Angel Wings", "Mercy", "Doom Loop", and "Dark Heaven". "Angel Wings" peaked at number 99 on the Official Charts Company's UK Singles Sales chart and number 17 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, while "Doom Loop" and "Dark Heaven" peaked at number 8 and 10, respectively, on the latter.
The album's artwork features the band's logo and depicts a painting of the Battle of Poitiers by the French painter Eugène Delacroix, while the album's title itself appears in the lyrics for the song "Mercy".
Contents
Background
In September 2025, President confirmed they had begun work on their debut studio album, which would further develop the narrative surrounding the President character. By November, The President confirmed that four songs had been written, describing the album as an evolution of King of Terrors.
"Angel Wings" was the first song completed for the album. Much of Blood of Your Empire was subsequently written and self-produced using a mobile recording setup while President toured with Architects and Bad Omens.
The album was formally announced on 21 May 2026 alongside the release of "Doom Loop", with its title, artwork and track listing unveiled at the same time.
Musical style and themes
Similar to King of Terrors, the album explores themes of existential crisis, morality and humanity's complicated relationship with religious faith. In a statement released by the band, The President described the album as stemming from his attempts to reconcile the compassion and purpose associated with religion with the suffering caused in its name.
Musically, Blood of Your Empire expands upon the band's metalcore and alternative metal foundations with a greater emphasis on electronic music, drawing influence from Four Tet, Jon Hopkins, Bicep and Hot Chip. The album combines heavy guitar-driven sections with atmospheric electronics and dance-oriented passages.
Critics also noted its stylistic variety. Blabbermouth.net described its sound as a combination of metalcore and electronica with cinematic textures, while NME highlighted elements of alternative pop, house, rap metal and electronic music. "Pink Noise", "Hate Figure" and "White Devil" further incorporate house, rap-metal and dance influences.
Release and promotion
Prior to the album's announcement, the band released the singles "Angel Wings" and "Mercy" in February and March, respectively. Their release coincided with the group's signing with Atlantic, and the announcement of a North American headlining tour. On 17 May, the band announced the forthcoming release of "Doom Loop". The album's title, artwork and track listing were unveiled alongside the single's release on 21 May.
Blood of Your Empire was released on 4 September. President also announced headlining tours of the United Kingdom and Europe for November 2026, and Australia for February 2027.
The album was released digitally and on limited-edition vinyl and cassette variants. On 7 September, an iTunes-exclusive deluxe edition was released with ten bonus tracks recorded live at Rockfield Studios.
Critical reception
Upon its release, Blood of Your Empire received generally positive reviews from critics. AllMusic awarded the album 4/5 stars, praising its blend of heavy music with electronic, pop and R&B elements. Blabbermouth.net gave it 8.5/10, highlighting its combination of metalcore, electronica and cinematic atmosphere. Kerrang! awarded it 4/5, praising its heavy guitars, electronics and ambition.
Metal Hammer also awarded the album 4/5, praising its personal themes, modern metal influences and songwriting. Reckless Press gave the album 8.5/10, concluding that it gave listeners "a reason to stick around."
NME gave the album 3.5/5 stars, describing it as ambitious and eclectic but occasionally uneven. Distorted Sound was more negative, rating it 4/10 and criticizing its songwriting and lack of a distinct identity, with Dork echoing that sentiment.
Track listing
Notes
Track listing adapted from Deezer.
Deluxe edition track listing adapted from iTunes.
"Doom Loop" is stylised in all caps.
"Dark Heaven" is stylised in all lowercase.
"Dionysus" is a re-recorded version of a track that appeared on King of Terrors.
"Hate Figure" features Ando San, who has opened for President in the past, and is signed to the same management company, Future History.