World of Calamity is Red Hot Empty’s first release of 2025, and our heaviest to date.
It features the first recording with Violet Hunter aka Doctor Deathray of Analog Revolution on bass and backing vocals. Violet also mixed the song and worked with Piper Payne of Neato Mastering on mastering for release.
World of Calamity is the first release for Red Hot Empty with a double bass drum part. This song was begging for it, but I had sold off my double pedals several years ago. So after picking up a double pedal and getting some of my double bass chops back up to speed and clarity, I added it in a few critical parts of the song to enhance the rhythmic drive. The chorus also features a super fun and driving 6 against 4 polyrhythm between the toms and hi hat that is matched by the vocals.
Ben originally wrote the music in mid-2024, but it went through a few changes as we jammed on it in rehearsals and recorded the final version at the end of the year. Sara’s lyrics takes on this consumer world where what we can afford while trying to care for the environment and our fellow humans collides with what is manufactured. Bleh!
Sara has this to say on the song:
World of Calamity is about consumer guilt. It’s about how the only company products affordable to those of us with lower incomes are unsustainable, but we’re expected to carry the guilt for their negligence. It’s no mistake that those in power allow the forced consumer to foot the blame. It’s important to care for the environment and even more important that we do everything we can to lessen our impact. With that being said you shouldn’t have to suffer an existential crisis when you’ve had to use a single use grocery bag or purchase a dress off amazon because it’s what was available to you. It’s not your fault that what is made available to you is unsustainable and it’s about time these companies carry the weight of their impact instead of them being okay with letting us carry the weight!
And here’s Sara’s full song lyrics:
Water bottles in the sea
Micro plastics in babies
All this extra packaging
Fast fashion casualties
I’m not the enemy
I’m not the enemy
I’m at the end of me
World of calamity
A single use grocery bag
Who would manufacture that
But when I use it I am bad
I’m exhausted and I’m mad
I’m not the enemy
I’m at the end of me
I’m at the end of me
World of calamity
Die for your sins won’t you
Die for your sins won’t you
Die for your sins won’t you
Corporate manufacturing
Don’t give a fuck bout you and me
As long as we consume their greed
They’ll consume you and me
We’re not the enemy
I’m at the end of me
World of calamity
World of calamity
Die for our sins won’t you
Die for our sins won’t you
Die for our sins won’t you
Die for our sins you will
Die for their sins you will
Cry while they win you will
Break they won’t bend we will
Take what they send there’s no
Choice in the end we will
Die for their sins they make us
Die for their sins
World of Calamity is officially releasing everywhere on February 1, but you can listen early now on Bandcamp at the link below.
Finally, here’s a video taken during the tracking of the drum parts for World of Calamity at GTown Studio.