Empire

Only went here once on the weekend for an acoustic show, but it looks like a nice venue for smaller bands to tour and I wouldn't mind stopping by again for another show.

The atmosphere goes along well with its decor, especially that of the bar. This is a nice place for metal shows. While it is quite intimate, it can house a fair number of people and it is quite clean. The sound system is alright, but there is always room for improvement.

This is the likely stopping place for any decent metal bands looking to make a tour stop in Northern Virginia. I've attended perhaps a dozen shows, and have generally had an enjoyable experience. Management should staff a little better... the few times I've been in the Alchemy Lounge bar they have, all the table were full, but there was no one manning the bar. ~30 people would have to go in to the concert hall and order at the bar there. Inconvenient, and lost sales for sure. The facility is mostly clean, and the local opening acts are usually solid (Sound of Thunder is always a treat).

Empire is in a space that used to be called Jack's. It's on the second floor of a suburban strip mall, and it caters to a goth/metal/industrial crowd. I went to an all-ages concert, but I was surprised by how many 30 and 40 somethings were in the crowd. It wasn't the teens I expected. Most of the crowd was old enough to drink. The people watching was fun - lots of goth dress up going on.

The venue is a spacious high-ceiling room with a stage that is a bit too low to see the performers well, and a tiered area surrounding the floor with bars, T shirt stands, and some bar stool seating. My husband complained that the sound quality in the room was not good. I thought it was the performers more than the sound equipment. There's also a lounge-y bar room next door called Alchemy that is cute and has ambitious food on the menu. It's got lots of couches and is quiet enough for conversation. So the venue is not bad, and there's plenty of free parking within a block.