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Music

Crown The Empire – The Resistance: Rise Of The Runaways

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Today’s band put out one of my biggest surprise albums of 2012 and on July 22nd of this year they released the follow-up to it. In case you haven’t deduced it by the artwork above, I’m talking about Crown The Empire‘s The Resistance: Rise Of The Runaways. Over the course of the past two years the sextet from Dallas, Texas, has managed to establish itself as one of the biggest names in the metalcore scene, at least in the US, and with this new release they have managed to prove that they do deserve it.

The reason why CTE stands out from the vast majority of the band’s in the genre, is the fact that they have a very theatrical approach to their songwriting, akin to a soundtrack of a movie, and so far every album has been an entire story in itself; with the new one continuing the events of the predecessor. They also have a very distinct sound, which is purposely over-produced and very electronic-sounding. It definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it fits their music perfectly, in my opinion.

The thirteen songs are divided into three acts, which are always started by an atmospheric interlude, and cover many different directions, from ballads to your typical metalcore sound, to industrial-sounding songs. There is a lot of chugging, but also equally many melodic parts, thus creating an enjoyable symbiosis of both worlds. Generally-speaking, the material has a greater variety and has a more mature feel to it than previously.

Vocally, it’s still the same deal as usual: dual vocals, with one singer covering the clean and one the unclean parts. Both are noticeably auto-tuned to a certain extent, but go well with the plastic-y sound of the instruments. As mentioned earlier, the lyrics tell an interesting story set in a post-apocalyptic world.

To sum things up, I’d say that The Resistance is definitely worth checking out and all in all delivers on many levels, but it’s also not for everyone, since this is taking the modern sound to the extreme. I, for one, do enjoy it a lot but this band is one of the few where I ignore my personal preference in terms of how a record should sound, simply because the result is truly satisfying as a whole. Listen to the song below to make up your own mind and head over to the band’s Facebook page for more information! And last but not least: in case you want to experience what they sound live, move your ass to den Atelier on Monday, the 20th of October, where they will be opening for Asking Alexandria, alongside Secrets and The Ghost Inside!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVLOa592jgk]

Other Stuff

Top 5 2012 by Yannick

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As this year is coming to an end it’s time to look back on what has happened in the musical world, which is why I’ve decided to put together my top 5 albums of 2012! So if you have some spare Christmas cash, you know what to spend it on!

#5 Lamb Of God – Resolution

Even though I didn’t write a review for it, Lamb Of God‘s seventh album has definitely earned its spot in my list since it managed to surpass its 2009 predecessor Wrath which I listened to a lot of times back when it came out. The record adds quite a few interesting new aspects to LoG‘s sound and is totally worth checking out.

#4 Crown The Empire – The Fallout (review)

Probably my biggest surprise this year since it’s a brand new band who managed to distinguish themselves from the other newcomers this year. Strongly recommended to people who want a change from the usual post-hardcore.

#3 Stone Sour – House Of Gold & Bones Part 1 (review)

What can I say? If a record featuring Corey Taylor comes out it’s pretty much bound to end up in my top 5. But even without being a fanboy like me, this record is a definite grower. The first time you might be a bit put off, but after two or three listening sessions you’ll want to listen…to…just…one…more…song again. Can’t wait for Part 2 next year!

#2 In Fear And Faith – In Fear And Faith (review)

It was a close decision but the second place goes to In Fear And Faith’s self-titled release. This album just has everything you can wish for: melody, epicness, great vocals, amazing production and a nice concept to top it all off. What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

#1 Pierce The Veil – Collide With The Sky (review)

The record of the year goes to Pierce The Veil‘s third album, which still doesn’t leave my playlist for more than a week. A post-hardcore collection without this CD is definitely missing a great piece! But just see for yourself…you will not regret it.

As I said earlier, this musical year was quite a treat already…but 2013 is shaping up to be just as amazing. There will be new albums by at least the following bands: A Day To Remember, Bring Me The Horizon, Asking Alexandria, More Than A Thousand and Killswitch Engage. And I’m putting money on new records by: Chiodos and Devildriver.
Furthermore, a handful of local bands are also supposed to release new stuff: Scarred, Arkaeon, Falling Promises and Lifefight.

I guess I’ll end this by thanking my El Gore mates for the warm welcome earlier this year and I hope that, dear readers, will come back to read our ramblings in 2013! Until then: party hard.

Music

Crown The Empire – The Fallout

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It’s almost the end of the year and yet I’ve managed to be surprised by another record: Crown The Empire‘s The Fallout. In line with the last three reviews it’s metalcore, yet again; but this time of the finest kind. So sit back and enjoy the read!

When you first put on this new band’s debut record, you might think that it’s very similar to bands like My Chemical Romance…which it is, but at the same time isn’t. Meaning that, after about a minute or two, screams will hit your ears with full force. The reason why it could be compared to bands like that lies in the super catchy melodies and chorusses that will come your way.

The guitars will you make you want to hum along to their tunes almost immediately and the drums make sure you’ll tap along right away to them. On the production level it is rather modern but yet not overproduced, so you won’t feel like you’re listening to same alien instruments.

The vocals, and the lyrics, are the main seller to this eleven track endeavor however. The two singers both have highly enjoyable voices, with the screamer taking the cake for me: because even though they will knock you off your feet at some points, they’re far from being monotonous. The only minor complaint I have is that they use the probably most over-used tool in the genre this year at some points: distorted vocals and “scratch” vocals. Don’t get me wrong: it fits nicely into the ensemble but almost every single record that I’ve reviewed in 2012 has featured them so they don’t come across as much of a surprise anymore…but I guess the band isn’t to blame for that.

One thing that does score extra points in my books is that some songs, namely Johnny’s Revenge, feature true “what the…” moments like the use of accordions, which makes this song sounds almost like polka metal. A huge thumbs up for that.

All in all, I consider these forty minutes as a great way to finish off this musical year and I’m very much looking forward to what next year will hold in stores. But more about that next week. Be sure to check out the band on Facebook and listen to the song below in order to get an idea what I mean.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoMJ0VkGG1c]