Crown The Empire - The Fallout

Generic metal cover, check, evil looking font, check....

oh dear....

When it comes to releases by Rise Records, you will either get a great or S&#t release. If the album is produced by Joey Surgis, well.... you will at least get a great production! Sure, it’s in a sea of generic breakdowns, but you have to give the dude credit. I mention these two factors because we have the debut album from Crown The Empire from Dallas, TX. The album, The Fallout, produced by Surgis and released by Rise Records, is kind of surprising. No, it’s not the amazing album that is going to shock everyone, but… let me explain.

The band seems to bring a theatrical experience to the metalcore genre. Think Attack Attack! mixed with Panic! At The Disco.  If that idea makes you throw up in your mouth, jump ship now.  I won’t be able to convince you this is crap otherwise. For those of you staying, lets continue. The idea of giving a theatrical experience to metalcore is a good idea in my opinion. Yes, most bands use synths, but I will give Crown The Empire credit for making this their selling point. Using synths is one thing, but expanding on simple tech sounds to add an element to your atmosphere is something I can get behind! Most bands in the metal genre just use one synth or techno sound for the breakdown to make people say, “Awesome,” when the breakdown is generic and not that creative. The thing that makes Crown The Empire different is they add synths to use as an element in building an atmosphere for their songs.

Now, does the idea of mixing theatrical and metalcore elements play out in the album? Well, yes and no. Some songs use the idea to great extent. Songs like “The Fallout” and “Memories of a Broken Heart” show that the band can mix these two elements pretty well and have room to grow creatively. Unfortunately, most of the album suffers from the Rise Records effect, or the Joey Surgis effect. Whichever one you want to go with, I won’t care either way. The fans think it’s the same thing. This effect is the idea of generic lyricism and have breakdown after breakdown. As you can expect, this becomes monotonous and aggravating, especially after a strong opening with the first few songs.

Finally, we get to the last, and best, song on the album:  "Johnny’s Revenge.” I usually don’t point out a single song to form my thoughts on an album, but “Revenge” is such an important song to finalize my opinion for this album. It is exactly what this band has been trying to do the whole album.  Mixing theatrical elements Panic! At The Disco uses so well with great metal-core. The song opens with a jester-like fanfare that adds an element of creepiness to the lyrics. It’s hard not to get drawn in because the song is a great conclusion to make you think about the rest of the album.

Did the band finally nail what they were aiming to do at the end of the recording process, or was the label holding them back from making songs like “Revenge?” I wish I could answer those questions because it would have a big impact in how I feel this band in the long run.

The final verdict:  Crown The Empire has a great idea on their hands. Points in the album show they are capable of pulling off a new potential genre if they really push themselves. Unfortunately, a majority of this album was very generic and changed my opinion. Crown The Empire has potential to do something different, but I hope they realize this on their next album.

GRADE: C
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Choice Cut: Johhny’s Revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-sJ30yOUdY

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