And no, I don't actually want to run away, like from home or anything. Although, that's rather enticing, for sure. No, what I referring to is a moniker taken on by fans of the band Crown the Empire, from their recent album, The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways. I like to rep bands that I love, even if no one sees it, because at the very least I get to blog about things I love, and I love this band!
I first heard about Crown the Empire from Alternative Press, who made the band one of AP's 2013 100 Bands You Need to Know This Year issue. I always like to check out new bands (whether it's an actual new band or just one I haven't listened to yet). And I just love hearing what's new and how my favorite genres of music are evolving.
What I love most about this band is the epicness of their music. Their first full length album, "The Fallout" is all about love and apocalypse. I like that there's a big story/theme in the album and it just rocks. One of the things I tend to here with newer bands is an album full of songs that mostly sound the same, with one or two unique ones mixed in, and it's not until later that the band expands their sound, or just keeps on doing the same stuff until their inevitable short end.
But not Crown the Empire! They have so much variety for a new band, and a really great sense of self. I particularly love the mixing the strings into the loud rock. It gives their music more depth and really makes it more epic. I do like to think that if the apocalypse were to come, or at least in a movie version I would script, the apocalypse would be to the soundtrack of loud rock and classical strings. :^) That's how I always imagined it.
Plus, I love this band's sense of showmanship. They actually put thought on how they want to appear on stage. They have a wardrobe, which I think really adds to the performance. And yes, I have seen them live. Twice. And I can't wait for the next time. Granted, the first time I saw them live, Andy Leo didn't do that great w/ the singing. But I think that has to do w/ being new and having to adjust to the rigor of singing so much so often. Luckily, David Escamilla stepped it up and took on some singing as well as his excellent growling/screaming/whatever term fits best. Personally, I think David is excellent as a vocalist, one of the better "unclean" vocalists I've heard in awhile. And of course the second time I saw them, this time at this year's Warped Tour, they definitely brought their A game and rocked it.
Oh, and the band has a pretty cool logo. As a fan of Trademarks, I appreciate these things. And the guys are pretty easy on the eyes. Not that I'm checking out guys significantly younger than me. ;^) Ok I am. Muahahaha. But seriously, this is one of the better looking bands. One of the guitarist is like guy model hot.
So, their new album came out recently, as mentioned before, and I have been rocking out to it quite often since then. I pre-ordered it, helping make it #1 on the iTunes rock album list. It's nice to see people support actual good rock music, even if the mainstream's idea of good rock music is totally lame. (Really, in what Universe does Lorde deserve "Best Rock Video" MTV? Idiots!)
They really expanded upon what they do best, epic rock with some strings and a lot of emotions. But I definitely feel this is a big step up from their first full album. (Their EP is good too, as a good start to becoming super awesome). They definitely expanded on what they can do. Like, how David did more legit singing on this album. He's pretty good, but surprising quiet when actually singing. It makes a nice blend w/ how powerful he is when doing the unclean vocals. I always find it interesting when bands have two vocalists, since I always wonder how that dynamic works when deciding on how to do vocals for songs. But I think Andy and David are a good mix with each other. I see David has having this just raw, untamed energy to him performing, while Andy seems more, idk if composed is right, or more calculated. Like, he has this sweeter looking face, but something manically wicked underneath. It's a fun pairing.
I am particulary a fan of their softer moments on this album, something newer. And I am glad to see that Andy has stepped up his singing game, because there's that one slow song on their EP that is sooooo badly sung, it hurts me ears. It's a pretty song, but soooo hard to listen to. But Andy really grew as a singer and performer since their last album. That shows some great maturity and great hope for the band to go on forever and ever (or at least long enough to become old and start doing casino tours. Sorry, that's a favorite new joke of mine, that no matter how famous you become as a musician, in the end, if they keep performing, they always end up playing casinos).
But I digress. Where was I? Oh, yeah, softer moments. I love the song Millenia. I don't hear too many rock ballads these days, at least not many that are reminicent of the good old days of epic rock ballads. And although it's only 2 minutes long, I think Satellites may be my favorite, mostly b/c I've already memorized it and I bust it out in my car on the way to and from work. It's great stress relief! I really like Machines - It's got some great lyrics and a great message. Mnstr is pretty bad ass - definitely the heavist they're done. They said that, not me, when I saw them at Warped Tour. Usually I don't like when a band plays their new stuff, b/c I can't sing along, but it's a great song, so it was cool to hear before the album came out. Plus, it helped to alleviate the usual fears I get when a new album comes out from a band I like, b/c I am always a little worried it's going to disappoint.
Probably another close contender for my favorite song on the album is Rise of the Runaways. It definitely gets me pumped on the way to work. Also, the beginning of the song reminds me of Styx, from Kilroy Was Here, and who doesn't love that? And then the song picks up speed and rocks my socks off. Oh, and I feel like I can't quit this blog post w/o mentioning Johnny's Rebellion. I got The Fallout before the EP, limitless, so I didn't get Johnny's Revenge at first. But I love how they carried the story through all three releases. Johnny's Revenge is still my favorite, but I love how the story plays out, and how the 3rd part at the end brings it back to lyrics from Johnny Ringo. It's some great framing.
So, that's my thoughts on Crown the Empire and their new album, The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways. Really, the only thing I don't like about it is that the album just came out, so it's going to be too long to wait for the next one.
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