Crown The Empire The Fallout Quick Album Review

Quick Album Review

Crown The Empire
'The Fallout' (2012)

1) Oh, Catastrophe
2) The Fallout
3) Memories of a Broken Heart
4) Makeshift Chemistry
5) The One You Feed
6) Menace
7) Graveyard Souls
8) Two's Too Many
9) Evidence
10) Children of Love
11) Johnny's Revenge

First Impressions...

This is my first experience with Crown The Empire, and so far it's been a pretty good one. The theatrical style Is something I've always been a fan from old Iron Maiden albums to more recent examples such as Chiodos' brilliant, 'Illuminaudio'. And 'The Fallout' starts out like musical theatre with opening pieces, 'Oh Catastrophe' and 'The Fallout' forming a two part series (with matching film clips, worth a watch if you're youtubing). Unfortunately, this theatricality begins to fade from track 3, with the album taking on more of the standard sing/scream popcore sound.

The Album...

Singer, Andy Leo reminds me of a hybrid of Gerard Way and every punk/"emo" (hate that term) singer in existence, but for what it's worth he has a great set of lungs and a great flare for performance and vocal melodies. He really does that angsty/desperate voice well. David Escamilla handles the screaming and he too has a great performance on the album. He doesn't quite share the same air time as Leo but he adds great contrast and when the tempo picks up and he's bellowing away, they're some of the best parts for me.

Musically, the use of keyboards is something I've really enjoyed in this style of music, with bands like Still Remains and its use here is great, always adding atmosphere and nice little touches in between rhythms. The guitars and drum work is what it should be for the genre, simple, cohesive and full of hooks.

Verdict...

Ultimately, this album is enjoyable and will definitely keep you entertained, but it doesn't stand out to me as being mould-breaking or something new, just a good example of a well defined genre and a solid debut album. The only thing I really wished was more evident is the theatricality I mentioned earlier. If you're looking for something to fill the gap between your My Chemical Romance and Chiodos CD's then Crown The Empire's 'The Fallout' will be a welcome edition.



'The Fallout' - 6.5/10

Only have time for a song or two?

'Johnny's Revenge', 'The Fallout'