ALBUM REVIEW: Retrograde – Crown The Empire

CROWN THE EMPIRE have been working towards occupying their own status of greatness. The Texas based band are also front-runners when it comes to busting a gut, as they’ve toured extensively over the years. Their wisdom and ambition should be applauded, as well as their grip on the post-hardcore genre. The act have two full lengths under their belts. First came The Fallout and then The Resistance. Both records catapulted the band onto a platform that houses the big guns. Bands that have taken years to tweak their sound.

The maturity is boundless as CROWN THE EMPIRE keep rising. They’re the wisdom chasers of post-hardcore, a band running always on a full tank, never needing to refuel. And the momentum keeps elevating and ticking like a sturdy clock on a robust wall. And with the band ascending, their new record Retrograde puts them into the spotlight even further. But, it’s not an album that will end them, far from it, it’s a record that pulverises any signs of mediocrity. It lights up the darkened end of the mind, it fondles the underbelly of infectiousness.

Retrograde isn’t a complex record, yes it has some awe inspiring lyrics and guitar sequences, but it doesn’t expel obnoxious vibes. It’s grounded and driven like the musicians that belt out the creations. It doesn’t drag on or become tedious either, it’s lively at all times, showcasing glints of enchantment. And you must think it’s total madness that the rating is so high. But the album is an expertly composed piece of music that highlights extreme creativity and imagination.  Retrograde begins wholeheartedly with Are You Coming With Me? It’s atmospheric with sustainable guitar lines that develop. The lyrics are sombre and describe a profound agony. They’re creative and bursting with darkness. Hologram starts with a soft guitar riff that elevates into a pulsating piece of harshness. The rhythm and beat are pleasing as well as the heart pumping screams. Weight Of The World is a simple track that describes the broken planet. The chorus is compelling and intelligent, programmed to deliver a message.

CROWN THE EMPIRE are a band that have presented a record that matches their previous efforts. They’re an act that like to offer pulsating and atmospheric songs that evoke. Their musical energy is also of a high standard, built up and worked on.

Rating: 9/10  

Retrograde is out now via Rise Records. 

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