On July 19, metalcore band Crown the Empire released their fourth studio album titled Sudden Sky via Rise Records! Anticipation for this album was high as almost half the tracks were released as singles prior to the entire record’s release. Through a statement accompanying the release, the band states, “Our new album Sudden Sky is a digital representation of who we are at this moment in time. It captures our innermost fears and anxieties while questioning humanity and the chaos of the world we live in today. This urgent search for meaning taught us that the only way to truly be human is to be vulnerable.’Sudden chance’ and destruction will lead to your liberation.”
The album begins with a short intro titled (X) that leads into “20/20”, one of the aforementioned releases off the album. Lead singer Andy Leo describes feeling “the wires in my life” and the “moments passing by” and then the song really draws the listener in with the chorus: “Try and try to re-write my own design/but now I’m frozen in time, caught in a satellite.” This is a great visualization encompassing the struggle to change. A person recognizes the need to change some aspect of his or her life, but accomplishing that change is something else altogether and this song does an amazing job of describing that struggle. Please checkout the official video for “20/20” below:
The third song “what i am” is the most powerful song on the album. This song details the struggle with relationships, whether they be romantic or otherwise and the struggle to recognize when one simply needs to walk away from that relationship. This song is a bit heavier with aggressive riffs from guitarist Brandon Hoover and heavy bass and drums from Hayden Tree and Brent Taddie, respectively. The sound of the song is more my style and I love the wording of the chorus: “What am I supposed to do? You’re dragging me away from the promised land/You fucked me up/But I refuse to let you kill who I am.” Again, the visuals are strong and this is a perfect metaphor that encompasses the relationship struggle. Please check out the video for “what i am” below:
The album continues through “BLURRY (out of place)”, which is gaining play on satellite radio, “Red Pills”, and “MZRY” among others and ends with the title track “Sudden Sky.” Crown the Empire demonstrates a great variety of sound in all of these songs and the message is centered around mental health and the ability to not only discuss the issue but identify WHEN the discussion is needed on an individual level. I am always going to be partial to bands who are willing to take this issue on (see my review for Memphis May Fire’s Broken) but Crown the Empire does a spectacular job of illustrating this struggle through powerful lyrics, strong imagery, and of course an amazing sound to go with it. I give this album a 9/10 which on my personal scale means it will rank as one of the best albums of 2019. On top of this, Crown the Empire is about to embark on an amazing tour in support of Sudden Sky and will be accompanied on this venture by Attila, Veil of Maya, and Gideon. The track listing for the album and the schedule for the tour as well as the socials for Crown the Empire are all listed below!
- (X)
- 20/20
- What i am
- BLURRY (out of place)
- Red Pills
- MZRY
- Under the Skin
- Sequ3nce
- March of the Ignorant
- Sudden Sky
7/26 — Sacramento, CA — Ace Of Spades
7/27 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco Theater
7/29 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Complex
7/30 — Boulder, CO — Boulder Theater
8/1 — Belvidere, IL — The Apollo Theatre
8/2 — Lexington, KY — Manchester Music Hall
8/3 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall
8/4 — Millvale, PA — Mr. Smalls Theatre
8/6 — Syracuse, NY — Westcott Theater
8/7 — Huntington, NY — The Paramount
8/9 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium
8/10 — Poughkeepsie, NY — The Chance
8/11 — Philadelphia, PA — Theatre of Living Arts
8/13 — Lynchburg, VA — Phase 2
8/14 — Norfolk, VA — The NorVa
8/16 — Charleston, SC — Music Farm
8/17 — Orlando, FL — The Plaza Live
8/18 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — Revolution Live
8/20 — Destin, FL — Club LA
8/21 — Houston, TX — White Oak Music Hall
8/23 — Albuquerque, NM — El Rey Theater
8/24 — Tucson, AZ — Encore
8/25 — San Diego, CA — House of Blues
https://www.crowntheempire.net/
https://twitter.com/CrownTheEmpire?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://www.instagram.com/crowntheempire/?hl=en
