Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby

This band started life as a side project in Phoenix, Arizona, by Craig Mabbitt (Escape The Fate, Blessthefall). When he left them in November 2008, he was replaced by Tyler "Telle" Smith (formerly of Greeley Estates, In Fear And Faith). The line-up became Tyler Smith (vocals), Tony Pizzuti (guitar and vocals), Zack Hansen (guitar and vocals), Dusty Riach (keyboard), Nick Urlacher (bass) and Tony Aguilera (drums). They set about recording their six track 'Empire' EP released in July 2009, which went on to sell more than 15,000 copies. Their post-hardcore and metalcore references are In Fear And Faith, Bring Me The Horizon, UnderOath and Parkway Drive. The main differences are that there are equal amounts of clear vocals and screaming. It is also worth noting that "Battle Royale" was a strong enough track to make it onto their following full-length album. The deep growls of "BREATHE" are immediately contrasted with high-pitched clean vocals. The chugging guitar underpinned by keyboards gives it an epic feel with striking lyrics ("I won't forget/And this is how you remind me that when I walked away/I was right to save me from myself/Goodbye, never say I am not enough"). Craig Mabbitt is credited with writing "Casanova Rodeo" which is lyrically brutal ("'Cause you're heading south for the border/This is the site of the murder/'Cause you're armed with hate and a handgun/Girl get in the car I'm riding shotgun"). My favourite track is the finale "How To Build An Empire" as it contains technical metalcore shredding (rather than the hardcore chug). This release showcases a band finding its feet and starting to develop its own identity.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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