Album Review: Crown The Empire – Dogma (Rise Records)

Genre-bending, modern post-metalcore quartet, Crown the Empire will release their fifth studio album ‘Dogma’ on the 28th of April via Rise Records. An album fuelled by angst, existential identity, isolation, and determination.

The leaders in the modern post-hardcore genre are back to show the new wave just how it’s done. Crown the Empire return with an album that takes from the ‘classic’ days of their sound, mixes it with what they’ve been doing recently, and finds the group looking forward too.

They’ve never been a band to stay still, and Dogma has plenty of momentum starting with the punchy, abrasive, and heavy pit starter of the title track. It’s all about energising and making it abundantly clear that this album will have plenty of chances to go wild. In fact, the latter 30-odd seconds are unbelievably heavy.

The early energy and intensity showcased on that opener continues into Black Sheep, but here Crown the Empire go for a much more comfortable anthemic sound. Delivering an epic chorus and a massive breakdown to get the heads well and truly banging. Then, Crown the Empire expertly blend serrated metal instrumentation and scathing vocal statements with infectious atmosphere and grand clean vocals on Modified.

So far, so very heavy. Which means it’s not too much of a surprise to find Paranoid continues that trend, albeit with more polarising effects in the verses. Yet, those are forgotten completely once the immense chorus hits.

Then it’s time for some guest vocalists and Crown the Empire team up with a pair of heavyweights in the form Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante and Palaye Royale’s Remington Leith. The former appears on In Another Life and helps turn it into an undeniable savage anthem that everyone will simply love (which according to the views, they already do). Whereas the latter features on Superstar, a more melodic and low-tempo effort, but one that really shows off Crown the Empire’s genre-bending skills.

Even if tracks like this don’t hit personally, it’s indisputable that Crown the Empire will have wide-ranging and diverse appeal regardless. Such powerful and energetic ragers as Dancing with the Dead, Immortalize, and Someone Else. Three very different efforts, but equally liable to capture the imaginations of fans.

What is sure to be a smash-hit for Crown the Empire, Dogma ends in style with a mixture of manic heaviness, coarse metalcore, and soaring melodies. Labyrinth is a gigantic closer that encapsulates the heart and soul that Crown the Empire have poured into this record.

Crown the Empire – Dogma Track Listing:

1. Dogma
2. Black Sheep
3. Modified
4. Paranoid
5. In Another Life (feat. Courtney LaPlante)
6. Superstar (feat. Remington Leith)
7. Dancing with the Dead
8. Immortalize
9. Someone Else
10. Labyrinth

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