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The biggest joy of continuing with these album reviews and commentaries is discovering current and future favourites where least expected. No disrespect to Crown The Empire but aside from a few well-known mid-2010s scene anthems that carefully gravitated between heavy and light, the band has never really grabbed my attention so far. This is all about to change, however, since the Texas-based outfit just dropped their long-awaited fifth album DOGMA to deserved and seemingly universal praise, and is on a steady course of entering my list of fresh 2023 favourites that will be on repeat until the very end.
Of course, I know the classics like 'Machines', 'The Fallout' and 'BLURRY' but outside of that I never really gave them a chance, for no particular reason. Their 2021 collab with Courtney LaPlante on 'Another Life' was an expected highlight but that kinda stayed in the past as a whole separate entity alongside their second rager 'Dancing With The Death', totally disconnected from any LP. With almost 2 years behind us, both tracks now make a welcome return as part of a modern and perfectly cohesive album that is balanced to perfection, equally melodic and furious, and an unlikely contender to steal the show this year.
Long story short, DOGMA is one of those albums that just work and make up for an entertaining listen from start to finish, like a great live show that leaves you smiling for hours. You might struggle to find something groundbreaking or trendsetting, but all ten tracks are pure fire, fantastic both on their own and within their indeded flow. Crown The Empire might have taken the time to finish it, but it is definitely worth it, resulting in a signature Rise Records release packed with pure bangers that are near-impossible to rank.
The album has two clearly defined sides, the expected "beauty and the beast" approach nailed to perfection without sounding forced. Andy Rockhold and Brandon Hoover's vocal delivery and partnership remains outstanding, shining as much at the highest and prettiest easycore-oriented parts, as at the lowest and filthiest deathcore-ish growls. Needless the say, instrumentation and production support them throughout without a flaw, with the variety and diversity across the tracks remaining one of the record's main strenghts.
Gradually opening with the sleek cinematic title track, DOGMA quickly switches gears with the high octane modern metal gems that are 'Black Sheep', 'Modified' and later the explosive finale 'Labyrinth', all following the direction set recently by 'Immortalize'. 'Paranoid' is a more timid but equally engaging track that goes hand in hand with the concluding 'Somewhere Else' and the truly outatanding featuring with Palaye Royal's Remington Leith on 'Superstar'. On the complete opposite spectrum, 'Another Life' and 'Dancing With The Death' turn the heat up to a whole different level, easily remaining the two favourite pit-starters here, sounding fresh and captivating again despite being on repeat for years.
There is really no need to dig deeper here, DOGMA is simply not an album that should be ignored. It is a great example of everything that is good and exciting about the modern metalcore scene, whilst cleverly avoiding some of the parts that can get annoying and predictable. Crown The Empire play with nuances and moods in a spectacular fashion and deserve all the success DOGMA will surely brings them in the coming years.
Crown The Empire - 'DOGMA'
Country: USA (TX)
Released: 28 March 2023
Label: Rise Records
Tracklisting:
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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