Rise Records

After the departure of drummer Brent Taddie, Crown the Empire was tasked with creating a follow-up to their sophomore album, while also diverting any intentions to create mediocre or “same” music. With their release of Dogma, they deliver a perfectly produced and clean listening experience. The singles—and even the deep cuts—within the record show off their easily consumed and effective music. To understand how this band has grown, we must look at each track to highlight the greatness of this album.

“Dogma” – 4/5

The first single creates a great prelude and overall track. I absolutely love the very unsettling sound of this track while also creating some really great hooks, even without the use of melody. It’s super effective and lays a great foundation for what the style of the whole record would spiral into.

“Black Sheep” – 5/5

As the first fully fleshed-out song on the album, it resembles the simplicity of metalcore bands in the 2000s. The very simplistic structure of the said subgenre, being propped up with their take on production and the overall instrumentation, is just a really nice feeling—a kind of breakaway from the usual monotony of the rest of the genre.

“Modified” – 5/5

Building on the previous track, “Modified” expands on the rhythm sections, especially with the guitar work. The overall style kind of takes on a more post-grunge form—not explicitly metalcore or with a heavier aesthetic—which is a more specific reason it stands out. Again, I can’t tell you how much I love the idea of being able to differentiate yourself as a band purely on production, while using a “tired” songwriting approach.

“Paranoid” – 3/5

They really phone it in with this track, with the more hip-hop-esque vibe. It’s not horrible, but to make this big of a step on a deep cut—and not on a single—feels kind of out of taste. I get that it’s probably to break any tension, but man, this was a huge step down from the thunderous start to the record. However, I think it can be easily consumed by a pop audience or even, like, 97.8 station listeners.

“In Another Life” (feat. Courtney LaPlante) – 4/5

I was fairly surprised by the work presented in this song, especially with the adoption of Courtney LaPlante’s voice and the odd instrumentation, kind of inspired by Spiritbox. Due to the mediocre condition within the band and their past albums, when Crown delivered a very effective piece- and Courtney used her singing abilities in an effective way—it surprised me and practically shifted my overall expectations for the rest of the album.

“Superstar” – 4/5

As a lover of music, I try to keep a dynamic mindset—whether it’s through the contents of my playlists or who or what is trending. It’s really shaped my judgment of certain music and correlating musicians. So when I heard “Superstar” and its diversion to more pop/hip-hop-oriented writing, I wasn’t sure what to think. On one hand, it’s catchy and picks up the slack from less effective tracks like “Paranoid,” but it just never really hit—until it did. It’s really hard to put into words, which is kind of why I appreciate it so much.

“Dancing With the Dead” – 2/5

This song is kind of the rock bottom of the album (in a way). It felt like a rehashed, longer, and more fleshed-out version of the title track, without the ambient feeling. Another problem is the lack of hooks and overall lack of production dynamics—unlike the top half of the list. Maybe I don’t understand it, but it just felt very uninspired.

“Immortalize” – 5/5

The last single on the album does a 180-degree turn back to the same instrumental concepts of “Modified”—with fewer effects but more lower-tuned chugging—to the point of teetering on the djent side of the genre. This was a huge rebound from the very middle-of-the-road nature of the album’s middle section. It’s just a perfect combination of the good (or even unrecognizable) qualities of “Black Sheep,” similar to “Modified.”

“Someone Else” – 5/5

I was so happy to learn this record peaked back up and fixed and filled any holes left by the midsection. It kind of takes the form of that radio-friendly approach, with a heavier and post-grunge take on the song. I think it does a more effective job than “Superstar” or even “Paranoid,” due to being able to hear the skillful craftsmanship of each instrument, while the vocals have a very mainstream take on melody. During the verses- you get to see the simplistic but masterful nature of Jeeves Avalos and his drum work.

“Labyrinth” – 5/5

Finally, we move into the last track, which is an amalgamation of production styles and instrumentation from other strong tracks. I think it’s a perfect counterpoint to the album and just an overall strong closer.

Overall, this album is strong and stands out in the metalcore genre—a genre that can become repetitive if not handled with care. You can tell they put thought into each song and had a perfect take on what a modern metal band should sound and feel like. I can only hope they continue with this idiosyncratic approach to production and craftsmanship as a whole.