Crown the Empire want you to take them seriously, but I'm having a really hard time doing so. The new album "The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways" is pretty much a sequel and follow-up concept album, following the character Johnny and the rest of gang.
What's different this time around?
There are far less electronics and out of place dubstep sounds, more thoughtful lyrics as a whole, and really just a more mature sounds that actually makes it worth a listen.
Take those positive notes with a grain of salt though, as there are still plenty of bumps that throw this ride off a proper course. The widespread issues with the record is the cheesiness of it's overarching subject matter. I suppose I'm supposed to commend the group for daring to do an album with all of these "acts", which serve as interludes and as opportunities for the band to slip in dialogue and chatter from the imaginary world around them, but I just can't fully get on board with it. I'm definitely NOT opposed to a band doing this, creating another world for listeners to visualize and share with them (Danger Days, My Chemical Romance anyone?), but not when it's one of the most cliched story lines in existence, and feels eerily similar to Black Veil Brides "Wretched and Divine".
DON'T think that I hate this record, or even dislike it that much at all. It's just hard for me to get past the lack of authenticity I feel from the lyrics at times. Think of it this way. It's like watching a cartoon you might have loved as a kid, but then coming back to it years later and still liking it, but cringing at the silliness of some it's moments. All of this being said, there really are some praiseworthy tracks on this album.
I have to compliment the band for stepping in a much better direction musically this time around. There are plenty of moments that have much more of a nu-metal or hard rock feel to them, with the guitars tones reminding me somewhat of the recent Slaves record, albeit more skilled and notable.
The screamed vocals in the second half of "Call To Arms" surprised me in a good way, leading into one of the singles, "Initiation". That particular cut utilizes a nice mix of electronics and hard riffs, but struggles with a rather generic sounding bridge and chorus. A lot of fans are pretty divided on the song from what I can tell, and I definitely see why.
I often find myself admiring this album's show of musicianship more than anything else, as the instrumentals are generally rather strong as a whole. More often than not, I'm not totally invested into the lyrical messages or the vocal performances.
"Millenia" completely caught me off guard. It's a surprisingly human moment in album that just feels so, well... not? I'm picking up a huge Pierce the Veil vibe from this song vocally and with the guitar patterns, and I'm really digging it. Easily my favorite track on this album, with an explosive mid 2000's sounding guitar solo to cap off this excellent track.
More guitar moments fire off across the record and really resonate with me as some of the most passionate and memorable things about "The Resistance". The soaring chorus of "Machines" is prime real estate for this, sliding in some distant reverb laden guitars and combining in with some furious drumming that really captured my ears. "The Phoenix Reborn" also includes a powerful guitar solo that really matches the rest of the song's energy and makes it a highlight on the album.
The album never totally engages me, as there are tracks like "MNSTR", "Bloodline", and "Second Thoughts" that really cause the album to stray from it's semi-solid musical premise by playing the never fun but seemingly always apparent generic game, where your favorite metalcore and hardcore bands throw in a handful of tracks that feel totally run of the mill and unnecessary.
"MNSTR" thrives off of repeating boring riffs and screaming harshly about how one has turned into a monster. If it's painful lyrics weren't enough to do it in, then the face palm worthy breakdown is.
Cuts like "Maniacal Me" and "Johnny's Rebellion" have a dark and sinister evil carnival, if you will, feel to them. It's perhaps over the top, but I can't help but enjoy the theatrics, especially on "Johnny's Rebellion", which is one of the most entertaining cuts from the band to date.
I honestly wasn't expecting "The Resistance" to be as enjoyable as it is. If you can look through past some of the unnecessary theatrics, you'll see that this is one of the more enjoyable metalcore releases of the year so far, although I don't see it having much of a reply factor for me personally.
3/5
Don't forget to check my YouTube channel if you want to see the video version of this review, along with a ton of other reviews. Thanks for reading and watching! -Jon
Key tracks: Millenia, Johnny's Rebellion, Machines, Call To Arms, Phoenix Reborn
Cuts like "Maniacal Me" and "Johnny's Rebellion" have a dark and sinister evil carnival, if you will, feel to them. It's perhaps over the top, but I can't help but enjoy the theatrics, especially on "Johnny's Rebellion", which is one of the most entertaining cuts from the band to date.
I honestly wasn't expecting "The Resistance" to be as enjoyable as it is. If you can look through past some of the unnecessary theatrics, you'll see that this is one of the more enjoyable metalcore releases of the year so far, although I don't see it having much of a reply factor for me personally.
3/5
Don't forget to check my YouTube channel if you want to see the video version of this review, along with a ton of other reviews. Thanks for reading and watching! -Jon
Key tracks: Millenia, Johnny's Rebellion, Machines, Call To Arms, Phoenix Reborn
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