Customer Reviews

Awaken

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great album. Wonderful to hear Jesse again after his Killswitch Engage leave. It's a great album. I like it. Only not giving it a 5 because I found SOME, not all, of the lyrics too political. It's probably fine with some people but other lyrics are just too awkward or don't work with me. But don't let that stop you from getting this awesome album

I'll listen to anything Jessie Leach ever touches. His work with Killswitch Engage proved to me his incredible ability as a vocalist. His screams are so brutal, and his clean vocals are immaculate. On top of that he has really deep lyrics. This is a short album, but i'd rather have 8 good songs than 12 crappy ones. Besides its pretty inexpensive and you know you're supporting real music.

The Empire Shall Fall is currently a relatively unknown band. All members still work 40-50 hour jobs a week and they play on weekends around the East Coast. They are not signed with any big record company yet they have a rising fan-base that is growing based purely on word of mouth, overhearing, and the occasional Metal website. The message they bring through their first album is refreshing. Unlike their peers they have crafted an album that is reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine lyric-wise while still remaining true to their spiritual core. They are not afraid to say what is on their minds. Unlike their peers where a catchy metal tune is very paint by the numbers mystical and background noise, TESF demands you listen to the words. Once you do you gain a whole appreciation of what this band is doing. The music is there to support the message which is not altogether literal or vague. It prompts any listener living under any government to question and seek honest answers. To rise up and become patriots of the truth wherever it may be.
I have to give these guys five stars. The music is for anyone who loves Metal. The lyrics are for anyone who cares about freedom, uniting under truth, and realizing the comfort we have been lulled into by the Powers That Be. It's time to Rise Up again. I hope that anyone who listens can get some sort of inspiration as to how they can identify the lull that may be affecting their lives and make any needed changes.
Buy the album, buy the T-shirt, get a poster or sticker and help these guys spread the good word. They are self funded. They did not get any big payoff from a record company. They are doing it old-school American style. If you like the music support the band because the message is THAT important. Great Album.

if your a fan of killswitch engage and especially jesse leach you should definitely check this album out, its really cool to hear jesse leach sing for me, still sounds just as great as he did on "alive or just breathing" if not better, although the music isn't as memorable and distinct which seems to make jesse a bit repetative on the vocals, the riffs are often very groove oriented and often off time with lots of melodies and harmonies but dont let that excite you because like many albums when i hear certain songs they sound as though ive heard them many times before and i get that vibe throughout this album, all in all its a solid release thats worth checking out but nothing special imo

Okay! For those of you who have no clue as to who Jesse Leach is, here's a brief history:

In the 90s, Jesse was the singer for a band called Corrin and then he fronted Nothing Stays Golden (Nothing Stays Goldens only release- a self-titled EP- can be found as an MP3 download here on Amazon.com). Then the guys from renowned metalcore band Killswitch Engage came to him, and KSEs first self-titled album was released. It didn't do as well as KSEs next album Alive or Just Breathing which made KSE very well known. Then Jesse left and started the rock group Seemless, which was more of a Christian hard rock group. They released two albums which had almost none of Jesses blood curdling shreiks and screams. Seemless has taken a hiatus.

And then The Empire Shall Fall was born and Jesse got his screams back. The album was good for a debut album.

Lets Just Start By Saying Jesse Leach is an awesome vocalist. I loved KSEs album Alive or Just Breathing and also the music of the band Seemless. He was also previously in bands Corrin and Nothing Stays Gold. He has an awesome voice whether his vocals are clean or screamed. This album is definitely up there on his resume of great music. I love the mixture of metal, jazz, punk, and experimental music on Awaken. In General Jesse Leachs lyrics are positive and express the importance of unity on most of his musical projects and he pretty much rules! I am looking forward to more from The Empire Shall Fall.

Jesse Leach is a man who needs little to no introduction. For fans of the Metalcore/Hardcore scene, Jesse is a legend whose absence from the Metalcore world and abandonment from his previous band has left fans wanting more and awaiting his return.

Being the original lead singer for the now popular band Killswitch Engage, Jesse helped the band bring about a unique style of Metalcore that mixed Swedish influences with alternative rock and Hardcore sounds, resulting in some of the best Metalcore from a band at the time. After leaving the band immediately following the release of their second album "Alive or Just Breathing" and having a few guest vocals on the followup album "The End of Heartache", it appeared as if Jesse had left the Metalcore world for good.

Then along comes news of a new band, with a new album that was fronted by ex-Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach. Many fans have noticed the turn in Killswitch Engage's style since Jesse's departure, and were hoping that The Empire Shall Fall will provide that classic old school Killswitch sound that Jesse used to provide back in 2000.

Well, fans will not be disappointed. Jesse returns to do continue where he left off. "Awaken" provides a great return to form for Jesse. The album features his traditional high pitched shrieks and growls seen during his Killswitch Engage tenure. It also uses a lot of clean vocals from time to time, and the overall presentation of the instrument work and vocalization is spot on. The lyrics are meaningful, and provide a deeper backbone to the album.

Many of the tracks are different than previous work from Killswitch Engage, such as the title track "Awaken" which uses a high amount of clean singing. The clean vocals work well on the album and increase its overall sound. Songs like "Lords of War", "Choir of Angels" and "Voices Forming Weapons" sound a lot like Jesse's work with Killswitch, while still adding a new dimension to his vocal styles. In "Choir of Angels" there are a few relatively deep guttural vocals present from time to time, and other songs use more of a yell along with Jesse's traditional growls and shrieks.

Overall, it's great to see Jesse back in the Metalcore world, and fans can look forward to future releases from Jesse in his two new bands: The Empire Shall Fall and Times of Grace.

If you like being preached to about the government, it's underhandedness; this is an excellent album. I think every band should have two guitarists that can play. Very packaged, sounds like high production values. And they just couldn't hide it from big-brother no matter how hard they tried. I just don't care what they sing about as long as it sounds good, the bass and guitars, and even the clean vocals. Bring us back to reality with a music album, instead of taking me off to a fantasy virtual world. Unussual but innovative. Shoulda tried this while GW was in office.