The new EP from The Empire Shall Fall – Volume I: Solar Plexus is released late November through Angle Side Side Records, and now also available for streamimg at this location.
The Empire Shall Fall was founded in 2008 by longtime friends Nick Sollecito and Jesse Leach [ex Killswitch Engage, Times Of Grace]. Though Leach had split with Killswitch Engage several years previously and Sollecito’s roots lay mainly in the jazz and hip hop scenes, they were dead-set on bringing a balls-out modern metal band to life. After finding a temporary drummer and recruiting Jake Davenport on guitar, and practicing endlessly to truly nail down the TESF sound, the quartet began playing gigs around New England.
The addition of Marc de Lisle on second guitar and Jeff Pitts on drums solidified the band’s lineup, and led to the recording of the band’s debut full-length, Awaken. Financing the entire recording as well as all merchandise, pressing, and touring costs themselves and set to release the album on Sollecito’s own Angle Side Side Records in November 2009, The Empire Shall Fall are the perfect example of a determined, ambitious, totally DIY band on a mission.
The Empire Shall Fall’s eclectic sound is rooted in metal/hardcore, citing luminaries At the Gates, Meshuggah and Edge of Sanity as major inspirations. However, the band also draws heavily upon the band members’ combined interests in jazz, punk, and experimental music to create a compelling blend of melody, brutality and sheer determination that is impossible to pin down and sure to intrigue fans of Refused, At the Drive In, Deftones and Between the Buried and Me.
Fueled by political outrage and a never-ending search for truth, the band’s message is as potent as their music, and serves as a call to arms for a lost generation. Advocating positivity, unity and empowerment and taking cues from legendary rabble-rousers and free thinkers like Jello Biafra, Benjamin Franklin, Cynthia McKinney and Ron Paul, The Empire Shall Fall’s passion for and dedication to their political causes forms the backbone of the band and sets them a head and shoulders apart from their peers.
The band commented:
A new album release also means something else: new show dates!For the first time since September of 2010 we will be taking the stage starting in January. Brooklyn has always been kind to us, so we are pleased to say that our first show back will be there on January 6th. Below is a list of a few tentative dates (more info and more dates to be released later). Any questions regarding booking can be directed to TESFbooking@gmail.com.
January 6th-Brooklyn, New York
January 7th-Kearny, New Jersey
January 13th-Providence, RI
January 14th-Boston, MA
Finally, we are working on Volume 2 (and Volume 3). In the preliminary stage we can safely say that Volume 2 will be a heavier record (this is intentional, and goes with the concept). We have most of the songs in their skeletal structure, and over the next few months hope to polish things up so we can be recording in the spring (this time hopefully with a faster turn around!).
Volume I: Solar Plexus tracklist:
The Genesis of These Scars
Dubrise
Narrow, the Path I Walk Part I
Narrow, the Path I Walk Part II
As the City Sleeps
The Martyr’s Song
The First Redemption
Members:
Jesse Leach – Vocals
Jake Davenport – Guitar
Jeff Pitts – Drums
Marcus de Lisle – Guitar
Nick Sollecito – Bass