{"id":28819,"date":"2013-04-11T09:25:18","date_gmt":"2013-04-11T14:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=28819"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:35:10","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:35:10","slug":"i-am-empire-anchors-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/i-am-empire-anchors-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"I Am Empire | Anchors<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist–<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"IYou know that scene in the \u201879 Lucio Fulci film Zombie where one of the living dead slowly pulls a woman into a jagged wood splinter until it punctures and pops her eyeball? It\u2019s an excruciatingly brutal scene to watch, especially if you have phobias about ocular torture. Listening to some modern rock bands is the musical equivalent of slowly having your eye torn out, and some albums are excruciatingly brutal to listen to.<\/p>\n

I Am Empire (IAP) is not one of those bands and Anchors<\/em> is not one of those albums.<\/p>\n

IAP\u2019s Tooth & Nail Records debut (Kings<\/em>) was a mixed bag that forecasted future growth. Well, some of that promise has now been fulfilled; Anchors<\/em> has a more polished, self-assured sound and front-man Andy Lyons has improved as a singer with much greater control of his high-pitched vocals. The forward progression the band has made between albums is noteworthy.<\/p>\n

When Tooth & Nail Records first invaded the Christian rock scene back in the early \u201890s, they focused almost exclusively on alternative rock\/metal. It is fitting, then, that IAP landed on this label, because while their sound is rooted in the distorted guitars and crunchy sonics of modern rock, it sports a unique vibe that colors outside the lines enough to make this a welcome alternative to anyone who has grown sick of corporate cookie cutter rock music.<\/p>\n

For example, while a few of the songs have that hit single catchiness to them, the band frequently forgoes pop hooks in favor of those that require a few spins to savor. Many of the tracks bear a moody, somber aesthetic and demonstrate a lyrical depth that slices beneath surface trifles with a sharp, poetic scalpel. Make no mistake; you will not confuse I Am Empire with the Nickelbacks and Hinders of the world. (Somewhere someone just let out a hallelujah shout.)<\/p>\n

If Anchors<\/em> has an Achilles\u2019s heel, it\u2019s that there are too few blow-you-away songs. This is the kind of album you listen to and think to yourself, \u201cHey, this is decent stuff,\u201d but rarely think, \u201cHoly Jumpin\u2019 Jehosophat, this is awesome!\u201d That being said, there are a handful of songs that may make such an exclamation proceed out of thy mouth, with \u201cGravity Bomb\u201d being one of them, infused as it is with a rocking rhythm, squealing guitars, and a catchy chorus enhanced with gang vocal \u201cWhoas!\u201d Even better is \u201cSing,\u201d a big ol\u2019 anthem with body-moving power hooks and a Goliath-sized chorus. For something heavier, \u201cThe Mastermind Is Me\u201d offers a blistering riff that is nicely balanced by slick harmonies.<\/p>\n

With a deep, poetic, faith-based message and a solid modern rock sound, I Am Empire have plenty to offer, especially if you\u2019re seeking something a little different from the crass commercial rock clogging up the radio these days. Yeah, the album is missing that one sweet knockout punch that slams your cochlea and leaves you cross-eyed in all the right ways, but there are enough upbeat tempos, sizzling guitar solos, and memorable hooks to ensure your feet don\u2019t stay anchored to the floor.<\/p>\n

Genre: Modern Hard Rock, Christian Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nAustin Lyons (vocals)
\nAndrew Stanton (guitar)
\nJoshua Case (bass, backing vocals)
\nEric Martin (drums)<\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1. Gravity Bomb
\n2. Gasoline
\n3. All Around Me Now
\n4. Labor
\n5. Sing
\n6. The Mastermind Is Me
\n7. Tell Me Mirror
\n8. Daylight
\n9. Remedy
\n10. Blackout
\n11. On a Rainy Sunday<\/p>\n

Label: Tooth & Nail Records<\/p>\n

Webpage: www.myspace.iamempire<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen – Senior Columnist– You know that scene in the \u201879 Lucio Fulci film Zombie where one of the living dead slowly pulls a woman into a jagged wood splinter until it punctures […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":28820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,5176,2939,334,4157],"class_list":{"0":"post-28819","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd","9":"tag-christian-rock","10":"tag-modern-hard-rock","11":"tag-review","12":"tag-tooth-nail-records"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}