Sparta is an alternative rock band which formed in El Paso, Texas in 2001. … Read Full Bio ↴Sparta is an alternative rock band which formed in El Paso, Texas in 2001. The band originally consisted of Jim Ward (vocals), Paul Hinojos (guitar) and Tony Hajjar (drums), all former members of At the Drive-In. After a brief stint with Erick Sanger (Schatzi, theStart), the three of them recruited Matt Miller, an El Paso native and then-bassist of Belknap to become the band's permanent bassist.

Sparta got a deal with Dreamworks in 2001 and released their debut EP Austere in early 2002. They released their debut full-length album Wiretap Scars on August 13, 2002. The album is mostly influenced by their previous work with At the Drive-In, which is a contrast from The Mars Volta, formed by the other two ex-members of ATD-I, which departs entirely from post-hardcore and instead focuses on progressive rock or psychedelic rock. This album is also a lot cleaner and more accessible than At the Drive-In's experimentation.

On May 25, 2003, Ward's cousin Jeremy, the sound manipulator for The Mars Volta, died of a heroin overdose. Hinojos would leave Sparta in 2005 to join TMV as their secondary guitarist and filling in Jeremy Ward's position as sound manipulator. He was replaced by Keeley Davis (Engine Down, Denali).

Sparta's second full-length album Porcelain was released July 13, 2004 and peaked at #60 on the Billboard 200. The first single released from the album was "Breaking the Broken," for which a music video was recorded that received much airplay.

In January 2006, they announced that they had signed a deal with Hollywood Records, which will release their third album Threes on October 24, 2006. The album peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200. It's the first album with guitarist Keeley Davis and its debut single was "Taking Back Control."

In June 2008, Ward stated that Sparta is on hiatus and without a label; he would focus instead on his alternative country band, Sleepercar, which released its debut album West Texas on April 22, 2008. Three years later, on August 3, 2011, Ward stated that Sparta was back in action and would play their first show in November in El Paso. That comeback would be short, as in January 2012, At The Drive-In reunited for a series of shows, splitting up once again at the end of the year. In January 2016, At The Drive-In reunited for the second time. However, days before the tour start in March 2016, it was announced that Ward had been replaced in the band by his former Sparta bandmate Keeley Davis.

Sparta would come back for a second time in 2017, with a line-up consisting of Ward, Miller, Gabriel Gonzalez and Cully Symington (Beach Slang, Cursive). They would release their fourth album, Trust the River, on April 10, 2020 on Dine Alone Records.

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2. Sparta was also a NWOBHM band from Mansfield. They formed in 1980, and released two singles, plus participated on a five way split album before they split up. Hades Records released a compilation on vinyl in 2006. This compilation contained all their previously released songs, plus a few more.

Assemble The Empire
Sparta Lyrics

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Don't make this fake
Last second of life
Faux obsolete
Assemble the empire

Following fell on hard times
This one won't count
We won't count it at all

Slow down
These factions cast a failure of crowns
Benevolence forces itself
Fallen from state
Into the hands of the law
Slow down
These factions cast a failure of crowns

Slow down

Overall Meaning

and take a moment to breathe before you jump into the fray of life. These lyrics in Sparta's "Assemble the Empire" are a call to pay attention to what is real and true in life. The opening lines "Don't make this fake / Last second of life / Faux obsolete" suggest that it's important to be genuine and authentic in our actions because time is fleeting. The repetition of "assemble the empire" throughout the song is the idea that when we act with integrity and honesty, we can build something that will last beyond ourselves.

The rest of the lyrics touch on themes of failure and the consequences of our actions. "Following fell on hard times / This one won't count / We won't count it at all" suggests an awareness of past mistakes and a desire to move forward from them. "Slow down / These factions cast a failure of crowns" could be interpreted as a warning to not rush into things and to be wary of those who are only concerned with their own power and status. The line "Benevolence forces itself / Fallen from state / Into the hands of the law" could be suggesting that doing the right thing isn't always easy or popular, but it's important to stay true to our values.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't make this fake
Let's be authentic.

Last second of life
Time is running out.

Faux obsolete
False sense of irrelevance.

Assemble the empire
Let's unite and build greatness.

Following fell on hard times
After a period of difficulty.

This one won't count
This setback will not hinder us.

We won't count it at all
We won't let it defeat us.

Slow down
Let's take a step back.

These factions cast a failure of crowns
Disharmony and disunity lead to failure.

Benevolence forces itself
Goodness prevails.

Fallen from state
Decline from power.