The Empire Shall Fall was formed in late 2008 by current Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach with a handful of instrumentalists: guitarists Jake Davenport and Marcus de Lisle, bassist Nick Sollecito, and drummer Jeff Pitts. The Empire Shall Fall is the first band vocalist Leach has used predominately screamed vocals in since Killswitch Engage, although the band retains some of the singing elements of Seemless, which has since been put upon an indefinite hiatus.
In 2008 the band released a demo consisting of four songs on their Myspace page: "Voices Forming Weapons", "The Kingdom", "These Colors Bleed", and "We The People". The demo is currently available for download on their record label Angle Side Side Records' official website. The label has since stated that "The Empire Shall Fall enters HQ Sound Labs Studio (Dear Hunter, Receiving End of Sirens) in April to begin recording for their debut CD to be released Summer '09.
On September 11, 2009, The Empire Shall Fall announced through their Myspace page that their debut album Awaken would be released on November 17, 2009 with eight songs, including the previously recorded demo tracks re-recorded and reworked, and three new songs which had only been played live.
Awaken was released on November 17, 2009 through Angle Side Side Records, owned by The Empire Shall Fall's bassist, Nick Sollecito. The band cites its influences as At the Gates, Meshuggah, and Edge of Sanity. Awaken draws heavily on the band members' interests in jazz, punk, and experimental music. They are said to sound like Refused, At the Drive-In, Deftones, and Between the Buried and Me. The album reflects heavily on the themes of politics and transcendentalism. Lyrically the album advocates positivity, unity, and empowerment. Inspirations for the album have been cited as Jello Biafra, Benjamin Franklin, and Ron Paul.
The band announced their intention to released a new EP via their social networks (I.E. Facebook, Twitter, Hootsuite etc.) in early 2011. In a recent tumblr post, the band revealed: ...we have been working on a series of concept EPs. While we haven’t yet released details on the concept linking the EPs, we can tell you that the first one deals with redemption and the “guts of emotion.” Lyrical content deals with “picking up the pieces of your life and starting over” and “finding a new perspective as a result of the changes and lessons learned in the past.” The first EP, called "Volume 1: Solar Plexus" was released digitally December 6, 2011. On February 2014, the band posted on their tumblr page revealing that they've spent the past year working on the upcoming album Volume 2: Heart.
Awaken
The Empire Shall Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the back of our minds were desensitized, unlearning to live our lives. It's the systems design to keep us in line. Awaken the passion inside. No one can see it, it's under the surface. The feeling that drives us all, the reason for life.
Our lives. The passion we have inside defines who we are. In these times, revive your soul and your heart. In our eyes the fire grows.
It's the sign of the times, regression of life. Through knowledge we realize it's the systems design to control our minds. Thus, breeding this degeneration. Into our consciousness it begins to unfold. Suppressed emotion building into pain. Release your spirit. Channel the anger to make a difference.
The Empire Shall Fall's song "Awaken" is a powerful call to action for listeners to rekindle their passion and to break free from the conformist societal systems that have been designed to keep us in line. The lyrics talk about how we have become desensitized to the world around us, and how we need to awaken our inner fire to make a difference.
The song urges us to revive our souls and our hearts, and to channel the anger we feel in response to the system's oppressive design into something that will empower us. The chorus repeats that our lives and the passion we have inside define who we are. The verses talk about the signs of the times, the regression of life, and the realization that the system is designed to control our minds and breed degeneration.
But the song also offers hope - there is real emotion that lies beneath the surface, waiting to be released. The song urges us to live our lives with our eyes open wide, to learn about who we are, and to break free from the shackles of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Our lives. The passion we have inside defines who we are. In these times, revive your soul and your heart. In our eyes the fire grows.
Our internal drive amplifies our identity. In this moment, reignite your spirit and fuel your emotions. Our determination intensifies.
It's the sign of the times, regression of life. Through knowledge we realize it's the systems design to control our minds. Thus, breeding this degeneration. Into our consciousness it begins to unfold. Suppressed emotion building into pain. Release your spirit. Channel the anger to make a difference.
The decline of our existence is shown in the systems suppressing our thoughts. Our inner turmoil is mercilessly bottled and constrained to hurt us. Unleash your energy to counter the corrupt powers.
Do you feel something rising up to erupt? It's on the inside of it. Ingrained apathy pushed to far, held down, and now loosing my sanity. Something is not right. We see it in our eyes. Living this false life, cause something ain't right. Don't loose yourself in this fight. Just be yourself. Live your life. A conformist system suppressing real feeling, real emotion. We're saying live your life, eyes open wide to be alive. This is our time, our life unlearning to close our minds. In disguise, your passion lies in learning who we are inside. Slave to society no more. The shackles and chains are gone. Real emotion the reason for life.
Do you sense an uprising in your heart? It's due to the suppression of apathy pushing you to your sanity's breaking point. This is not natural. Resist the indoctrinating conformism and be true to yourself. Our life is for learning about ourselves without borders. Emotions are the true reason to live, not society's chains.
Contributed by Gabriel M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.