One could be forgiven if they haven’t given Texas post-hardcore band a second thought in a while. Co-vocalist Dave Escamilla departed the band barely a year ago, leaving all singing responsibilities to the talented Andy Leo. Losing a band member, let alone a prominent vocalist, is no easy task – and neither is recovering from a somewhat poorly-received album in 2016’s Retrograde. Though I maintain the album was a solid step forward for the band that also should have propelled them to the mainstream, the majority of their fanbase does not seem to feel the same.
Still, this is a band that opened up at #6 overall on the Billboard Top 200 with 2014’s dramatic The Resistance: Rise of The Runaways, and while first-week sales aren’t the end-all and be-all of popularity, they certainly play a massive role. Moving 24,000 copies of an album in a week in today’s market means there is clearly a market for your band, so you can underestimate Crown The Empire at your own peril. The band has been playing a brand new track, “20/20”, while on tour this winter with Asking Alexandria and Black Veil Brides. Many videos of the song exist, but we were able to locate a high-quality one from around a month ago. Check out the song and video below – perhaps CTE are releasing a new album this year? We’ll see. It wouldn’t be surprising, considering they’re playing the final Vans Warped Tour all summer.
