Empire is the second EP by American metalcore

Metalcore

Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 band The Word Alive

The Word Alive

The Word Alive is an American metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2008, the band is currently signed to Fearless Records. Their 2009 label debut, Empire reached position 15 on the Top Heatseekers, meeting a great amount of positive acclaim upon its release in 2009...

. It was released on July 21, 2009 through Fearless Records

Fearless Records

Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...

, produced by Andrew Wade

Andrew Wade

Andrew Wade is an American recording engineer and music producer best known for his works with A Day To Remember, VersaEmerge, In Fear And Faith, Eyes Set To Kill, and The Word Alive. Wade currently resides in Ocala Florida....

 and charted at number 15 on Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

s Top Heatseekers

Top Heatseekers

Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...

. The song "Casanova Rodeo" was re-recorded from the unreleased EP

The Word Alive (EP)

The Word Alive EP was a planned EP by Arizonian metal band, The Word Alive. It was recorded with original vocalist Craig Mabbitt in 2008 and was expected to be released the same year, but Mabbitt's departure from the band led to the EP never surfacing...

 along with "Inviting Eyes" which was originally titled "Can't Let Up" from the same EP. After the release of Empire, the track "Battle Royale" became one of The Word Alive's most known and notable songs and was re-recorded for the band's debut full-length album, Deceiver

Deceiver (The Word Alive album)

Deceiver received generally positive reviews by many. Allmusic explained that the album "covers a lot of familiar territory. Where the album gets interesting is in the guitar acrobatics of Tony Pizzuti and Zack Hansen, who like to keep things lightning fast and intricate" and "for anyone looking...

.

Track listing

Personnel

The Word Alive

• Tony Aguilera - drums
• Zack Hansen - lead guitar, vocals
• Tony Pizzuti - rhythm guitar
• Dusty Riach - keyboards
• Tyler "Telle" Smith
  Tyler "Telle" Smith
  Tyler Smith, known also by his alias Telle, is an American musician. He is currently the lead vocalist for The Word Alive and has played in several bands, such as Greeley Estates and In Fear and Faith...
  
   - lead vocals
• Nick Urlacher - bass guitar

Production

• Produced by Andrew Wade
  Andrew Wade
  Andrew Wade is an American recording engineer and music producer best known for his works with A Day To Remember, VersaEmerge, In Fear And Faith, Eyes Set To Kill, and The Word Alive. Wade currently resides in Ocala Florida....