Course of Empire


Initiation is the second album from the Dallas-based group
Course of Empire; a maxi-CD, "Infested", was released earlier this
year to favorable reviews. They have come a long way since their first
album, recorded at the turn of the decade, which saw the group being
criticized as being too caught up in their own self-importance. 
The new album is dark, hyperactive hard rock, tempered by a
number of slower pieces. Vaughn Stevenson sings, Mike Graff plays
guitar, Paul Samrad plays bass and Chad Lovell and Michael Jerome play
drums.  Parallels can be drawn with Jane's Addiction, The Screaming
Blue Messiahs, Bauhaus and Killing Joke. Kindred spirits include Faith
No More and Skinny Puppy. 
The album was recorded with only Lovell drumming, and a drum
machine; Jerome came on-line after recording was finished. The two
drummers, as much as anything else, contribute to a distinctive sound
that the band can call their own. Anyone who cites Kodo drumming as an
influence is worth checking out live. 
Fans who were lucky enough to see them in the early days were
able to participate in an innovative essay of interactivity, whereby
the band members handed over drums to the audience. Sometimes it
worked, but the band had to stop the experiment when clueless
drunkards persisted in smashing the equipment rather than playing it.
Highlights of the album include the title track, a squalling
wall of feedback and white noise, discovered serendipitously when an
amp in the studio was set up incorrectly. This then segues into
"Chihuahuapile" to close the album. Also rising above the rest of the
tracks is the somber piece Sacrifice. Two other tracks that rock out
are the first two: "Hiss" and "White Vision Blowout". 
The calmer tracks add another dimension to the band. What the
first half of the album lacks in subtlety, it makes up for with sheer
energy. But, after a while, they sneak in a few less frantic
tracks. Mercifully, these are not the soapy ballads hard rockers often
resort to; you can leave your cigarette lighter at home for these
ones. As much as anything, they let Stevenson use his voice as an
instrument, rather than just singing his lyrics. 
As long as they are able to stay away from the siren call of
MTV, and other mainstream black holes, they will prove to be an
interesting band.  I give them a 7/10 for this one.