Holy Roman Empire

"Holy Roman Empire has released its debut EP, Lost In Landscapes, and it certainly isn't anything to sleep on. The band’s recordings exemplify the power of soaring female vocals, carried by heavily distorted guitars and impatient drums. Layered back-up vocals provide body for the band, allowing for a genuinely richer and fuller sound. Roaring bass and sentimental guitars make the second track, “Guards Off’ a slightly different monster. The third track, “Your Side”, is edgier than anything previous and opens with a violent pick slide, letting you know its time to throw your devil horns in the air. The tone of the album is possibly more melodramatic than angry, leaving me to lean more towards the emotional cuff as inspiration. But the hooks are a true feat and allow Holy Roman Empire’s lead vocalist, Emily Schambra, to stretch her talented abilities. Without trying to sound too matter-of-fact, this group essentially offers everything I hoped Evanescence was going to provide when I found out they were fronted by a woman (I was very very wrong), Not that Holy Roman Empire would fit in the same genre, but HRE (Holy Roman Empire) is producing music that could easily be successful on mainstream radio. More importantly, what separates HRE from the slew of others is their approach to music making, which exhibits far more integrity than commercial bands with similar line-ups. The fourth track, “Topography”, is slightly heavier than the others in an early 1990’s pop-rock kind of way and has a hint of desperation in the tone of the artists. The group manages to fulfill high expectations, as this first release was nearly a year in the making. When in the process of constructing their debut EP, Holy Roman Empire made a wise decision to shy away from live engagements until their sound had been fully realized, a stunt many bands could potentially benefit from learning. Although many of the musicians in Holy Roman Empire hail from much heavier bands such as Killing Tree, Shai Hulud and Suicide File, their latest reincarnation is artistically independent of earlier endeavors. Lost in Landscapes is an excellent introduction to the group’s unique sound and leaves me curious about what might develop between this point and the release of a full length. I suggest you keep an eye on this exuberant five-piece, because you will no doubt be hearing their name again very soon." - TheTripwire.com - Matt DuFour

"More like HOLY FUCKING AWESOME! Upon reading the liner sheet that accompanied this EP, I knew there’d be some impressive musicianship due to members who’d put their time in with hardcore staples such as the Suicide File, Shai Hulud and the Killing Tree. What really was surprising, though, was their melodic form. They play very catchy music, though technically complex and arranged with the skill that only weathered veterans could possess. And that voice. Oh, that powerful, aggressive, in-command-yet-angelic voice of Emily Shambra. It’s just spellbinding. She leads this pack of seriously talented rockers with her soaring vocals. When she reaches for the sky, it’s clearly not the limit, as she pushes through the atmosphere created by the delayed guitars to hit those high, chills-down-the-spine notes. And she hits them hard, never straining, with full confidence and powerful delivery. Not only is she belting out how, “You owe me another life!” in the track, “Gaper’s Delay,” she’s making you believe and feel it with her gut-wrenching, heartbreaking melodies. Lost in Landscapes is melodic, intelligent, and played with conviction. Holy Roman Empire can write a song. They have the skill and creativity to back it up. It’s not everyday that something this good comes along. If you are any kind of fan of the post-hardcore genre, do not haste in adding this to your collection. It’s not going to leave my CD player for a long time, and even when it does, it will make frequent returns."
- 30music.com

"It seems that trading in your breakdowns and screaming for lighter, gentler fare is all the rage these days. While there are certainly plenty of post-hardcore bands that are really just bad indie rock, there have been a number of recent hardcore vets that took their influences and sublimated them into something more melodic, often to positive results. Holy Roman Empire is one of those bands, a near-supergroup of late 90's hardcore refugees like guitarist Neeraj Kane (Suicide File), guitarist Jay Jancetic (ex-Arma Angelus), bassist Geoff Reu (ex-Killing Tree) and drummer Tony Tintari (ex-Shai Hulud). The only member who isn't from a well-known hardcore act is vocalist Emily Schambra, who cut her teeth in Longdistancerunner. Vocally, Schambra sounds eerily like the ghost of Alison Mosshart (Discount) and the band itself sounds like it was inspired by other notable post-hardcore and early emo forebearers like Sunny Day Real Estate and Failure as well as other more laid back indie rock acts. The short EP is pleasant and unassuming but relatively forgettable, as there seems to be a distinct lack of interplay between the musicians and the vocalist, and consequently far too much responsibility is placed on Schambra's shoulders. It almost sounds like the band and Emily weren't in the same room when the songs were written, and perhaps some live performances together as a band will yield a tighter and more memorable full-length." - Aubin Paul - Punknews.org

The Story So Far: In late 2003, former Arma Angelus guitarist Jay Jancetic re-teamed with Hope Conspiracy guitarist Neeraj Kane, with whom he'd played in Stabbed By Words. "The timeline just seemed to work out," remembers Jancetic. "Arma had broken up and evolved into Fall Out Boy, and Neeraj had just moved back to Chicago. We couldn't wait to start writing together again." After months of searching, they'd find ex-Longdistancerunner singer Emily Schambra and evolve into Holy Roman Empire, whose atmospheric, melodically rich sound is light years removed from anything the core members had tried previously.

Why You Should Know 'Em: "Post-hardcore" doesn't just describe the music Holy Roman Empire---rounded out by drummer Tony Tintari (ex-Rise Against, Shai Hulud) and bassist Geoff Reu (the Killing Tree) play; it's also the band members' collective stage in life. As they ready material for a new full-length, opening for bands like Anti-Flag and Rise Against in the meantime, HRE are embracing their role as Chicago hardcore's black sheep. "We try to use the element of surprise to our advantage," says Jancetic. "We thrive on the fact that people don't see us coming." - Tristan Staddon - Tristan Staddon