Holy Roman Empire
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Holy Roman Empire

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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The best kept secret in music

Press


"Pittsburgh Daily News"

"In the age of over-over­saturation, it gets tougher all the time to find bands that adhere to a familiar sound but do it really well. Holy Roman Empire is one of them. They do the power-pop, emotionally charged punk rock as well as any other act out there. And I dare say that with some promotional push and a few lucky breaks, “The Longue Duree” could be an underground smash hit the way Panic! At the Disco and Hawthorne Heights records have become. It’s just you wouldn’t be embarrassed to listen to this album in front of people. While the band — made up of former members of Hope Conspiracy, Rise Against, and Shai Hulud — is quite strong and polished, singer Emily Schambra is the reason they could become heavyweights. Her powerful voice drips with passion and puts these songs over the top. She makes cuts such as “Undeserving You,” “An Alliance of Thieves,” “Mute Hearts,” and “Vicarious Hauntings” sure-fire gems just screaming to be discovered." - Pittsburgh Daily News


"Rise And Revolt"

"Holy Roman Empire is a stand out band if for no other reason than the sum of its parts. HRE is a band comprised of former members of The Hope Conspiracy, Shai Hulud, Rise Against, and Arma Angelus. By glancing at that short list of hardcore all star bands, you’d probably think this was going to be a melodic hardcore super group. But you’d be pretty far off. Other than the stories they may tell you after they get off stage of their previous bands, there are no similarities, no ties, nothing. HRE is a sometimes poppy, sometimes spacey rock band fronted by Emily Schambra (who’s vocals were highlighted on Rise Against’s Sufferer & Witness) that runs the gamut of rock sounds. I swear, anything you could want from a rock band is somewhere on this record. There’s some slow songs, some fast songs, and some that fluctuate enough to please anyone. The band behind Emily is as much of a pleasure as her vocals are. There are very few bands that you could say “man, this would sound amazing with or without vocals” but that is how Holy Roman Empire is, so well arranged. Their guitar tones were all you could ever ask for and more, but when you’ve got such experienced axe-men as Neeraj Kane and Jay Jancetic, it’s to be expected. But it’s not all guitars, the rhythm section, held down by Tony Tintari and Geoff Reu is pretty solid. Pushing the band forward, as with most bands, is the singer, Emily. Her vocals are powerful, yet almost vulnerable at times. However, as much as I liked this record, I couldn’t help but notice on some of the songs that there was a pretty striking comparison to Paramore. For those familiar with Haley and the rowdy bunch of TN kids known as Paramore, Holy Roman Empire is somewhat like a more experimental version of Paramore, almost as if they were the hardcore/indie kid’s version of the band. But that’s not a bad thing at all, I’m a very big fan of Paramore, so HRE’s The Longue Duree was a treat for me. For those unfamiliar with Paramore, HRE could easily be summed up like this, a high energy poppy punk band with female vocals that also has a little bit of a flair for slower material. There’s enough rock sensibility in this album to hook in a lot of fans, though I don’t know how widely accepted of an album it will be. Though there are multiple cuts off of the record that could be used as singles or video songs. Tim McIlrath of Rise Against appears doing guest vocals on this album, on the track “Mute Hearts”, which would be a perfect video song, as would “The Ace”." - Rise And Revolt


"Infuze Magazine"

"Holy Roman Empire is an entirely new name to me. Quite frankly given the label this is on, the pr company it came to me from, and the fact that the band features former members of Shai Hulud, Hope Conspiracy, and Rise Against it was not at all what I expected. In fact, I was completely blown away by the sound created by the band. Holy Roman Empire land somewhere between Sunny Day Real Estate and Hum, focusing less on the emo end of things and more on the pop sensibilities that both bands had in spades. While it’s easy to be initially sucked in by vocalist Emily Schambra, it’s the band’s immense talent that keeps you coming back. They take Schambra’s vocals to places it can soar. Case in point is “Olympus,” a ditty that would be at home on both pop and alternative rock radio, bringing to mind the sound of the first wave of nineties alternative rock bands – the ones that embraced both the art and the hook, producing some downright amazing albums in the process. The music here is very melodic and accessible, yet it’s gritty and heavy when it needs to be. It’s kind of like a massage that manages to hit all the right spots. The guitar work is of particular note as it really relies heavily on dynamics, creating the atmosphere and setting the tone for nearly every song. This is a very guitar driven record which is quite an accomplishment given that female fronted bands are often dominated by their vocalists. There are a lot of highlights here, including the downright beautiful and engaging sound of “Mute Hearts,” the emotional and pleading sound of album opener “Undeserving You,” and the high energy anthem “Take It Outside.” There are a few sore spots as well but overall this band sounds ready to be the next big thing. This is a band you should know about if you like your music chock full of talent and accessibility. Fans of the aforementioned bands as well as early to mid-nineties Lemonheads, Foo Fighters, Rise Against, and In This Moment will probably enjoy this the most. Don’t be shy, give it a try." - Infuze Magazine


"Punknews.org"

With members laying claim to previous outfits like Rise Against, the Hope Conspiracy, Shai Hulud, the Killing Tree and Arma Angelus, Holy Roman Empire is literal post-hardcore. What's convenient about this is that, aside from the soaring vocals of frontwoman Emily Schambra (ex-Longdistancerunner herself), Holy Roman Empire comes off like the modern day Texas Is the Reason -- big hooks, gigantic guitars and an emotional resonance wrapped in a modest delivery and pristine production.

Obviously, Schambra is meant to be one of the highlights, and while she's certainly got an alluring, impressive voice, if we set the bar at Maura Davis, let's say Schambra is Caithlin de Marrais. That's not to say Schambra's a detracting factor -- she's fully capable of singing strong melodies and hitting neck-craning pitches, and manages to move along well with the flowing, rock-anchored instrumentation of her bandmates.

However, Schambra is admittedly outshone a little bit by said bandmates, who craft active, crisp and interchanging leads, from chunky rock riffs to atmospheric chords. They lay a pulsating, pounding base for the chorus of Schambra's musings on "Hail Mary," a heavier set of Sunny Day Real Estate vibes on the moody "An Alliance of Thieves," and simple fretboard flicks for the grasping arena indie rock of opener "Undeserving You." Their ringing chords matched up with Schambra endearingly singing "I can let this go / I can mess this up / anywhere with anyone / but I can't go on without you" in "Shatter Historic" is absolutely gorgeous -- maybe even The Longue Durée's best moment.

It's been a while since we heard the beautiful guitar textures Matt Allison is capable of producing, as heard on the Lawrence Arms' 2003 masterpiece, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and teamed up with TLA drummer Neil Hennessy here he does it again, converting Holy Roman Empire's chops into a versatile array of sounds. It seems like it's just what the band needed.

The Longue Durée has enough things going for it: it's as solid a debut full-length can usually be produced; its style is a pleasant surprise considering its members' preceding projects; and it could be a great breakout release for Hewhocorrupts, Inc. However, Holy Roman Empire seem poised to certainly make a mark with it themselves -- they're surely deserving based on its merits. - Punknews.org


Discography

2007 - The Longue Durée (Hewhocorrupts Inc)
2005 - Lost In Landscapes EP (Hewhocorrupts Inc)

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Bio

More than anything, the artistic experience is grounded deeply within the act of creation itself. Sure, notoriety is nice, but before critical acclaim can occur, a group must be willing to throw caution to the wind, fasten the hinges and propel itself fully amidst the often tumultuous journey of the artistic excursion. In an era when so many bands have lost sight of the aforementioned essential component to creating unique music, Chicago’s Holy Roman Empire – a five-piece post-hardcore/rock outfit that dazzles with its technical brilliance just as much as it tugs one’s innermost feelings by way of its cathartic ambience and undertones – was forged for the sole purpose of plowing fresh sonic trails.

According to guitarist, Neeraj Kane, the band wouldn’t have it any other way: “Musical progression is definitely a priority,” Kane says. “We all come from similar musical backgrounds, but everyone has their own subgenre of the music that influences them, which makes for a unique combo when writing songs. We strive to push the envelope because we feel that we really have no ceiling.” Somewhat of a throwback to eras when artists were judged in regards to originality as opposed to the outer trappings of the “package,” Holy Roman Empire draws upon its collective hardcore/punk heritage, as well as life experiences, to usher forth its often heart-rending, turbulent blend of its influences - a mixture of the powerful pop/rock leanings of Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas is the Reason, a tinge of Quicksand’s chunkiness and a dash of the atmospheric sound of Shudder to Think – creating a boundary-pushing sound that is all its own.

Coming to fruition in 2004, the musical kinship of Holy Roman Empire’s instrumentalists - Kane, guitarist Jay Jancetic, bassist Geoff Reu, and drummer Tony Tintari – blazed forward based purely on a collective passion for writing dynamic, bracing and, most importantly, challenging songs. After months of jamming and refinement, the band was fortunate enough to add stellar, classically-trained Emily Schambra on vocals. Schambra’s powerful yet starkly forthright and fragile vocal timbre heightened the diverse sonic foundation, the result of which has witnessed the group blossom into a melodic flower equally stunning in harmony as it is in perfect syncopation.
Holy Roman Empire’s debut 2005 E.P., Lost in Landscapes (Hewhocorrupts Inc), was merely the first step in the band’s unrelenting desire to channel its voracious musical appetite in new horizons of both the ecstatic and bittersweet variety. Since then, the group has been hard at work playing shows and working on its first full-length, the progressive, urgent and overall stunning The Longue Duree (Hewhocorrupts Inc).

Although the song writing process for The Longue Duree was another step forward for Holy Roman Empire, the blood, sweat and tears invested in the record showed that the group was willing to probe its innermost depths in an effort to move to the next level. As Kane says, “We started with 27 songs for The Longue Duree, and we pushed ourselves to up the ante and whittled it down to 12. We wanted the songs to be focused and work together as a conceptual unit. Also, with the amount of pre-production that we did we were really able to experiment with different tempos and tempo changes within songs to capture the dynamics we wanted. The whole process tested us musically and personally, but we’re really excited with the end result, which is a product of our hearts, minds and spirits.”

Every bit the shimmering musical diamond, The Longue Duree culls forth an addictive concoction of hypnotic riffs, pulsating rhythms, and stunning vocals, all of which coalesce to display Holy Roman Empire’s dedication to its perpetual artistic odyssey, which marches on as brazenly and bravely as ever. “We’re about to hit the road to support the album and all I can say is that I’m excited about everything,” Kane enthuses. “The band has already come so far, and we’re ready to keep writing and pushing the envelope musically. We just completed a full length and I am ready to get cranking on a new record! We love the challenge and we’re excited to see where our journey takes us from here on out.”

While many might say the sky is the limit for this troupe of dedicated musicians, Holy Roman Empire hopes to shoot right past those expectations and straight toward the stratosphere of galaxies directly beyond.